Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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834. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has met with officials from a company (details supplied) and discussed certain issues with them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6120/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I met with representatives of Uber on 21 October 2015. At the meeting Uber briefed me on the development of their smartphone applications, the establishment of its Centre of Excellence in Limerick, with the creation of 300 jobs, and Uber's future plans, including the development of its ride-sharing service. I welcomed the investment that Uber has made in Limerick and noted that Uber's existing services in Ireland fully meet the legal and licensing requirements of the National Transport Authority. As I recently advised the House, Uber's ridesharing service, Uberpop, would not  comply with our primary legislation, specifically the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 which commenced in 2014. 

The core requirement, with a small number of limited exemptions, is that the carriage of passengers for reward in a public place in any mechanically propelled vehicle with nine or less seats (including the driver's seat) is permitted only in a licensed vehicle driven by a licensed driver. 

The underlying policy which governs this is a concern for passenger safety and a concern for passenger protection in relation to pricing. The rationale for taxi regulation is to ensure that passengers have a safe vehicle for their journey, with appropriate insurance in place, 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. 

In addition, the Government's policy is to ensure a high level of standards and professionalism in the industry for both the customer and the industry itself.

My overall aim in relation to the taxi industry is to continue to strike the right balance between the interests and safety of consumers and having fair and transparent rules for taxi service providers.