Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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199.To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the plans the NTA has to bring in a new rural taxi licence.[33977/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry 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 am not involved in the day-to-day operations of the industry.

The NTA issues local area hackney (LAH) licences where applicants can show that there is a need for this part-time service and that it does not displace or replace current SPSV providers.

As you are aware, the 2023 LAH Pilot scheme, launched by the NTA in January 2023, was a €6,000 grant-aided initiative to support rural transport needs, where existing transport services were found to be lacking. A local area hackney may only pick up passengers within a designated area of about 10km and may not pick up a new fare at a drop off point or any other point outside its designated area. Despite significant work by the NTA, only two operators were licensed under the Pilot, which ended in May 2024. The NTA is reviewing the outcome of the scheme and considering next steps.