Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 March 2022
193. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport if he has reviewed the position on the transferability of taxi plates in view of the changed circumstances for many drivers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13026/22]
View answerThe transfer of licences for Small Public Service Vehicles (SPSVs) is, at present, prohibited under section 14(1) of the Taxi Regulation Act, 2013. In the case of the death of a licence holder, however, Section 15 of the same Act applies special provisions. In such circumstances, a SPSV licence may continue to be operated by a person who was nominated by the licence holder in advance of his or her death. The current licensing regime is built on the principle that a licence should have no monetary value or be traded on the open market and should simply indicate a person’s suitability to carry out the role of taxi operator.
The regulation of the SPSV industry is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013. In this regard, I can inform the Deputy that, in line with its functions under this Act, the NTA has requested the Advisory Committee on Small Public Service Vehicles to conduct a review of the issue of licence transferability. It is expected that the Advisory Committee will submit a report and recommendations on this issue to the NTA in the next month or so. Whilst the Committee’s report and any resulting recommendations by the NTA to the Minister will need to be considered carefully, at this point it is not considered that there are any market or public interest reasons for making large-scale or fundamental changes to the current policy and legislative position.
