Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Transport.

Regarding current media reports on Uber, following a request from the company, officials from the then Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport met Uber representatives in mid-December 2015 to discuss Uber's proposal to undertake a Limerick pilot cab hailing scheme. The proposal involved trialling a service that, in Uber's view, could somehow sit outside existing small public service vehicle, SPSV, legislation. At that meeting, the Department advised the company that, under current legislation, any ride hailing service as described would require drivers and cars to hold SPSV licences. The Department made it clear that, for a pilot of this nature to proceed as proposed, a change would be required to both primary and secondary legislation as well as a significant change to current policy, and that no consideration was being given to such changes. The key primary and secondary legislative provisions relating to exemptions from SPSV licensing requirements were highlighted to Uber at the meeting and were issued to it in a document afterwards. There was no further substantive engagement with the company on the issue.

The Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, met Uber representatives on 10 June 2022. At that meeting, Uber stated that it was satisfied with the regulatory structure of the SPSV industry in Ireland, as it was clear to the company how it could legally operate here.

In Ireland, carrying passengers in a car for a payment is regulated under the Taxi Regulation Act 2013. That Act provides for regulating the SPSV sector, which includes taxis, hackneys and limousine services and is commonly referred to broadly as the "taxi industry". Under the legislation, the regulation of the SPSV industry is carried out by the NTA. The Act requires the licensing of both the vehicles and the drivers who are involved in providing services. The rationale for taxi regulation is to ensure that passengers have a safe vehicle for their journey, with appropriate insurance in place and driven by a driver who has been vetted by An Garda Síochána and, in the case of taxis, with a pre-established and verified charging system. While there are many other aspects to the overall regulatory system, these are the foundational elements, focusing on passenger safety and protection.

Uber is considered a transport service that offers the carriage of passengers for reward and is subject to the same regulation as all SPSVs in Ireland. It has been licensed to operate as a dispatch operator in Ireland since 2014.

The Department and the NTA are committed to the existing regulatory arrangements. The Minister is encouraged to hear that the NTA's driver recruitment campaign is, to date, 25% ahead in the number of applications received in comparison to its 2019 campaign. The campaign has been running since 4 July and will be open for a three-week period.

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