NTA Must Urgently Reform Rural Hackney System to Ensure Proper Transport Access for Communities

Cork North West Fine Gael TD, Deputy John Paul O’Shea, has called on the National Transport Authority (NTA) to take swift and meaningful action to overhaul the Local Area Hackney (LAH) system, following confirmation that uptake of rural hackney licences remains exceptionally low despite years of incentives and grant schemes.

The NTA, in recent correspondence to Deputy O’Shea, acknowledged that while applications have been accepted since 2015, “uptake has remained very low”, even with the introduction of grant-supported recruitment and targeted promotion. The Authority has now commenced a public consultation and indicated that any changes to the system will not be implemented until early 2026.

Deputy O’Shea described this delay as “deeply concerning” for rural residents who continue to face unacceptable gaps in transport accessibility.

“Rural communities cannot wait any longer” – Deputy O’Shea

“Reliable rural transport is not a luxury — it is a basic necessity for older people, young workers, those with disabilities, and families living outside major towns,” Deputy O’Shea stated.

“While I welcome the fact that the NTA has finally recognised the failure of the current Local Area Hackney model and is consulting on reforms, the reality is that rural Ireland has been waiting nearly a decade for meaningful change. The current system simply has not worked. Low uptake since 2015 must be a wake-up call, not another reason for multi-year review cycles.”

More flexibility, shared operation, and faster licensing needed

Deputy O’Shea strongly supports proposals under consultation that would allow:

• greater community input into decisions on whether hackney licences are needed, and

• multiple drivers to operate a single rural hackney vehicle — a change long sought by rural operators who cannot commit to full-time driving due to work and family commitments.

“These are common sense proposals that should have been in place years ago,” he continued.

“If a vehicle could be shared by several vetted drivers, we would instantly increase availability and reliability of rural hackney services.”

Urgent action required – not another year of planning

Deputy O’Shea said that while consultation is important, the current timeline — with implementation deferred until early 2026 — must be accelerated.

“People in Millstreet, Banteer, Macroom, Kanturk, Inchigeelagh, Newmarket, Charleville, Ballingeary, Boherbue, and the wider North & Mid Cork region are relying on neighbours with cars because official transport supports simply do not exist. That is not a sustainable or safe solution.

If the NTA acknowledges that uptake has been chronically low, then it must apply immediate adjustments — not another year of waiting.”

Background

The Local Area Hackney (LAH) licence was designed for rural areas unable to sustain a full-time taxi or hackney service. The licence is supposed to be low-cost, flexible, and community-based. However, administrative burdens, restrictions on who can drive, insurance issues, and delays in approval have all contributed to minimal uptake despite financial supports.

Call to Action

“The Government is investing significantly in rural transport — but if the regulatory model blocks local participation, then the investment goes nowhere. I will continue to press the NTA, the Minister for Transport, and the Minister for Rural and Community Development to accelerate these reforms and deliver a functioning rural hackney network in 2026.”