I know that some taxi representative groups have called for a moratorium on the issuance of new SPSV licences. However, quantitative controls on the SPSV industry have not been exercised by Government for nearly two decades. Prior to the abolition of those controls the country, and Dublin in particular, suffered from a chronic undersupply of taxis. The abolition of those controls was necessary to address these supply issues and over the past two decades this policy has served passengers well. As I do not believe passenger interests would be served by the reintroduction of quantitative controls, I do not favour imposing a moratorium on the issuance of SPSV licences at this time. In any event at the moment demand for new taxi licences is very low and I understand current application levels are a fraction of previous application levels. It is therefore unclear how preventing new applications would deliver any benefit to existing operators.
I have no plans to dissolve the Advisory Committee on Small Public Service Vehicles, sometimes known as the Taxi Advisory Committee. This is because the Committee has played an important role in advising my Department and the National Transport Authority (NTA) on the issues facing the industry and on how to assist it through the pandemic and ensure its future sustainability. In July, the Committee submitted a report with a number of recommendations to support the industry. The report and its recommendations formed the basis of useful engagement across Government and I am pleased that many of the report’s recommendations, such as a waiver of vehicle licensing fees for 2021, have been implemented.
The Advisory Committee, which is established under the Taxi Regulation Act 2013, enjoys a broad membership with members representing driver interests, dispatch operators, passenger interests, and official stakeholders such as local Government and An Garda Síochána. This diversity of representation, combined with members' commitment to having a well-functioning and effective SPSV sector, is a real strength of the Committee. Accordingly, the Advisory Committee has been and will remain the central focus for my engagement with the SPSV sector in relation to issues affecting the sector, including the impact of COVID-19. I made my views clear on this issue when I met with taxi representatives last week. I also noted that there are a number of vacancies of the Committee which could be filled by SPSV driver representatives and I encouraged the representatives to consider applying for these vacancies.
The National Transport Authority, as statutory regulator for the sector, will of course continue to engage with the industry and communicate regularly with individual SPSV operators in relation to the ongoing impact of COVID-19.
