Mr. Jim Waldron:

I ask that the committee forgive me if some of this is repetitive because we all have the same problems. The National Private Hire and Taxi Association, NPHTA, has met many Members of Parliament in recent times and we have made presentations, including in the audiovisual room, to try to get the extension of vehicle age limits. We are here today to highlight these ongoing issues within our industry, which are impacting on the high professional standards set over previous years.

A total of 5,000 drivers are facing hardship and stress and the possibility of being forced out of our industry because of vehicle age limits. This would mean longer wait times for the public if even a small percentage of these people leave the industry. While work volumes have surged over previous months, especially at nighttime, many drivers are not in a position to borrow large sums to invest in a new electric vehicle - that is if they can find one. There are many challenges with the grant scheme and we would like a discussion on how to make it more accessible to drivers. We have had no input to the present process.

Used car costs have increased 60% according to car magazines. Fuel costs have reached an all time high. Service costs have risen and use of cashless payments mean less take-home pay for drivers, despite the recent fare increase. Taxi drivers are facing the same cost-of-living challenges that all other sectors face. These conditions are screaming out for a further extension of age limits to allow drivers time to recoup losses and build a financial footing to move forward with a newer vehicle, preferably an electric one. Extension of age limits would not, and should not, lower standards.

A driver with terminal illness or maybe a stroke is not allowed transfer his or her licence and must keep it active, meaning he or she must be fully licensed and insured, which obviously incurs costs at a time of no income. The driver is possibly dying and it may happen over a period of days, weeks, months or even years. Why can this licence holder not transfer the licence before death? If a licence goes into inactive status it cannot be inherited. An inherited licence must be availed of within nine months. This is a time of mourning and should be extended to at least 12 months.

All taxis have to do a national car test, NCT, once or sometimes twice per year. They then must wait 48 hours before returning to the same test centre to have the taxi-suitability test carried out by the same person in the same place. This should be done at the same time and, therefore, cut down time and expense for drivers. It could all be done in one visit.

Security of drivers is a continuous concern. The NPHTA, for years, has requested a garda liaison officer to work with representative bodies. Our requests continue to go unheard. The NTA should also be considering providing drivers with security systems and advice. Assaults on drivers are common in our workplace. When has the NTA ever taken a case on behalf of a taxi driver? Generally drivers just have to suck it up.

Passenger security should remain a priority of law makers. Strict vetting of entrants, while this could be quicker, should not be overlooked and possibly even be strengthened. Some legislative changes are being considered at present, but it would help if there were marshalled, better-located and properly-lit taxi ranks with CCTV monitoring. This could be considered.

An example is College Green, which is right beside the Temple Bar area. Rideshare, Uber-style, by unlicensed drivers should not be entertained. The safety record for this type of service shows thousands of sexual assaults by unvetted drivers who provided this service. Passenger demands must be discussed in the context of what passenger expectations are, how overall transport policy needs to be adapted and that pub opening and closing times also need to be adapted. Free access to the Dublin Port tunnel should be considered as a benefit to passengers and the environment.

We recently heard about arrangements for the Garth Brooks concert. We contacted the NTA to ask what provision had been made for taxis and the response was that the coach parking and pick-up points were outside the Garda cordon and located approximately 25 minutes' walk from the stadium. We were told taxis would not be allowed inside the Garda cordon and that we could operate as normal. This highlights the lack of consideration planners have given to our sector. Taxis continue to be overlooked. No major events should be allowed to take place unless SPSVs are considered as part of the transport planning.

In recent years, thousands of drivers have protested against the Taxi Advisory Committee, TAC, which continues to fail drivers. Throughout Covid it was never proactive only reactive. It took our appearance before the Covid committee to get some supports. Despite the fact that minutes are now being published, the committee is far from transparent. Lots of the matters I outlined - those that truly affect taxi drivers - should have been discussed and presented to the Minister for future support. It is as if nothing happened in the past two years. Our association believes representatives of taxi drivers should regularly meet the Minister and the NTA to promote better public transport services. Transport providers should have a forum in which to present to policymakers.

I read in TheSunday Timesnewspaper that the Government is to help with the challenges of the cost of living and is considering financial subsidies, grants and loans to small businesses. Taxi drivers have been overlooked in the past. Our major operating costs are insurance and purchasing a vehicle, which includes VRT and VAT. The NPHTA has partnered with Zego to keep insurance costs down for our members. Along with the vehicle age change, this is the area in which a financial intervention would be most beneficial. I ask members not to overlook us again. I would welcome questions from members.