Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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34. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to increase the supply of licensed taxi drivers and vehicles to support the needs of urban, rural, and night-time economies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39938/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including SPSV 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.

As the Deputy is aware, SPSV operators are self-employed individuals and, as such, decide on their own business strategies within the regulatory framework, and are free to choose their own hours of work.

Both the NTA and my Department have taken a number of steps to support taxi drivers nationally and to increase the number of taxis available to passengers. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the NTA extended the final operation date of vehicles on a few occasions and also extended the period that an SPSV licence may rest in an inactive (expired) status, from 12 months to 24 months, which is now permanent. In addition, the NTA made a National Maximum Taxi Fares Order which took effect from 1 December 2024, giving a nine per cent increase in the national maximum taxi fare. This followed on from the 12% increase in fares from 2022. The latest fare adjustment ensures that taxi fares continue to reflect the rising costs associated with operating a taxi service in Ireland. Furthermore, the NTA ran a driver recruitment campaign in 2022 which helped to attract new entrants into the industry.

It may be of interest to the Deputy that the number of SPSVs has been on the increase since Covid-19. As of 30 June 2025, the number of licensed SPSV drivers in Ireland is 27,815. This represents a 9% (2,389) increase on the 2021 figure of 25,426 when figures were at their lowest, and is higher than the number of licensed SPSV drivers operating pre-Covid 2019 (27,328). The number of licensed SPSV vehicles is also rising since Covid with 20,889 vehicles licensed in the fleet as of 30 June 2025, representing a 10% (1,943) increase on the 2021 figure of 18,946. A licensed vehicle can be operated anywhere in the country; it is only the licensed driver that has a geographical area restriction.

Given the NTA's responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the SPSV sector, I have referred your question to the NTA for further information. Please advise my private office if you have not received a reply within 10 working days.