Danny Healy-Rae
Question:273. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding the lack of taxis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37717/23]
View answerMonday, 11 September 2023
Questions (273)
Written answers
I can confirm that my Department is supporting a number of initiatives which are seeking to address the type of issues he raises in his question.
On local hackneys, I launched the National Transport Authority's (NTA) 2023 Local Hackney pilot scheme last January, in 21 designated areas, for which applications closed on 28 February. It is a one-year grant-aided pilot programme, administered by the National Transport Authority, that aims to assist in the provision of part-time local hackney services in designated rural areas which cannot support a full-time taxi or hackney operation. With this pilot service, rural communities across Ireland will be given the opportunity to have a part time local area hackney service available to them. The NTA will monitor the pilot over the coming year and learn from it, so that it can be rolled out across many other areas if it proves successful. Further details of the pilot scheme, including the areas currently included, are available on the NTA’s website: www.nationaltransport.ie/taxi/localhackney/
Complementing that initiative my Department is also funding the NTA’s Connecting Ireland programme, which is a major public transport initiative looking to increase connectivity, particularly for people living outside major cities and towns. The plan aims to improve mobility in rural areas, and it will do this by providing better connections between villages and towns by linking these areas with an enhanced regional network connecting cities and regional centres nationwide.
In this year alone 67 new or enhanced routes will commence across the country as part of Connecting Ireland, including 4 services that have commenced in Kerry this year so far: 270 Skibbereen to Killarney (BÉ service), 274 (Local Link service) Tarbert to Tralee, 280 (Local Link service, New route - Northern half of ring of Kerry) and 281 (Local Link service, New Route - Southern half of ring of Kerry).