Buying back taxi licences ruled out

THE Commission for Taxi Regulation has ruled out using any of its €20m surplus in order to buy back taxi licences to relieve the problem of oversupply in the industry.

Taxi Regulator, Kathleen Doyle yesterday rejected a proposal by Sinn Féin TD, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, that such funds should be used to buy back plates to reduce the number of taxies to a sustainable level.

However, Ms Doyle said that the Commission was seeking permission from the Department of Transport to use some of the surplus to assist taxi owners to adapt their existing vehicles for wheelchair use.

Ms Doyle told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Economic Regulatory Affairs that 44% of wheelchair users had been refused a taxi service compared with less than 8% of the general population.

The Taxi Regulator said the number of small public service vehicles which includes taxis, hackneys and limousines licensed had fallen from a peak of 27,429 in 2008 to a current total of 25,981 — a reduction of almost 6%.

In early 2008, there was in excess of 200 new licences being issued every month. However, that number has fallen to less than 20 per month since March 2009.

The number of taxi driver licences has also fallen from a peak of 47,529 in May 2009 to 44,228 last month — a reduction of almost 7%.

Ms Doyle said research had shown that taxi drivers had experienced a 5% loss of earnings between 2005 and 2008, while she acknowledged that they had suffered further “significant reduction” in income in the past two years.

However, the Taxi Regulator was criticised by a number of TDs for claiming that the industry through falling numbers had reached an expected “equilibrium”.

Labour TD, Seán Sherlock, claimed the loss of earnings for taxi drivers meant most of them were no longer able to earn a decent living even as a result of working longer hours.

Ms Doyle said the Commission had no powers to introduce a moratorium on the issuing of new licences.