Taxi driver numbers in County Roscommon still below pre-Covid levels

Taxi driver numbers across the county have still not recovered from pre-Covid times, new figures released by the National Transport Authority (NTA) have revealed.

Roscommon had the largest percentage increase of taxi drivers in the country last year. The figures show that 101 taxi drivers were in operation in the county in 2024, an increase of 14 (16.09%) when compared to 2023.

However, this figure still falls below the pre-Covid figure of 108 taxi drivers registered in 2019, 6.48% more than last year.

The numbers are reflective of Connacht as a whole, with a 3.19% increase in taxi drivers last year, going from 2,007 to 2,071. This is still 6.29% lower than the pre-Covid provincial total, which was 2,210 in 2019.

Galway’s taxi numbers increased from 1,271 to 1,325 (4.25%) last year.

Leitrim and Sligo’s taxi numbers both stagnated last year, remaining at 71 and 207 respectively.

Mayo was one of six counties that had a decrease (1.08%) in taxi numbers in 2024, falling from 371 to 367.

Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland and founding member of the Taxis for Ireland Coalition warned: “We are still facing a taxi shortage crisis. It’s being hidden behind a modest urban recovery, but the reality in regional areas and at urban peak times is that people are stranded.”