Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Okay. Having said what I have just said, the rickshaws do provide competition and, with the big urban areas becoming more pedestrianised and having more one-way traffic systems, people find that rickshaws provide a good service. Taxi drivers are doing their best to compete but using a rickshaw to get from A to B can save a third of one's time, although they are not cheap. I will not be looking for an outright ban but I will support previous speakers who called for regulation and legislation.

Rickshaws are also a tourist attraction and we need competition. In central Dublin, the Luas gets the right of way over Dublin Bus at St. Stephen's Green. The one-way systems and pedestrianised roads are an issue for taxi drivers. Rickshaws have to be catered for but I believe that legislation should be put in place. A ban on rickshaws would be like taking the jaunting car tour operators out of Killarney and rickshaws have become synonymous with our major cities. Legislation should be put in place for safety purposes.