Dublin is bracing for major disruption as taxi drivers stage a coordinated rush-hour protest against a new feature introduced by Uber, a development they say poses a serious threat to their livelihoods.

The demonstration will involve slow drives from three starting points between 4.30pm and 6.30pm.

Protest organiser and taxi driver David Mitchell spoke to The Pat Kenny Show and explained the scale of the action:

"We'll be doing a slow drive from Cunningham Road, from Cosway Road in Clontarf and converging together on Merrion Square." he stated.

"We're also also doing a slow drive loop around Dublin Airport."

He was hopeful that all drivers would join the protest, even those usually waiting at the airport taxi rank:

"I’m hoping we’ll all stand together.”

Mitchell admitted the protest will cause severe traffic delays:

“It will become very, very congested. We did this on Saturday to avoid inconveniencing the public," he told Pat.

However, when the last protest was met with silence, Mitchell stated that they had no choice but to take their frustrations forward:

"We told the Department of Transport and the NTA that if we didn’t hear back from them, we would escalate - and today is that escalation.”

What Are Drivers Protesting?

Drivers say a new Uber feature will drastically reduce their earnings, something they claim could cut incomes by up to 30%.

Mitchell said while they don’t want disruption, they have no choice:

“What’s the alternative? If it was your mother, brother, son or uncle getting their potential income cut by 30 percent, nobody would accept that.”

Richard Boyd Barrett, People Before Profit Leader, backed the drivers in their protest:

“I support the drivers because their livelihood and their industry is at stake. Uber are trying to undermine their livelihood," he said.

"When Uber dominates the market, charges begin to pile up. Commissions go up, in some places from 10 percent to 65 percent."

He argued that proper regulation protects both the public and drivers:

“What we have is a fair system. The fare meter is negotiated every couple of years to take into account costs and ensure drivers have a livelihood and the public get reasonable prices.”