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 here, 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.
