Taxi drivers work an average of five hours a day, new study finds

IF YOU’RE LOOKING for a job with a short working day, then taxi driving could be the task for you.

New research by the National Transport Authority (NTA) has shown that drivers in Ireland work an average of 25 hours a week across five days.

However – before you go drafting your notice – it has also been shown that this is anything but consistent, and the amount of time worked and wages earned in the sector vary greatly.

The survey also doesn’t take into consideration how many hours drivers may be putting into other jobs.

Different regions

In Dublin, the number of days worked in a week varied from two days for some drivers to a seven-day working week for others – with an average of 5.4 across the board.

In Athlone and Cork – the other two areas covered by the research – drivers were shown to work an average of 5.3 days a week.

The average metered revenue per week in the capital was found to be €635, but this ranged from €98 at the low end of the scale to €1,189 at the high end.

Predictably, Dublin was found to have the highest average fare at €14.97, followed by Cork on €12.96 and Athlone on €10.72.

When it came to weekly earnings, Cork came out on top, with drivers in the rebel county bringing in an average of €650, ahead of €635 in Dublin and €383 in Athlone.

The purpose of the NTA study was to try and get a better idea of average incomes for taxi drivers by examining fare details from their meters.

In total, more than 50,00 journeys from 2015 were examined, accounting for more than €700,000 in revenue from 85 drivers. The readings were taken across a three-month period for each taxi.

The research followed a 2012 report into the sector, which recommended further investigation into how much of a problem low incomes posed for the industry.

Written by Michael Sheils McNamee and posted on TheJournal.ie