Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)

To be honest, as his officials have probably already told him, I have been chasing this issue since 2012. The taxi regulations review brought about a new rural hackney licence. I was the Minister of State in that Department and I sponsored this. The application process started in 2013-2014 but very few took it up because it was too rigid in terms of the rules and regulations around it. This year, there were 22 vehicles and 24 licensed drivers.

The then Minister, Eamon Ryan, launched a pilot in 2023 in Killala, County Mayo, to provide a subsidy for the fixed costs, which I welcome, and the NTA is looking at the various digital platforms with regard to trying to have bespoke solutions in rural areas for the provision of different transport options. That is all very welcome and the use of technology is important. However, the reality is that Ireland has changed. There is a failure from a market point of view with regard to the provision of services but this goes beyond the market. Given the geographical distribution of people in this country, no market is going to be able to provide a bespoke solution for taxi and hackney services in rural areas.

I come from Portroe, which the Minister of State knows. It is a small place on the banks of the River Shannon.

It is one of the most beautiful places in the world, although I would say that. Trying to get a taxi there is literally impossible. People who want to go out socialising or to appointments, including to medical appointments, depend on the goodwill of neighbours or family. There is a whole range of other issues, such as shopping. The fact is that we can provide a solution. Recently I met the NTA to discuss this. I understand the driver has to have a PSV licence but we should also have a licence for a vehicle which would be accessible to four or five people in a locality who can collect and deliver people within a radius of, for example, 10 km with set fares. These taxis or hackneys would be subsidised by a small amount by the State, as is proposed by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. These licences should be available easily enough, working with the local authority.

We should not have a scenario whereby if there is a taxi in a locality this rural hackney licence is not provided. I can tell the Minister of State that where I am from there are registered taxi drivers but people cannot get them because they only operate for a few hours. This is their choice and that is fine. We have a failure here. We will never be able to have services in rural areas unless we create a bespoke solution. I have been on this for a decade. It is doable. It has been done in other jurisdictions around the world, where a number of groups come together, such as businesses, community groups and charities, and there is a car which a number of people are licensed to drive. It is bespoke as to where they can pick up and deliver, and they cannot intercept the other taxi market. We have to introduce this because there is a complete failure at present.

See this speech in context