Metered Taxi fares in Dublin and the rest of Ireland must not be charged at more than the national maximum taxi fare .
The National Transport Authority (“NTA”) sets the maximum metered taxi fare .
Only metered taxi journey fares are controlled . Hackney and limousine journeys are not controlled – they are pre-booked and, therefore, both passenger and driver are aware of the journey details and the fare agreed for the journey in advance.
An average increase to taxi fares of 9% came into force on December 2nd 2024
The new rates from Dec 1st 2024 extended the “Special Rate” to now include the weekend peak, 12 midnight to 4.00am, on Friday night into Saturday morning and Saturday night into Sunday morning, year-round. This is to tryt and incentivise more drivers to service the night time economy. This higher sprcial rate previously only applied to Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day.
The NTA last approved an increase of 12% in taxi fares from 1st September 2022, this was the first increase in taxi fares since 2017.
Maximum Metered Taxi Fares in Ireland (From Dec 1st 2024)
| Time Periods | Initial Charge for first 500m or 85 seconds) | Charge for the next 14.5km (or 42 mins) | Charge after 14.5km | |
| Standard Rates | Between 08:00h and 20:00h Monday to Saturday, except public holidays | €4.40 | €1.32 per km or €0.47 per minute up to €23.60 | €1.72 per km or 61c per minute |
| Premium Rates | Between 20:00h and 08:00h Monday to Saturday, and all day on Sundays and public holidays.With the exception every Saturday and Sunday from 00:00 to 04:00 | €5.40 | €1.81 per km or €0.64 per minute up to total €31.80 | €2.20 per km or 78c per minute |
| Special Rates | Special Rate Every Saturday and Sunday from 00.00 hours to 04.00 hours Christmas Eve from 20:00h to St.Stephen’s Day 08:00h and between New Year’s Eve 20:00h and New Year’s Day 08:00h | €5.40 | €2.20 per km or €0.78 per minute | €2.20 per km |
Example Taxi Fares Ireland :
Maximum Charge for a 5.8km taxi journey for 2 people (assuming no stopping and fast traffic).
- Standard Rate : €12.40 (could be around €18.60 in heavy traffic)
Mon to Sat between 8am and 8pm : - Premium Rate : €16 (could be €21.40 in heavy traffic)
Mon to Sat 8pm to 8am* and on Sundays/Public Hols- *except for every Saturday and every Sunday from 00:00 to 04:00 : - Special Rate : €18.20 (could be €24.40 in heavy traffic)
Every Saturday and Sunday from 00.00 hours to 04.00 hours or Christmas Eve from 20:00h to St.Stephen’s Day 08:00h or between New Year’s Eve 20:00h and New Year’s Day 08:00h
Sample Taxi Fares in Ireland From Dec 1st 2024
| Standard Rate | Premium Rate | Special Rate | ||||
| Journey | Price Range | ————– | ———– | |||
| 5.8km (Landsdowne Rd to Heuston Station) | €12.40 to €18.60 | €16 to €21.40 | €18.20 to €24.40 | |||
| ——- | ———- | ——— | ||||
| 13.5km (Dublin Airport to Landsdowne Rd) | €22.60 to €34.20 | €30 to €40 | €35.20 to €47 | |||
| ——— | ———- | ———- | ||||
| 17.5km (Galway Centre to Spiddal) | €29.40 to €44.60 | €38.80 to €52.50 | €44.40 to €59.60 |
Christmas Taxi Fares in Ireland
There is a perception that Irish taxi fares on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day can be very expensive – but that is not really true. From Dec 1st 2024 , Christmas day and New Years day taxi rates are now the same as a normal Saturday or Sunday night fare between midnight and 4am.
(These figures apply to metered taxis only).
On a 13.5km journey – the maximum metered fare on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve is about 55% more than a standard fare (Almost “time and a half” .)
Allowable Extra Taxi Charges
A Booking fee of €3 may now be charged for a booking made by telephone, email, smartphone app, fax, text or letter, or a booking made through a personal visit to a dispatch operator’s office. (This was €2 before December 2024)
Charges for Extra passengers : – taxi drivers may charge a fee €1 for each adult passenger after the first. In relation to additional child passengers, one child under 12 years of age is carried at no extra charge; the fee for two or three children under 12 is €1; for four or five children €2; and for six or seven children €3;
No extra charge should be made for carrying luggage or an assistance dog.
Since Sept 2022 – all taxi drivers are required to have a cashless payment device which is defined as a physical card machine that can be used for contactless payment or chip-and-pin payment.
The Initial taxi charge is fixed and covers any distance up to 500 metres or a time period of up to 85 seconds. After that, the fare is calculated based on the distance travelled or, if the speed drops below 21.2 km/h, the journey time. See the table below for details.
You can ask for a discount before taking a taxi. Taxi drivers have the right to charge the amount calculated on the meter, but they can charge less if they want.
If you want to complain about being overcharged by a taxi driver – you can do so at the Transport for Ireland website
Switching Mortgage to Save Thousands