The Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment) (No 3) Regulations, 2000, provide for:
The revocation of all restrictions on the number of taxi licences.
The granting of taxi, wheelchair-accessible taxi, hackney or limousine licences to those who present a certificate that their vehicle has been tested and is suitable, appropriate insurance and the fee.
Vehicle testing to be carried out by the Garda or National Car Testing Service (NCTS) for a transitional six month period and thereafter by NCTS only. No fee will be charged during the transitional period.
A £5,000 fee for a taxi licence, £100 for a wheelchair-accessible taxi licence, £200 for a hackney or limousine licence.
Annual renewal fees of £500 for taxi licences and £100 for other licence categories.
Validation of taxi sharing from designated ranks.
All taximeters to issue automatic receipts by January 1st, 2002.
Maximum fares to continue to be fixed by local authorities.
The Minister of State, Mr Robert Molloy, also said last night that the process of making all taxis wheelchair-accessible will begin from the end of 2003. The Minister for Finance is to consider allowing existing licence-holders who paid large sums for their taxi plates to write off capital losses against tax over a number of years.
A scheme is to be developed to address situations where some drivers paid much larger fees to local authorities for wheelchair-accessible taxi licences than will be charged under the new regime.