Passenger safety will be compromised if unregistered, unregulated drivers are used to relieve the taxi shortage, it has been claimed.

Noel Ebbs, chief executive of Lynk Taxi App, said it would be dangerous to deregulate a sector with standards and practices to protect the public.

"We've always told our children, 'Never get into a car with a stranger', and while standing in a busy city street, waiting 30 minutes for a taxi is not the best place to be, it's a lot better than being alone, in the dark, in a car, with a stranger who's downloaded an app," he said.

"We trust our taxi drivers because they care for our loved ones for that critical 30 minutes in the dead of night when they are most vulnerable. That is the security that comes with the industry being regulated. We cannot throw that away lightly."

He was speaking in response to a promise last week from Tánaiste Leo Varadkar that Uber and Lyft could help solve the taxi shortage.

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With almost 2,000 taxi drivers - one in ten - having quit the business during the pandemic, late-night revellers complain they have been left in dangerous situations and often forced to walk home alone.

At present, Uber and Lyft are allowed to operate here but drivers need to have a taxi licence to charge fares.

Mr Varadkar said: "What I find is, when you go to other countries you have other options than a taxi - things like Uber and things like Lyft. They are just not available in Ireland in the same way and maybe we need to look at that again and see if we can liberalise that."

Mr Ebbs responded: "This is not the first time there has been a conversation around bringing unregulated ride-hail platforms to Ireland.

"However, it's dangerous to deregulate a sector that has standards and practices in place. Passenger safety is top priority for us at Lynk, and for the taxi industry as a whole."

He continued: "We live in a society where a young woman out for a run was murdered in broad daylight. I worry more when my daughters are out and about at night. I wish I didn't have to, but unfortunately it is a reality for so many Irish parents.

"Think about this: what's the last thing we say to the women we care about when they go out at night? 'When you're on the way home, call me when you're in the taxi.' And when they call, we heave a sigh of relief."

Mr Ebbs cautioned that unregulated drivers could spell the end of the regulated taxi business.

"You can't run an expensive, insurance-compliant, tax-compliant business alongside a black market business and expect it to survive, because it won't," he said.

Mr Ebbs said taxi regulations ensured that vehicles were kept to a high standard, and that drivers had passed the required tests and been cleared by the gardaí.

He said the shortage of taxis was not the fault of the remaining drivers but of Covid, because of people's decision to stop work to protect their health, or to return to their homes abroad.

It was also Vladimir Putin's fault, he said, for causing the rapid rise in fuel cost, making it uneconomical for many taxi drivers to operate.

He said the expected 12% fare increase in September should help, and he suggested there should be incentives to attract more people to the business, and the process of becoming a taxi driver should be speeded up.

Meanwhile, Niall Carson, manager of the Free Now taxi app, said he welcomed the fare increase to help drivers manage rising costs.

"We hope the new rates will not only support existing taxi drivers in maintaining their careers in the sector, but will also help aspiring drivers to consider joining the licensed taxi driver fleet," he said.

"With our national taxi fleet diminishing over the past ten years by 30% and further depletion since the pandemic, it's crucial that we retain the great drivers we already have on our roads, while also exploring ways to bring new drivers on board."

He said a recent survey had shown that 46% of taxi drivers believe Ireland needs more late-night public transport, such as 24-hour buses, to reduce pressure on taxis.

Just under three-quarters (73%) thought the Government should introduce staggered closing times for the hospitality sector to reduce clustered late-night demand.