FreeNow taxi app to roll out €10 cancellation fee on pre-booking service

Taxi app FreeNow is to roll out a range of new fees in the new year, including a €10 cancellation fee for pre-book and premium services — an increase of 100 per cent.

The Irish Times reported on Thursday that under the fare restructure, an additional €1 will be charged for regular taxi bookings, while five-seater and "premium" cabs will be €3 and €5 more respectively.

However, according to FreeNow's General Manager Niall Carsons, the app's core services won't be affected.

He claimed that the price hikes on niche operations are intended to improve their quality.

"The introduction of the fee really is as a response to listening to the passengers," Mr Carsons told Newstalk radio.

"We've seen a real urgency among the passengers for us to improve our pre-booking service, our multi-seater service and our premium service.

"In response to that, we're able to put these fees in place — it may see a reduction in some people booking, but it will see an improvement in the service," he added.

Last summer, FreeNow added a €1 charge on top of booking fees and the cost of a taxi journey, stating that the additional cash would be used to invest in improvements in the app.

In September, taxi fares were increased by 12 per cent across the board, under new measures introduced by the National Transport Authority.

The new fare structure saw the initial charge for a journey increase from €3.80 to €4.20.

At premium times, after 8pm at night, on Sundays, and on Bank Holidays, the initial fare now stands at €4.80.