Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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210. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to provide all available information on the recipients of the wheelchair-accessible grant for taxis; for a breakdown of these recipients, by category (individually owned or rental taxis); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14316/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including the Wheelchair Accessible Grant Scheme, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. The NTA is responsible for the collection and publication of statistics in relation to the Wheelchair Accessible Grant Scheme. I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV industry.

Accordingly, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within 10 working days.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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211. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware of safety concerns of taxi drivers at night; for an update on his latest engagements with taxi driver groups on this topic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14317/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) sector, including SPSVs licensing, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector.

The NTA conducted taxi driver research nationally in September/October 2022. The survey shows that of those who state they don’t currently work nights (12pm - 05:59), just over four in five have ever worked nights. Of those who have stopped working nights, 48% cite the reason being personal safety and 40% cite customer behaviour and/or extra cleaning costs.

Almost one in three state nothing would encourage them to work nights. In order to be incentivised to work nights, 19% of drivers wanted better safety measures to be in place, and a further 8% wanted the opportunity to earn more money. The National Maximum Taxi Fare which increased from 1 September 2022, and coincided with the survey, included an average fare increase of 12%, with more weighting towards premium times (20:00 – 08:00) to encourage more operators to work at peak time to meet demand.

The NTA carried out a similar survey recently, and those results will be published in the coming months.

The Advisory Committee on SPSVs is the central focus of engagement with the SPSV sector in relation to issues affecting the sector. Drivers are an important part of the Committee’s membership, and at least four positions on the Committee, which are reserved for members who can represent driver interests, are filled by licensed SPSV drivers from across the country. I am satisfied that this ensures the Committee’s advice is informed by the perspective of drivers. I met the Committee in February 2023 and I plan to meet again in the coming months.

Section 73(5) of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 provides that the Minister may consult with, or seek the advice of, the Advisory Committee on Small Public Service Vehicles on any matter arising in relation to their functions with respect to small public service vehicles and their drives. I have recently written to the Advisory Committee to request its consideration of how taxi availability can be assessed, and to make recommendations on how relevant data can be collected.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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212. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware of reports that the cost of renting vehicles from taxi rental companies may be contributing to the national taxi shortage; if he is aware of reports that the ban on individual sale of taxi plates may be contributing to the issue; if he is aware of reports that rental companies are charging high fees to rent out plates in contravention of NTA rules; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14318/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) sector, including SPSVs licensing, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector.

At present, the NTA will only issue new licences for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs). This is to promote the availability of WAVs in Ireland’s small public service vehicle fleet nationally, not just in larger urban areas. To support the wider availability of WAVs, the Department has funded the WAV grant scheme annually since 2014, to provide financial support towards the acquisition or conversion of suitable vehicles to operate as WAVs in the SPSV fleet. It is the NTA who administrate the wheelchair accessible vehicle grant scheme.

Apart from owning their own WAV, it is open to a person who holds a valid SPSV driver licence, issued by An Garda Síochána, to rent a suitable vehicle. The person providing the rental package must:

1. be the registered owner of the vehicle licensed in his/her name and must provide appropriate insurance for the period of the rental; or

2. be entitled to use the vehicle as an SPSV for a minimum period of 12 months. This can be achieved via a lease agreement. The person must also provide appropriate insurance for the period of the rental.

They must:

1. ensure that the person driving is fully licensed to drive the vehicle as an SPSV, and provide and maintain appropriate SPSV insurance;

2. keep a record of the name, address and contact number of each person driving the SPSV and their SPSV driver licence details; and

3. retain these records and make them available for inspection by the NTA on request.

The person providing the rental must also notify the NTA of the rental, either using the NTA’s online system, or by calling the SPSV Information line. They must provide the details of the period of the arrangement, the renter’s SPSV driver licence number and the vehicle registration number. They must also maintain a record of the vehicle licence associated with the rental agreement. This licence holder is the only party the NTA may engage with in respect of SPSV licensing activity.

The Taxi Driver Research Report for October 2022, available , showed that of those who rent a taxi the cost per week for the majority of those surveyed (54%) is between €150 and €200. Updated statistics around the cost of renting will be published by the NTA in the coming months.

