Government driving positive reform in the taxi industry- Bannon

Fine Gael Deputy for Longford/Westmeath, James Bannon, has welcomed the new taxi regulations due to enter into force this month, saying they will be of benefit to legal taxi operators in Longford and Westmeath.

“The new taxi regulations coming into force this month are bound to benefit legal taxi operators and will be good for business.

“I have met with taxi companies in Longford recently, and I know that chief among their concerns is the loss of business to illegal operators in Longford town and the wider county. Illegal taxis are coming from all over the country at the weekends and are taking business away from the decent compliant local taxi drivers who abide by the law.

“The new regulations oversee the appointment of 15 new taxi enforcement officers as part of a programme known as ‘Operation Taximeter’. This amounts to a tripling of the enforcement team, who will target both urban centers and rural towns to address the matter of unlicensed operators

“The aim is also to ensure a better experience for taxi customers as Operation Taximeter will target the licensed operators failing to comply with the new Small Public Service Vehicle (SPSV) regulations.

“New regulations will include mandatory area knowledge tests for drivers with a history of poor local knowledge, continuous tax compliance monitoring, new standard specification and age limits for wheelchair accessible vehicles, as well as a maximum payment charge for credit/debit card holders.

“The new regulations are good for all. They are designed to improve the experience for taxi users and also to ensure that we cut out the illegal operators who are taking business from honest, legally compliant taxi drivers around the country.”