Action 14 of the Taxi Regulation Review Report, 2011, recommended the prohibition on the transferability of small public service vehicle (SPSV) licences with effect from 1st October 2012. The underlying principle for the recommendation was that a licence should determine a person's suitability to carry out a function and it should have no monetary value or be traded on the open market. The Report's recommendations were widely publicised to the industry, including through the National Transport Authority (NTA) website, and industry updates, as well as on the various taxi forum websites.
It was intended that the measure would be introduced with effect from 1st January 2013 by way of regulations to be made by the NTA who have statutory responsibility for the regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) sector. However, it was concluded that it would be more appropriate to include such a provision in primary legislation.
The measure was therefore included in Section 14(1) of the Taxi Regulation Act, 2013 which was commenced with effect from the 6th April 2014.
In regard to the particular case raised by you, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within 10 working days.