The mandatory face mask rules must be extended to taxis too, it has been claimed.
The comments come as face coverings were made compulsory on Dublin Bus, Luas and DART this week.
Taxi e-hailing app Free Now has claimed that the regulations needed to be extended to explicitly cover the Small Public Service Vehicle (SPSV) sector (Taxi, Hackney and Limousine services).
Alan Fox, Regional General Manager of FREE NOW, said: “Taxi drivers and passengers continue to face uncertainty in terms of what is the best approach to safe travel in taxis, with many contacting us to request clarity on the current situation.
"The new public transport regulations fail to specifically state whether face masks are mandatory in taxis.
"FREE NOW strongly believes they should be in keeping with public health guidelines and we are firmly advising drivers and passengers to wear face masks.
He added: "We are seeing a real increase in demand for taxis as we try and cope with the new Covid-19 normal which is encouraging, but the new regulations need to explicitly cater for Small Public Service Vehicles also and we are calling on the Government to rectify this as soon as possible.
"Taxis will play a vital role in helping better circulation to support economic recovery and as a vital transport option for our most vulnerable citizens. We cannot afford any sort of ambiguity around this going forward.”
