Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 February 2026
201. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Transport his views on Competition and Consumer Protection Commission findings that consumers are suffering due to a failure to facilitate innovations in the taxi industry; the regulatory barriers he believes should be considered in this regard; if he plans to address this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15485/26]
View answerThe regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector.
The focus of Ireland’s regulatory regime for taxis and hackneys is on consumer protection and personal safety. Under legislation, the regulation of the SPSV sector is carried out by the National Transport Authority, which is the licensing authority for vehicles and dispatch operators. An Garda Síochána is the licensing authority for taxi and hackney drivers.
A fundamental tenet of Ireland’s SPSV regulatory regime is that only SPSV licensed drivers and vehicles are used for the carriage of passengers for reward, to protect the consumer and help ensure public safety. Ridesharing is not available in Ireland via online platform or otherwise. Online services and app companies, such as Uber and FreeNow by Lyft are restricted to using licensed SPSV drivers to provide journeys to customers. The ridesharing transport model, operating outside Ireland, is not a model that would comply with Irish law. No special regulations have been developed to govern the carriage of passengers by passenger cars, which are not SPSVs. Therefore, the model where anyone with a private car and an App can provide taxi services, does not exist here. It is not government policy and there is no intention to introduce it.
The protection of the consumer and personal safety are vital objectives and must continue to be central to how the SPSV industry is regulated and operated.
The structure of the taxi and hackney market has undoubtedly changed since liberalisation of the market took place, and more notably in recent years, in relation to the role of dispatch operators. I have requested that the NTA conducts a regulatory assessment of dispatch operator licensing in Ireland in the context of ensuring that the regulatory framework for this element of the overall sector is sufficiently up to date and robust to respond to developments since the enactment of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013.
The NTA has informed me that they are developing a Call for Inputs on the dispatch operator licensing framework as a priority, and expects to publish the Call in late February/early March and intend to seek views from stakeholders as part of this process. Details of public consultations on SPSV matters can be found on the SPSV Latest News page on the NTA’s website and all stakeholders are invited to make a submission at the relevant time. A sustainable taxi sector is an important element of our transport system, and I encourage all stakeholders to take the opportunity to feed into this important piece of work, as input from stakeholders will inform the NTA's process and decision-making in revising the current dispatch operator framework.
