Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Taxis are an essential part of our public transport services. The ten-year rule requires that vehicles more than ten years old be retired from service. Next year, in 2023, more than 5,000 taxis will need to be removed from the road, which represents about one third of our national taxi fleet. Taxis allow essential workers to go to work and attend medical appointments. They allow people to reduce their carbon emissions by not having to own and operate their own car but avail of a car service. They offer a secure and reliable service when and where some of our other public transport services are not available.

Throughout the pandemic, with the support of Government, many of our taxi drivers continued to operate and provide a service. Since the pandemic ended and the world has been reopened there has been considerable demand for their services. There have been many complaints that we now have a shortage of taxis. The ten-year rule which is looming in 2023 for approximately 5,000 taxis means that a fleet of essential public transport vehicles is likely to be reduced very significantly.

The original intention of the ten-year rule was to decarbonise the fleet, which I wholly support, as do the taxi drivers themselves. The reality is that the world has changed dramatically from when that ten-year rule was first conceived. We now obviously have war in Ukraine and a shortage of vehicles as identified by the sector itself. It is not easy to purchase an electric vehicle and they are very expensive. Taxi drivers are committed to making the transition to electric vehicles. Their earnings are still recovering, the vehicles are not available and the cost of operating and trying to purchase a vehicle is beyond them at the moment.I would like the Leader to write to the Minister for Transport asking him to consider extending the deadline for another 12 months. If he can do that, it will protect an essential part of the public transport service and give us a little breathing space to ensure that public transport services are not interrupted in our cities. It will be greatly welcomed.