It will soon be possible to hail a taxi on the streets of Belfast without making a booking under new proposals outlined yesterday.
The plans, unveiled by environment minister David Cairns, are said to be the most significant reforms to the industry in years and will also require all taxis to carry meters and will set maximum fares.
Consultation will begin on the proposals which include a requirement on all new taxi-drivers to pass a taxi-driving test and insist that all taxi-drivers have relevant training, including how to deal with customers.
The proposals also envisage allowing some taxis to operate shared services and to charge individual passengers separate, but cheaper than normal fares.
Taxi-operators could also be called on to provide more taxis designed to meet the needs of older people and people with disabilities. Only such accessible vehicles would be permitted to stand on taxi-ranks. The consultation period remains open until early November and will include a series of public meetings where customers can air their views.
The changes will require legislation, which will be enacted by next March, although many of the measures planned need not come into force by then.
Provisions giving the PSNI and Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency Enforcement Officers more and stronger enforcement powers to tackle illegal taxis are also planned.
These include powers to stop and seize unlicensed taxis and to inspect premises where it is suspected taxi-services are being provided without an operator's licence. The maximum fine will be £2,500 (€3,620).Mr Cairns said: "Taxi-users will get a much better deal as a result of changes that this new legislation will allow us to bring in."