Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for those questions. He is absolutely correct that 13 is a very disappointing number. The uptake is low for two reasons, not just one. The uptake is very low because of insurance. As the Deputy knows, insurance is a big problem not just for taxis but for hackneys as well, despite the fact that there are extraordinary reductions and incentives for local area hackneys. The vehicle licence fee is €50, as opposed to €170 for a new wheelchair-accessible hackney licence for one year; the driver licence fee is €20 for three years, as opposed the cost of a small public service vehicle, SPSV, licence, which is €250 for five years. Moreover, there is no requirement to pass the general SPSV driver entry tests. Nevertheless we do not seem to have cracked this problem and it persists. Other reasons have been given. A survey was done, as the Deputy will be aware, of those people who might work as hackney taxi drivers. Respondents stated that the radius in which they had to work was also extremely limited. In answer to the Deputy's question about the review of local hackneys, it is currently being undertaken as part of the strategic framework for the SPSV industry. I expect this review to be completed in 2019.

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