The transfer of licences for SPSVs is, at present, prohibited under section 14(1) of the Taxi Regulation Act, 2013. All SPSV vehicle licences are unique to the person to whom the licence has been issued and cannot be transferred or sold to another person.

In 2011, the Taxi Review Group examined standards and practice in the taxi sector. This Review Group included various stakeholders, such as dispatch operators, drivers, consumers, as well as the regulatory and enforcement agencies. The Review Group considered that it was necessary to move away from a system whereby a licence would have value. Instead, a licence should determine a person’s suitability to carry out a function and it should not have monetary value or be traded on the open market. Therefore, the current licensing regime is built on this principle. An SPSV licence should simply indicate a person’s suitability to carry out the role of taxi operator, as decided by Revenue, An Garda Síochána and the NTA.

As of 29th February 2024, the number of licensed drivers is 26,597, while the current number of licensed vehicles is 19,796. In addition, t here is no cap on either vehicle or driver licence numbers in Ireland. The NTA is currently accepting licence applications for wheelchair accessible taxis, wheelchair accessible hackneys, limousines, and local area hackneys.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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213. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the latest updates on addressing taxi shortages at peak times; if this includes extending the operating hours of public transport services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14319/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) sector, including SPSVs licensing, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector.

Both the NTA and the Department have taken a number of steps to support taxi drivers nationally and to increase the number of taxis available to passengers. I support the measures taken by the NTA to ensure the safe and effective operation of the SPSV sector, and acknowledge the work of SPSV drivers in delivering this service to a high standard.

The NTA’s Board approved an average increase of 12% on taxi fares from 1st September 2022. The increase is weighted in favour of premium hours, such as weekend nights, Sundays, and bank holidays. It is designed to attract more people to the taxi industry and to encourage more taxi drivers to work during unsocial hours, such as late nights, therefore increasing availability of taxis to passengers nationally. This late-night fare weighting is working very well, which is borne out in a much-reduced number of consumer complaints received by the NTA. As the Deputy may be aware, taxi drivers are self-employed and can choose their own hours of work within the regulatory framework.

The current number of licensed vehicles is 19,796. 47% of those vehicles are licensed to drivers with addresses in rural areas. A licensed vehicle can be operated anywhere in the country. It is only the licensed driver that has a geographical area restriction. In May 2023, the NTA undertook a nationally representative survey of taxi user research which covered the topic of availability. Of the respondents, which included both rural and urban areas, 81% reported finding it easy to get a taxi (under 15 minutes).

A total of 2,168 new SPSV driver licences have been granted by An Garda Síochána, the licensing authority for SPSV drivers, in the last 12 months. This is a 72.6% increase when compared to the previous 12 months (March 2022 to February 2023). For 2023, the monthly average for new driver licences issued was 166. This is due to the NTA's ‘Driver Recruitment Campaign’ which ran in July 2022. In comparison, 2022 had a monthly average of 99 per month, 2021 had 45, 2020 had 71 and 2019 had 139.

There is no cap on either vehicle or driver licence numbers in Ireland. The NTA is currently accepting licence applications for wheelchair accessible taxis, wheelchair accessible hackneys, limousines, and local area hackneys.

Section 73(5) of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 provides that the Minister may consult with, or seek the advice of, the Advisory Committee on Small Public Service Vehicles on any matter arising in relation to their functions with respect to small public service vehicles and their drives. I have recently written to the Advisory Committee to request its consideration of how taxi availability can be assessed and to make recommendations on how relevant data can be collected.

Finally, with regard to public transport services,, Dublin Bus operates ten 24-hour services (including Routes 15, 39a, 41, C1, C2, C5, C6, G1, G2 and the N4) seven days a week across the city. Dublin Bus also operates the Nitelink, which offers twelve routes every Friday and Saturday night to suburbs all over Dublin.

Currently there is one 24-hour bus service in operation in Cork, which runs between Ovens/Ballincollig and Carrigaline. However, under the BusConnects Cork programme it is intended to adapt this service into to two separate 24 hour bus routes crossing the city, with plans for the second service to cover the area from Carrigaline to Hollyhill.

While I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.

In light of the NTA’s responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.