Taxi fares will rise by 12% and drivers will be legally obliged to accept card payments as well as cash under new legislation coming in next week.

By next Thursday, September 1, a standard ten-minute taxi journey will be nearly €1.50 more expensive - jumping from €9.80 to €10.98.

The new rules will see fares rise to help cover operating costs, "particularly in relation to the cost of fuel", the National Transport Authority (NTA) said. According to the NTA, 92% of taxi drivers already choose to provide customers with the opportunity to pay by card, but now drivers cannot add surcharges to card payments.

Drivers must also offer passengers a receipt from the taxi meter, showing exactly what the fare is throughout their journey.

There will be a higher fare increase for peak hours, and at night, to incentivise more drivers to work night-time hours, the NTA said.

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By next Thursday, the cost of a 19- minute journey between Monday and Friday from 8am to 8pm will rise from €23.60 to €26.43 - the standard rate. The same journey on premium rate - between 8pm and 8am on Sundays and bank holidays - will rise from €25.40 to €28.44.

The initial charge for a standard journey will increase from €3.80 to €4.20, while for a premium journey it will go from €4.20 to €4.80.

The NTA has raised taxi fares to help with operating costs that drivers have been struggling with since 2018, when fares increased by 4.5%.

The average operating costs for taxi drivers have increased by 11% since 2017, with another review scheduled sooner than usual due to the sharp increase in fuel prices.