Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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230. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will review the decision by the NTA to ban saloon taxi cars that are not wheelchair accessible from picking up passengers at Dublin Airport (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24427/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I wish to thank the Deputy for his question. The daa has advised that in 2019, there were 1,400 active taxi permits operating at Dublin Airport. The impact of Covid-19 resulted in many drivers leaving the industry and a result, there has been a drop in active driver permits (to c.1000 – 1050) at the airport and an increase in taxi queue times. However, permit levels are expected to return to pre-COVID levels (c.1450) in late-May which will reduce the current taxi queue time at the airport.

Criteria introduced in 2016 required that in order to receive a permit at Dublin Airport, vehicles must be wheelchair accessible, accommodate five people and be able to facilitate credit card payments. Fewer than 20% of taxis that were permitted to operate at Dublin Airport were wheelchair accessible.

These criteria for permits are seen by the daa as the optimal solution to meet Dublin Airport passenger needs and to limit the queues at the taxi ranks.