Two initiatives set to get rural dwellers moving
Alan Kelly, the public transport minister, wants to sign off on a rural hackney licence in the coming months as well as a voluntary transport arrangement that would allow car owners receive expenses for driving designated neighbours to appointments and outings without falling foul of the taxman.
Plans for the hackney scheme were drawn up by the National Transport Authority on foot of a recommendation in the Taxi Regulation Review Report published last year, and were presented to the Taxi Advisory Committee for consideration a fortnight ago.
They propose a low-cost and reduced red tape entry to the scheme with a €50 licence fee, no requirement to sit special driving or knowledge tests, and a waiver of some of the normal luggage space and seating requirements.
Operators would need a local community group and their local authority to confirm the need for a hackney, and they would be restricted to covering a limited area within an isolated rural district and no pick-ups allowed in towns where alternative transport is available. They would also have to be vetted by gardaí.
Taxi groups represented on the Taxi Advisory Committee gave the idea a cool response when it was outlined last year but Mr Kelly yesterday urged all sides to get behind it.
“There are still many details to be worked out but if all sides work together constructively, it could be put in place by the end of the year,” he said.
“We are all aware of the serious transport deficit that exists in rural areas and there is no easy solution.
“We are trying something new and I expect it to have strong support at local level. As a Government, we need to be willing to try new approaches to solve these problems.
“I come from a rural village myself and there are many areas where there are literally no taxis or hackneys. This is something that simply has to be addressed and as a Government we are going to do it.”
The second initiative, whereby car owners in isolated areas could help out other members of their community who are without access to transport, would not require a licensing system.
A register would be maintained so that the identity and availability of drivers are known.
It is intended to assist people to make reliable and safe individual arrangements with a local car owner to drive them to regular or occasional appointments.
Both initiatives are aimed at countering rural isolation and helping to prevent the decline of local businesses.
James Doyle, chairman of the Irish Rural Dwellers Association, said he would welcome any addition to rural transport provision.
“It’s badly needed in many isolated areas. Our only concern would be that it wouldn’t just be used to make up for more cuts in the existing rural transport network but that it would be a genuine extra service,” he said.
