They're everywhere all right, way too many it seems, but most of the Dublin cabs I rode in were 15 y.o. econobox beaters on their last legs, ratty, loud, no A.C., gruff drivers. 10 Euro for 10 minute ride - meh. My last Uber ride (Boston) showed up under 3 minutes from when I requested it, driver loaded all our luggage, drove a brand new full-size sedan with leather, great stereo, A.C., great ride, spankin clean, twice the distance - to the airport! - for about $5 more. No comparison. Didn't know Uber ethics were questionable, but I was very happy to pay my driver for a great ride and great service.
Maybe I'm weird, but is €10 for 10 minutes so bad? How much would a ten minute cab ride be in NYC? London? Operating a vehicle is pretty expensive, and you probably need at least €20 per hour for the driver (remember, the cost of paying someone wages of X is often 1-5 or 2 times X). Then there's insurance, fuel, tax, registration, and fees. Also, cabs aren't always carrying passengers, so it's not like they're actually going to get €60 for 60 minutes of driving. On top of all that, even, the fares are not adjusted much for periods of low or high demand, so a cab will cost very roughly the same at 8:30 AM Saturday morning as 5:30 PM Friday evening.
Really, I'd say €10 for 10 minutes is a pretty fair deal. They get to use the bus lane as well, which adds to the value of the service.
Also I'm weird but I like that cabs use small cars. The city has too many cars on the road as it is, and large vehicles are much harder to walk/cycle/drive/see around (and tend to be worse for the planet), so smaller vehicles are more considerate of others. I've never been in a late 90's (implied by your 15 y.o comment) car, at least yet.
On top of all that, even, the fares are not adjusted much for periods of low or high demand, so a cab will cost very roughly the same at 8:30 AM Saturday morning as 5:30 PM Friday evening.
In Ireland there is a premium rate between 8pm and 8am, all day Sundays and Public Holidays. But it's only a ~20% increase.
Air conditioning is not common in a country that calls 20 degrees a heatwave. Fares are set by the government, and includes a ~€5 starting price (so short journeys have a higher price). "Gruff" is accurate. Though usually the white irish drivers are horrifically racist.
