Mr Iqbal told The Echo that recently “a disturbing trend has emerged on the streets of Cork and beyond”.

It comes as the frequency of several bus routes in the city was cut amid ongoing driver recruitment and retention issues.

Cork taxi driver representative Bobby Lynch told The Echo that safety concerns were driving people out of the industry.

Michael O’Donovan of The Castle Inn said price increases, the current Vat rate, and taxi availability are all also impacting publicans in Cork.

There were 168 fewer taxis in Cork in 2023 compared to 2019, with the number of taxi licenses falling 7.09%, from 2,370 in 2019 to 2,202 last year