Consumer News

Following a court hearing at 10.30 this morning, The High Court injunction prohibiting members of the Irish Taxi Council from trespassing on the premises of the Commission, ordering them to stay a distance of at least 30 yards from all entrances to the building and prohibiting them from besetting the building remains in place. Having requested the opportunity to submit a reply Affidavit, the persons in question have given an undertaking to adhere to the conditions of the injunction. The matter is now adjourned until April 14th, when this Affidavit will be heard.

The Commission again wishes to state that further protest action will succeed only in costing fellow taxi drivers business and disrupting customers. The Commission requests that those protesting refrain from any activities that will further inconvenience the travelling public and other business people.

The Commission cannot and will not, be influenced by any protest action. The Commission is engaged in ongoing statutory consultation with a number of industry representative bodies and remains committed to this process and to continuing the reforms of the industry, which have already proven to enhance standards in the industry to the benefit of both the industry and consumers. It will not let this protest action distract from this process.

The Commission for Taxi Regulation today announced its first public information campaign of 2010, focussing on the importance to consumers of getting a receipt for their journey. The provision of receipts has been a legal requirement since September 2006 for small public service vehicle journeys.

The Commission for Taxi Regulation can confirm that it has received advice from the Advisory Council on a number of proposed further reforms for the industry, following the conclusion of a public consultation process on the recommendations of the Goodbody Economic Review.

The Commission will reflect on the advice received and following the conclusion of legal considerations, regulatory impact assessments and administrative arrangements will publish details of new reforms and a timeline for the introduction of reforms later this year. The reforms will cover a number of areas including vehicle and driver licensing, and enforcement.

The Commission for Taxi Regulation has completed its public consultation process on the revision of the National Maximum Taxi Fare and announced changes to the fare effective from November 1st 2008.

The fare revision follows a public consultation process which began in April 2008. In making its decision the Commission took into account the views of those that made submissions during the public consultation period, industry representatives, the Advisory Council to the Commission and other key stakeholders. Economic consultants also undertook a review of the costs of operating in the business and these results were also given due weight.

The changes reflect the increased costs of owning and operating a taxi since the National Maximum Taxi Fare was implemented in September 2006. The revisions to the fare are;

• An increase in the standard and premium initial charges and subsequent tariffs of 8.3%
• Christmas Eve 20:00h to St Stephen’s Day 8:00h and 20:00h New Year’s Eve to 8:00h New Year’s Day will now be charged at the highest tariff rate to address under supply on those days
• An increase in the soiling charge from €125 to €140

There will be no increase in the additional charges for extra passengers and booking charge
The changes will mean that the initial charge displayed when a customer hires a taxi will be €4.10 (standard rate) or €4.45 (premium rate). The new National Maximum Taxi Fare will come into operation on November 1st 2008 and drivers will have a three-week period from that date to ensure that their taximeters are calibrated with the new fare.

Commissioner for Taxi Regulation, Kathleen Doyle said; “The new fare has been set with due consideration for both taxi drivers and consumers. It is important that drivers have sufficient reward for their work, whilst a balance must be struck to ensure that the service remains affordable and demand is sustained. This review has been completed two years after the introduction of the National Maximum Taxi Fare, and we are making a commitment to a further review before the end of 2010.”

All vehicle licence holders will receive new in-vehicle information cards and sun visor stickers prior to the 1st of November. The full detail of the new fare is set out below. It should be noted that the fare continues to be a Maximum fare and can be discounted at a driver’s discretion.

A large number of submissions were received from Industry and Consumer and other interested parties.  These are being reviewed.  The Commission for Taxi Regulation will conclude its fare revision process in the third quarter of 2008.

The Commission for Taxi Regulation has today published new vehicle standards for the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including taxis, hackneys and limousines. The new standards will bring in reforms across a wide range of areas within the sector on a phased basis from 2008 to 2012.

Media reports today suggest that the Commission for Taxi Regulation handled 4,000 complaints about the Taxi industry in 2006. The Commission would like to clarify this is incorrect. From September 25th 2006 to December 31st 2006 there were in fact 145 complaints made to the Commission. The Commission for Taxi Regulation 2006 report presented to the Cabinet stated that the Commission received 4,000 calls to the consumer information line in the first 14 weeks of operation. The consumer information line is open to all users of the SPSV industry and provides information on all aspects of the service as well as being the first contact point for customers who wish to make a complaint or to pay a compliment in relation to a service received.

Of the calls received in 2006 the majority were general information queries. These related to subjects including the details of the new fare structure, the new national taximeter area, customer rights and responsibilities, queries on lost property and services for people with disabilities, amongst others. The remainder of the calls were seeking information about making a complaint in relation to a SPSV provider or service.

With regard to the number of small public service vehicle licences there were in December 2006 16,429 licensed Taxis, 4,135 licensed Hackneys and 1,146 licensed Limousines.

As at November 2007 there are 43,504 active small public service vehicle driver licences nationally.

February 2007 The Commission for Taxi Regulation has made a submission to the Minister for Transport requesting the use of bus lanes to extend to all SPSVs.

The Commission for Taxi Regulation formally requests that a subsidy be provided to assist with the purchase of wheelchair accessible taxis and hackneys.