Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The National Transport Authority, NTA, is the statutory body tasked with the regulation of the small public service vehicle sector, SPSV, and it is responsible for the regulation of vehicle age limits under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013.

The Deputy may be aware that the NTA has extended age limits for taxis and hackneys three times since the start of the pandemic. The most recent extension, made last month, ensures that no vehicle will be forced to exit the fleet due to age limits alone in 2021. I trust the authority will keep this issue under review as society and the economy reopen and passenger demand returns.

The authority's extension of age limits is an emergency measure, taken in recognition of the particular challenges occasioned by Covid-19. The ten-year rule was recommended by the 2011 taxi regulation review and came about following a public consultation on vehicle standards for taxis, hackneys and limousines held that year. It was adopted in recognition of the need to strike a balance between achieving standards that offer the customer confidence, comfort and safety and allowing industry members to operate successfully, cognisant that the replacement of a vehicle is a SPSV operator's single largest cost.

I remain committed to supporting the transition of the fleet towards zero-carbon, low-emission vehicles. For this reason, I increased the funding available to the electric grant scheme for taxis for 2021 to €15 million. I also doubled the amount payable under the scheme to €20,000 for operators who scrap older vehicles and make the switch to fully electric models. There has been a strong interest in the revised scheme since its launch in February, with nearly 600 applications received to date.

As the Deputy will be aware, many other measures have been taken to support the taxi industry. At the start of the pandemic, the NTA waived late licence renewal fees and engaged with the insurance industry to facilitate a suspension of SPSV insurance for those operators who decided to temporarily stop working.

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