Hailo welcomes Government opposition to ride-sharing

Tim Arnold, General Manager, Hailo in Ireland

Taxi app Hailo has reaffirmed its support for the National Transport Authority and Department of Transport’s position on ride-sharing. Whilst currently illegal across Ireland, ride-sharing, if permitted, would allow motorists without any form of taxi operating license collect, drive and charge passengers.

Tim Arnold, General Manager of Hailo in Ireland, said that the current regulation was fit for purpose and that Hailo exemplified a company with the ability to innovate within the law. “Hailo has grown at a phenomenal rate through a lot of hard work by taxi drivers, the taxi industry and our colleagues. It also shows that it is possible to innovate and grow demand within existing taxi regulations. Ride-sharing, and the substantial lowering of standards that it would entail, amounts to a race to the bottom on quality and price that would jeopardise passenger safety.”

Meanwhile, Hailo has announced that it has now carried over 20 million passengers in Ireland, making it Ireland’s fastest growing transport application. Hailo has began operations four years ago, and last year, it recorded five million journeys, carrying up to 45,000 passengers a day. According to the company, one in every four taxis dropping passengers at Dublin Airport is ordered on Hailo.