National Review Of Taxi, Hackney And Limousine Services And Vehicle Standards

CONSULTATION DOCUMENT

1. Introduction
The Commission is an independent public body established under Taxi Regulation Act 2003. The principal function of the Commission is the development and maintenance of a regulatory framework for the control and operation of small public service vehicles (SPSV’s) and their drivers, to ensure a quality consumer oriented service for SPSV’s users.

The establishment of the Commission presents a very significant and exciting opportunity to carry out a fundamental reform of the cab system in Ireland to bring about major improvements in the quality of services available.

The Commission will shortly commence the development of a new code for the regulation of SPSV's and their drivers. These regulations can broadly be divided into the areas of quality, safety and fare regulation. In order to inform its decisions, the Commission is carrying out a broad-ranging review of services provided by, and vehicle standards for, taxis, hackneys and limousines and related issues nationally.

As part of the review, the Commission will hold public consultation meetings in a number of regional centres including Cork, Clonmel, Sligo and Dublin in late February and early March.

Interested members of the public and stakeholders are invited to attend.

The public meetings, which start promptly at 7:00pm, will be held in the following centres:

Cork Clonmel
The Silver Springs Hotel
The Minella Hotel
February 22nd 2005 February 23rd 2005

Sligo Dublin
The Sligo Park Hotel
The Axis Centre, Ballymun March 1st 2005 March 2nd 2005

Goodbody Economic Consultants and the Dublin Institute of Technology are undertaking the review on behalf of the Commission.

Written submissions are invited from interested parties and the closing date for submission is 5:00pm on Monday 7th March 2005
By Email: commission@taxiregulator.ie
By Post: The Commission for Taxi Regulation, 35 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2

2 National Review
Given the very broad range and scope of issues to be addressed by the Commission and their scope and the need to base decisions on sound data and research, the Commission has embarked on a major National Review of Services and Vehicle Standards in the SPSV Sector. Our review will examine existing quality and safety regulations as they relate to SPSV's and their drivers. It will assess the extent and quality of services provided and the quality of the existing livery along a number of dimensions, including vehicle size, vehicle body type, passenger capacity, boot space, age and manoeuvrability.

The review will inform the development of quality regulations providing for the safety, security and comfort of passengers, drivers and other road users that strikes a balance between consumer protection, customer comfort and service and the costs incurred in satisfying these requirements.

A large number of issues are being researched as follows:

• The consumers’ views of the quality of the service offered;
• Measures to improve the quality of SPSV's and drivers, and the way in which the service is delivered;
• Training for drivers and taxi company staff;
• The apparent increase in part-time working on the part of taxi drivers;
• Passenger and driver safety issues;
• The way in which people with disabilities should be catered for both in terms of vehicle design and operation of the service;
• The separate licensing systems for taxis and hackneys;
• Whether or not taximeter areas should be retained or changed and, if retained, how they should be delineated;
• The advantages or disadvantages of a uniform fare level and structure for the country as a whole;
• The potential to simplify the fare structure;
• The case for extending fare control to hackneys;
• The criteria to be applied and the process to be followed in revising fare levels and responding to the requests of taxi interests for fare increases;
• The establishment of an efficient and effective system of complaints and quality assurance;
• The potential to streamline the licensing obligations imposed on cab owners;
• The need for improved enforcement;
• The ability of current livery to meet the needs of people with disabilities and the standards required to achieve a service which is accessible for people with disabilities;
• The ability of existing wheelchair-accessible taxis to meet the needs of passengers who use wheelchairs and the standards required to meet their needs;
• The comfort, cleanliness and overall suitability and the potential for improved standards in relation to car type, size (internal volume, boot space and overall dimensions), age and engine type;
• The suitability of existing vehicle identification and the potential for improvements;
• The use of taximeters and other equipment including modern communications and tracking technology and the potential for improvements;
• The suitability and availability of taxi ranks and the potential for improved design standards in particular in relation to their use by people with disabilities and people who use wheelchairs;
• Measures to improve passenger and driver security, such as partitioning of the driver and passenger spaces;
• Assessing whether standardisation of the type of vehicle or colour of vehicle in use for taxi and hackney services would be appropriate.

3. Consultation
As part of the review the Commission will be meeting and inviting submissions from a broad range of interested parties and bodies and the general public including

• The Advisory Council to the Commission and its subcommittees;
• Consumer, business and tourism interests;
• Relevant Government Departments including the Department of Transport;
• Disability Representatives;
• Local Authorities;
• Gardaí;
• Legal Metrology;
• The NCTS operator;
• Organisations representing Taxi, Hackney and Limousine Drivers and Owners;
• The general public.

4. Surveys
Surveys will form a significant part of the review. These will include Survey of Taxi Use by Households This survey will be a nationally representative sample of households and will capture a number of key data including:

• Prevalence and intensity of demand for cabs;
• Purpose and day/time of trip;
• Distance travelled;
• Cab occupancy and luggage carried;
• How cab was obtained (on-street, by telephone etc.);
• Waiting time;
• Views on quality of service provided; Awareness of consumers rights; and
• Consumer expectations.

Survey of Taxi Use by Businesses
This survey will be of a nationally representative sample of businesses. The data collected will include:

• Use of cab account arrangements;
• Telephone response time of cab companies;
• Waiting time; • Difficulties in getting service;
• Times of day when cab services are difficult to obtain;
• Views on quality of service provided;
• Awareness of consumers rights; and
• Consumer expectations.

