Vol. 557 No. 1
374 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Transport the position which applies where a person renews their taxi licence in January 2002 and in the interim changes the motor vehicle in mid-year; if the licence holder has to renew the taxi licence which exists for the old vehicle and pay an additional fee for same; if the old licence can be transferred automatically to the newly purchased vehicle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21068/02]
The licensing and operation of public service vehicles, including taxis, are governed by the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 2002.
Under these regulations, specifically article 17 of the regulations of 1995 – S.I. No. 136 of 1995 – as amended by article 12 of the regulations of 2000 – S.I. No. 367 of 2000 – an application to have a taxi licence continued in force in respect of a different vehicle is treated as a renewal of the licence and incurs a charge, currently €125. The applicant must also present a certificate of suitability issued by the national car testing service in respect of the vehicle to which the licence is being transferred. However, the period of validity of the licence is changed to run from the date of the renewal or transfer for a further period of 12 months. Accordingly, in the example given, the original licence renewal date would change from January 2003 to the anniversary of the date of the transfer of the licence to the different vehicle.
