Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chair. I thank in particular Senator Sherlock for raising this important matter. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan.

I would like to clarify that the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is responsible for policy and overall funding of public transport. Neither the Minister nor his Department is involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport, including the small public service vehicle, SPSV, sector. The National Transport Authority, NTA, is the independent regulator for licensing and enforcement for the SPSV industry.

Regulations made by the National Transport Authority in 2010 first established a maximum permissible age of ten years for new standard taxis and hackneys. The ten-year rule 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.

The Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016 require the NTA to seek to promote the provision and maintenance of quality services by small public service vehicles and their drivers. The Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service Vehicle) Regulations 2015 continued the ten-year maximum permissible age limit for taxis and hackneys. The NTA's extension of age limits during the Covid-19 pandemic was an emergency measure of a temporary nature. It was taken in recognition of the vehicle availability challenges posed by the pandemic and was specifically aimed at ensuring that no operator would be required to change their vehicle while passenger demand remained low, and there was a lack of suitable vehicles available for purchase. The initial age limit extension impacted vehicles with an original final operation date in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Further amendments to the maximum permissible vehicle age were made by the NTA in 2022 because of ongoing challenges relating to vehicle supply. Regulations underpinning these amendments permitted taxis and hackneys with an original final operation date between 2020 and 2024 to operate for a period beyond the maximum permissible age, set out in the Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service Vehicle) Regulations 2015. The maximum age extensions applied under the regulations ranged from 36 to 60 months. The regulations also provided for a graduated return to the ten-year age limit.

The 2022 regulations have now been in place for almost three years. They are targeted and time-limited, with varied accommodations made for a specific cohort of the fleet, to ensure the SPSV sector maintained operations during a period when vehicle supply was constrained. The vehicle supply concern that resulted in the development of the 2022 regulations is no longer present. Consequently, the NTA has no plans to further amend the associated regulations.

With regard to taxi shortages in urban areas, the Minister advises Senator Sherlock that the NTA has implemented measures to increase the number of taxis available to passengers, especially at night-time. These measures include approval of an increase of 9% in taxi fares from December 2024 ensuring that taxi fares continue to reflect the rising costs associated with operating a taxi service in Ireland, a driver recruitment campaign and the extension of the period that an SPSV licence may rest in an inactive-expired status from 12 to 24 months.

As Senator Sherlock is aware, while the NTA has statutory responsibility for regulating, licensing and enforcement for the SPSV industry, taxi drivers are self-employed individuals and, as such, decide on their own business strategies within the regulatory framework. Additionally, SPSV operators choose the times at which they operate.

The total number of SPSV drivers and vehicles is steadily increasing nationally. As of 30 September 2024, the number of SPSV drivers was 27,298. This represents an 8.2% or 2,067 increase on the 2021 figures of 25,231, when driver licence numbers were at their lowest. Drivers whose primary area of operation is Dublin account for 59% of taxi operators. In conclusion, as of 30 September 2024, the number of licensed vehicles was 20,360. This represents a 10.2% or 1,890 increase in comparison to when vehicle licence numbers were at their lowest in 2021, which was 18,470.