The Covid pandemic and a rise in the cost of fuel are just two reasons for a lack of taxis across the region.
That's according to Roscommon driver Kevin Bishop who says at least five have left the business in the county town in recent months.
Figures from the National Transport Authority show County Leitrim has the lowest amount of cabs available with just 13 hackneys and 36 taxis registered.
A total of 49 vehicles are licensed to operate in Longford the third lowest nationally, while a further 42 hackneys and 32 taxis are working across Roscommon.
That's compared to 185 in County Westmeath.
Speaking to Shannonside FM the Cab Direct owner believes incentives must be given to drivers to attract them into the industry.
''Maybe it's true to an extent there is a lack of taxis for the golden hours as we call it on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday night. There's no taxi work during the weekdays. So you can't base a bit of business on two or three hours on a weekend night and that's the difficulty. It's very expensive and it's even more expensive to even think about coming into the industry. You know, the cost of starting off costs are colossal.''
