Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have been contacted on this issue in recent months by several taxi groups, as well as by many individual taxi drivers, and they have expressed a lot of concern about it. One of their main concerns is they believe that rural taxi drivers have not been consulted properly. They have told me that many of their dealings were done in electronic format, that is, by e-mail, etc., and one taxi driver to whom I spoke just before entering the Chamber told me that many of his colleagues were not aware of these changes until a few weeks ago because the method of informing them was not a method they used to communicate.

They also have flagged a problem with the proposed prohibition on selling licenses. These taxi drivers have handed over a lot of money for these licenses and I believe they should be allowed to pass them on. In addition, they have expressed concern regarding the branding of cars in rural areas. Many of these taxi drivers also use these cars for their personal use, there is not that much money around, and they believe this would not be a good idea in rural areas. They also have expressed concerns about the possibility of counterfeiting of this branding, as well as about its cost and on who will enforce it. In particular, they have expressed concerns regarding the credit card facilities, the installation of such electronic machinery in their cars and its prohibitive cost, as well as the cost of dealing with whatever institution one must deal. They consider that for the number of people who would avail of cards in their cars, it simply would not be worth their while. They would not have a problem with the proposal if it was, but they already are put to the pins of their collars in this regard. While they have not stated they are opposed to all of these proposals, they seek more time to talk about them. The people who have contacted me indicated they would like a further six months in order that there could be proper consultation in which they could talk to the Minister of State and explain their particular concerns regarding rural areas.

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