Mr. Gerard Macken:

It was stated that there has been a fall-off of business in the taxi industry. Last year, 669 people availed of the wheelchair-accessible vehicle grant and, thus, 669 new vehicles were introduced into the system. There has been an increase in the industry through the initiatives of the NTA and the taxi advisory committee.

The decline in the taxi industry in rural areas dates back to the smoking ban, which stopped people going to pubs. With the introduction of the new driving laws, there is renewed emphasis on transport to and from rural pubs. As stated earlier, there is an agreement with Local Link and the NTA to subsidise transport for people isolated in rural areas. The current system in terms of the rural hackney will not change but the number of steps in the licensing process will be simplified. These services will operate in rural areas but they will also cater for people in isolated areas. There is no need to invent a new service. There is already a system in place that works.

Smaller vehicles are far more accessible for those with disabilities and frail elderly people. All types of vehicles, and not only wheelchair-accessible vehicles which are expensive to operate, need to be taken into account in terms of service provision. At its most recent meeting with the taxi advisory council, the NTA committed to examine all of these issues. There is no point legislating for something new. As stated, there is already in place a service that can be modified in order bring the new service into existence.

In regard to the subsidy, currently Local Link is subsidised for journeys in respect of which services which have to wait for a person or persons in a particular area for a couple of hours. There is nothing to stop a taxi providing a similar service late at night to and from a pub. The system does not require too much tweaking in this regard. I come from a rural area. Owing to a lack of broadband, I cannot access an app. Similarly, many vulnerable people living in rural isolated areas will not have WiFi. In the context of the statement that we need to share, the taxi industry tried that at Christmas and, as my colleague will testify, when it came to the end of the journey and who was paying the fare, we were referees more of the time than we were taxi drivers.

It was quashed because of our safety. It is fine sailing through-----