Survey of Taxi Use by Tourists
The focus of this survey will be to assess the quality of service offered by comparison with tourists’ experiences in other jurisdictions. The data collected will include views on:

• Quality of the cab;
• Quality of in-cab information;
• Accessibility of cabs;
• Driver behaviour;
• Transparency of fares structures and displays;
• Complaints and consumer rights; and
• Comparative assessments of Irish and foreign cab services.

Survey of Taxi Use by People with Disabilities
People with disabilities will be surveyed directly. The data collected will include:

• Prevalence and intensity of demand for cabs;
• Purpose and day/time of trip;
• Distance travelled;
• Cab occupancy and luggage carried;
• How cab was obtained (on-street, by telephone etc.);
• Waiting time;
• Views on quality of service provided;
• Preferences for different types of provision (wheel chair accessible, conventional, community services etc.);
• Views on voucher systems;
• Awareness of consumers rights; and
• Consumer expectations.

Survey of Queues at Ranks
Passenger queue lengths and waiting times at different types of ranks will be surveyed as follows: • City centre ranks;

• Inner suburban ranks;
• Outer suburban ranks; and
• Transport terminals.

Survey of Operating Behaviour of and Costs facing Taxi Drivers
This will endeavour to establish the extent to which taxi drivers are operating part-time and have other full-time occupations and the revenue earning potential of taxis. The data collected will include:

• Days and hours operated;
• Number of paying trips per day;
• Typical weekly earnings;
• Full or part-time taxi driving;
• Other occupations;
• Age and sex of drivers.

International Survey of Key Issues
The review will identify a number of key areas of particular importance to the future role of the Commission. While these will emerge during the course of the study, they are likely to include:

• The administrative arrangements for SPSV and driver licensing;
• Measures to improve the quality of service offered in respect of both SPSV's and drivers;
• The need for separate licensing regimes for taxis and hackneys;
• The function and continuing relevance of taximeter areas; and
• Fare regulation principles and procedures. It is proposed to survey international experience with regard to these and other issues as identified.

5. Profile of Existing Taximeter Areas
The Review will profile how taxis and hackneys serve different parts of the country. This will include data on:

• The number of taxi and hackneys licensed;
• The level of provision per head of the population;
• Turnover of licenses;
• The number of taximeter areas declared, their extent and operation;
• Fare structures and levels; and
• Driver and vehicle licensing arrangements;

Profile of Cab Companies
This aspect of the review will draw up an inventory of cab companies and conduct a telephone survey of a sample of companies to obtain the following data: • The fleet size/distribution of companies; • Areas of specialisation (companies, hotels etc.); • The numbers employed; • The tracking and communications technology used; • Their charge structures (‘telephone rental’ paid by drivers).

Section 6 – Analysis & Review Mapping of Existing Institutional Arrangements and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Procedures
As well as the Commission, there are currently a number of institutions that have a role in the administration of the taxi, hackney, and limousine market. These include the local authorities, the Gardaí, the NCTS operator and legal metrology. Our research will summarise the legal position of the various agencies regarding their roles, establish an inventory of administrative procedures in place and consider proposals for change.

Analysis and Review of Market Performance
Our review will draw on the survey data to establish:

• the level of service being delivered to consumers e.g households, businesses, people with disability and tourists;
• the structure of market provision and innovation in service delivery;
• the degree of competition in the market; the level of integration with public transport systems;
• the level of fares set;
• and other aspects of market performance.

Arising out of this and drawing on the results of the international survey, key issues in the organisation of the Irish market will be assessed. These are likely to include the need for separate licensing regimes for taxis and hackneys, the role of taximeter areas and how the market should be structured to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

Analysis and Review of Institutional Roles
This process will draw on the results of the consultation process, the mapping of existing institutional arrangements and the international research to consider the future roles of the various organisations and the need for change. More efficient and streamlined systems will be considered.

Analysis and Review of Fare Setting Procedures
The data collected through profiling of existing taximeter areas and the survey of operating behaviour and costs will inform this part of the study. Among the issues that require attention are:

• The possibility of a uniform fare structure for the country as a whole;
• The need for a simplified fare structure; and,
• factors and procedures for setting fares

Analysis and Review of Quality and Standards
Issues Virtually all of the surveys will provide information on consumers’ views of the deficiencies in the current system and will inform the types of changes in driver licensing regulations and vehicle licensing regulations and operations that are necessary. The international research will also inform this aspect of the review.

Developing and Monitoring, Evaluation and Key Performance Indicators
The review will be used as a baseline to chart progress in terms of customer satisfaction with the service and other attributes over time. The Commission will require a broad range of performance indicators in order to monitor progress going forward, including indicators of the level of competition in the market. The findings of this study will inform the development of these indicators.

7. Conclusions
This Review will be completed by May 2005 and will form the most comprehensive review of Irish Taxi, Hackney and Limousine services and vehicle standards undertaken to date in this country. It will propose a series of potential scenarios for regulating theses vehicles and services. Based on the review, the Commission will prepare Draft Regulations for Consultation which will in turn lead to a new National Code of Regulations for the Small Public Service Vehicles Sector. The regulations and code will be introduced on a phased basis commencing late 2005 leading to a more professional, efficient, safe and accessible customer-friendly service for both consumers and operators / owners within the industry. 

- back to top