Latest News for SPSV Operators

During January, 5 unlicensed operators were detected in Dublin.

Compliance officers recorded 1451 formal checks of small public service vehicles during the month. As well as the detections of unlicensed operators, 101 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued to drivers, with the majority of these penalties issued for standing illegally for hire or to drivers who were not associated to the vehicle that they were driving.

Complaints January 2015

A total of 60 complaints were received during January 2015.  The majority of these complaints related to driver conduct, closely followed by complaints regarding the fares.

Prosecutions in January 2015

In January, the Authority obtained four convictions at the District Court. One of the convictions represented the first case taken under section 27 of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013, which made the ‘advertising, offering or promotion’ of an unlicensed SPSV an offence.

The National Maximum Taxi Fares Order 2015 will come into operation on April 30, 2015. It represents an average increase of about 4%, and includes a reduction in the number of fare bands to two (A and B), plus a reduction in the initial hiring charge. The reduction in the initial hiring charge is accompanied by a reduction in the distance and time included in the charge. This means that the meter will start to increment after 500 metres, rather than the 1,000 metres at present, and that by the time the vehicle travels one kilometre, the fare amount on the meter will be at or above the current initial charge.

The Legal Metrology Service verification/sealing requirement has been suspended from 01 February to 30 April 2015. During this three month change over period, operators will not be fined for operating their vehicles without a sealed meter and an unsealed meter will not be a fail item at vehicle licence renewal inspections. The meter must still be calibrated/programmed to operate the existing fares order correctly during this period and it is still an offence not to do so.

What do I need to do?

From now

1. Contact your meter installer and find out if approval has been received from the Legal Metrology Service for the updated programme for your taximeter

2. Confirm with your installer that your meter can operate with dual programmes – the existing fares structure up to 29 April and the new maximum fare structure from 30 April

3. Book your vehicle with your installer for the installation of the dual programmes

From March

4. Contact Applus in early March on 01 413 5951 to arrange for your meter to be verified and sealed

Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service vehicles) Regulations 2015

A number of new regulations came into effect on 31 January 2015 as part of the Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service vehicles) Regulations 2015 (S.I. No. 33 of 2015). These regulations replace the previous regulations and include the following main changes:

• The taximeter must be operated for all hires in a taxi. Even if a fare is agreed in advance, the meter must still be operated for the journey;
• Where a fare is agreed in advance, the taxi driver can only charge the lower of the pre-agreed fare or the fare calculated on the taximeter. So if the pre-agreed fare is more than the fare on the meter, the driver can only charge the fare on the meter;
• A taxi roof sign may only be fixed to the roof of a vehicle in a public place if it is being used for the carriage, or for the intended carriage, of passengers for reward;
• A list of vehicles suitable for licensing in the limousine category will be published and only vehicles on the list will be eligible for new limousine licences or as replacement vehicles on an existing limousine licence; and
• Vehicle licence renewal fee for standard taxis, standard hackneys or limousines increases to €150 – this is the first renewal fee increase since 1995. Vehicle licence renewal fees for wheelchair accessible vehicles reduce to €75.

There are a number of other changes in the revised regulations and a full copy of the regulations is available on this website – http://www.nationaltransport.ie/publications/legislation/

Please make yourself familiar with the changes and contact the Information Line 0761 064 000 with any queries.

During December, 1 unlicensed operator was detected in Dublin.

Compliance officers recorded 1520 formal checks of small public service vehicles during the month. As well as the detections of unlicensed operators, 76 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued to drivers, with the majority of these penalties issued for standing illegally for hire or to drivers who were not associated to the vehicle that they were driving.

Complaints December 2014

A total of 113 complaints were received during December 2014.  The majority of these complaints related to driver conduct.

Prosecutions December 2014

In December, ten prosecutions were brought before the courts. Five individuals were convicted and another five had their cases adjourned until early 2015.