Uber and taxis in Dublin
A ride booked through Uber in Dublin arrives as a licensed taxi with a licensed taxi driver, not a private-hire car. Bolt and FreeNow draw on the same fleet, and the meter is set by the National Transport Authority rather than by the app. Bolt says as much itself: it guides its estimate from that fare structure and does not dictate the final price. Every taxi must carry a card machine, with no surcharge for paying by card. That rule covers the machine in the car, not payments made inside a booking app. Tickets, passes and contactless are on the Dublin page.
Licensed taxis
Taxi
- How you pay
- Takes cards (guaranteed) and cash. Since 1 September 2022, all taxis in Ireland must accept both credit/debit card and cash; no surcharge may be added for card payments.
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transportforireland.ie fetched 26 Jul 2026transportforireland.ie fetched 11 Aug 2026 - How you get one
- Street hail, rank, phone or app.
- Cost
- Metered.
- Worth knowing
- The card-payment mandate derives from the Small Public Service Vehicle (Cashless Payment Facility) Regulations 2022 (S.I.
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transportforireland.ie fetched 26 Jul 2026transportforireland.ie fetched 11 Aug 2026
Ride apps licensed here
Uberuber.com
- How you pay
- Takes payment in the app and cash. In-app payment (card, PayPal or Google Pay) is Uber's standard rider payment flow; Uber's own Dublin Airport Taxi page separately lists Taxi Cash as one of six selectable taxi ride options.
- How you get one
- In the app.
- Cost
- Upfront price shown in the app before you book.
- Worth knowing
- Uber's own DUB airport taxi page states plainly: and 'you will not find a flat rate from Dublin Airport to downtown with Uber.
Boltbolt.eu
- How you pay
- Takes payment in the app and cash. In-app card/Bolt Balance payment is available; Ireland-specific Bolt support pages confirm cash is also a selectable payment method for Irish trips, paid directly to the driver.
- How you get one
- In the app.
- Cost
- Upfront price shown in the app before you book.
- Worth knowing
- Bolt's own Dublin city page confirms ride categories: Bolt (standard, 1-4 passengers), Executive (premium, 1-4), XL (seats 6), WAV (wheelchair-accessible, 1-4), and XXL Taxi (7-8 passengers).
FreeNowfree-now.com
- How you pay
- Takes cash. Riders can pay in-app (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal) or pay the taxi driver directly with cash or card; every vehicle is stated to carry a working card machine.
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free-now.com fetched 26 Jul 2026free-now.com fetched 11 Aug 2026 - How you get one
- App or phone.
- Cost
- Upfront price shown in the app before you book.
- Worth knowing
- FreeNow's own Ireland fare-calculation support page states: and separately notes 'For routes starting on Dublin's M50, fares are more expensive (charged by distance, rather than time).
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free-now.com fetched 26 Jul 2026free-now.com fetched 11 Aug 2026
What is not recorded
- No published tariff is recorded for Taxi. Ask for an estimate before you set off, and check the meter is running.