S.I. No. 588/2022 - Small Public Service Vehicle (Contingency Measure –Vehicle Supply) (Maximum Permissible Age) Regulations 2022

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 22nd November, 2022.

The National Transport Authority, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by section 20 of the Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016 (No. 37 of 2013), hereby makes the following regulations to make exceptional and temporary provision, having regard to current vehicle supply issues, and in order to mitigate the likely adverse impact on essential public transport services arising from the lack of supply of new vehicles:

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Small Public Service Vehicle (Contingency Measure – Vehicle Supply) (Maximum Permissible Age) Regulations 2022.

2. The Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service Vehicle) Regulations 2015 ( S.I. No. 33 of 2015 ) are amended by substituting the following for Regulation 31:-

“Maximum permissible age requirements

31. (1) Subject to paragraphs (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7) and (8) the maximum permissible age of a—

(a) standard taxi, standard hackney or local area hackney is ten years from the date of first registration of the vehicle, and

(b) wheelchair accessible taxi or wheelchair accessible hackney is fifteen years from the date of first registration of the vehicle.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (4), (5), (6), (7) and (8) where a vehicle is associated with a standard taxi licence or standard hackney licence first granted before 1 January 2009 and was associated with such licence on 1 January 2013, the maximum permissible age of such vehicle is fifteen years from the date of first registration of the vehicle.

(3) This Regulation does not apply to limousines.

(4) Notwithstanding anything in paragraphs (1) or (2), where a standard taxi, standard hackney, local area hackney, wheelchair accessible taxi or wheelchair accessible hackney would, by virtue of the time periods specified in paragraphs (1) or (2), have reached its maximum permissible age of ten years or fifteen years between 13 March 2020 and 31 December 2020, it shall not be deemed to have reached its maximum permissible age until a period of 60 months after the date upon which it would have otherwise reached its maximum permissible age of ten years or fifteen years by virtue of the time periods specified in paragraphs (1) or (2).

(5) Notwithstanding anything in paragraphs (1) or (2), where a standard taxi, standard hackney, local area hackney, wheelchair accessible taxi or wheelchair accessible hackney would, by virtue of the time periods specified in paragraphs (1) or (2), have reached its maximum permissible age of ten years or fifteen years between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021, it shall not be deemed to have reached its maximum permissible age until a period of 48 months after the date upon which it would have otherwise reached its maximum permissible age of ten years or fifteen years by virtue of the time periods specified in paragraphs (1) or (2).

(6) Notwithstanding anything in paragraphs (1) or (2), where a standard taxi, standard hackney, local area hackney, wheelchair accessible taxi or wheelchair accessible hackney would, by virtue of the time periods specified in paragraphs (1) or (2), have reached its maximum permissible age of ten years or fifteen years between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022, it shall not be deemed to have reached its maximum permissible age until a period of 48 months after the date upon which it would have otherwise reached its maximum permissible age of ten years or fifteen years by virtue of the time periods specified in paragraphs (1) or (2).

(7) Notwithstanding anything in paragraphs (1) or (2), where a standard taxi, standard hackney, local area hackney, wheelchair accessible taxi or wheelchair accessible hackney would, by virtue of the time periods specified in paragraphs (1) or (2), have reached its maximum permissible age of ten years or fifteen years between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 it shall not be deemed to have reached its maximum permissible age until a period of 36 months after the date upon which it would have otherwise reached its maximum permissible age of ten years or fifteen years by virtue of the time periods specified in paragraphs (1) or (2).

(8) Notwithstanding anything in paragraphs (1) or (2), where a standard taxi, standard hackney, local area hackney, wheelchair accessible taxi or wheelchair accessible hackney would, by virtue of the time periods specified in paragraphs (1) or (2), have reached its maximum permissible age of ten years or fifteen years between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024 it shall not be deemed to have reached its maximum permissible age until a period of 36 months after the date upon which it would have otherwise reached its maximum permissible age of ten years or fifteen years by virtue of the time periods specified in paragraphs (1) or (2).

(9) For the avoidance of doubt, the intention of paragraphs (4), (5), (6), (7) and (8) is to extend the maximum permissible age of the vehicles which would have reached their maximum permissible age in the periods mentioned in those paragraphs by a period of 60 months, 48 months, 48 months, 36 months and 36 months respectively.”

3. The Small Public Service Vehicle (Emergency Measure Covid-19) (Maximum Permissible Age) Regulations 2021 (S. I. 482 of 2021) are revoked.

GIVEN under the Seal of the National Transport Authority,

18 November 2022.

FRED BARRY,

Chairperson, National Transport Authority.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

The purpose of these Regulations is to amend Regulation 31 of the Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service Vehicle) Regulations 2015, Maximum Permissible Age Requirements and to revoke the Small Public Service Vehicle (Emergency Measure Covid-19) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 482 of 2021). This amendment is made as an exceptional provision and contingency measure resultant from current vehicle supply issues.