Tipperary TD Alan Kelly is seeking an expansion of Rural Hackney Taxi Licences and a more simplified scheme. The TD raised the matter in the Dáil last night and says there is a failure to meet the changing needs of modern Ireland and the dispersed location of homes. The TD wants a new approach where an approved vehicle could be driven by a number of different drivers and serve the population within a 10km zone with set fares. The TD also wants the scheme to be managed by the Local Authority with one licence instead of the current system which requires the driver to have a special licence and the vehicle known as small public service vehicle (SPSV) to also be licensed.
Deputy Kelly has been seeking reform of the provision of such a service for rural communities since 2012 and says the two initiatives since then are too complicated and costly to be viable. The TD welcomes the ongoing work of the National Transport Authority to investigate various digital platforms with regard to trying to have bespoke solutions in rural areas for the provision of different transport options.
The Labour Party TD feels that local businesses and groups might take on such a licence if there was state funding support – however the pilot scheme launched January 2023 in 21 locations and providing a grant of €6,000 only attracted two operators.
As of 25 April, there are 22 licensed local area hackney vehicles and 19 licensed local area hackney drivers operating nationwide. The matter is to be referred to Minster Jerry Buttimer who has responsibility for rural transport.
