New Rural Hackney Scheme Proposed

Going Forward

Public & Commuter Transport Minister Alan Kelly was on radio yesterday announcing a new Rural Hackney Scheme, which seems to be a watered down hackney licensing scheme.

"They propose a low-cost and reduced red tape entry to the scheme with a €50 licence fee, no requirement to sit special driving or knowledge tests, and a waiver of some of the normal luggage space and seating requirements.

Operators would need a local community group and their local authority to confirm the need for a hackney, and they would be restricted to covering a limited area within an isolated rural district and no pick-ups allowed in towns where alternative transport is available. They would also have to be vetted by gardaí."

http://www.irishexaminer.com/text/ireland/cwmhmhgbgbkf/

Looks like a Micra will do, driven by someone's uncle related to the local councillor.

Not sure how the existing rural hackneys will feel about this, although the Vintners seem to think its great idea.:rolleyes:

AFAIK there is no shortage of transport options in rural areas, just the usual reluctance of paying for the service?

n97 mini

On the radio this morning they mentioned the licence would cost €50.

Presumably urban Ireland will continue to get screwed with higher licence costs, which passed onto the consumer mean higher fare costs.

the groutch

if it takes off the road the eejits who think that just because they live in the backend of Kerry they're alright to drink and drive, then I'm all for it.

Atlantic Dawn

Main issue with this is insurance and it's unlikely given the non professional element of the drivers that many will be rushing out to provide discount rates.

Going Forward

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Main issue with this is insurance and it's unlikely given the non professional element of the drivers that many will be rushing out to provide discount rates.

Insurance as it stands is already in a grey area IMO with pubs currently offering customers "free" lifts home in S+D insured vehicles.

Markcheese

In two minds about it , the more accessable rural public transport the better, but dumbing down of standards ?? Maybe not ...
I agree insurance will be the big decider , and I can't imagine a special cheap class for honest country folk ...
Will probably leave more loopholes than it fills ...

BenShermin

Going Forward wrote: »

Insurance as it stands is already in a grey area IMO with pubs currently offering customers "free" lifts home in S+D insured vehicles.

I know what you're getting at, but personally I'd prefer a barman that's not insured to drive his clientele home than said clientelle driving themselves home after God knows how many pints.

It's a huge grey area as you said, the majority of country barmen would know most of their customers personally. Who's to say they're only giving their mates a lift home and all that was exchanged is a few bob petrol money for the favour?

spank_inferno

An odd angle was the rural minister proposing this move was that it will help with mental health in elderly rural areas.
As if heaping pints down their gullet is supposed to help with their mental health?

Also, where would the area covered be?
I live in Wicklow and aside from the east coast, the county is rural.
However there is an abundance of taxis and hackneys around, that do serve the rural villages in the county.

Will this not cut-the-rug out from underneath existing PSV drivers?

dowlingm

presumably this would only be where there are no licenced PSVs at present, or there is demonstrably insufficient to meet demand?

ProudDUB

spank_inferno wrote: »

Also, where would the area covered be?
I live in Wicklow and aside from the east coast, the county is rural.
However there is an abundance of taxis and hackneys around, that do serve the rural villages in the county.

Yeah, but due to its proximity to Dublin, Wicklow is not your average rural county. Where you live may be rural, but the county in general would have a lot of people living there who work in Dublin & who commute on a daily basis. It would have lots of people who would get a Dart/Dublin Bus/Luas to Brides Glen/Saggart/Bray/Greystones/Newcastle/Kilmacanogue, and would need a bit of extra help getting home.

There are also so many well known and well visited tourist attractions in Wicklow, so you'll always have boat loads of tourists who need to be ferried from A to B. There is a huge, huge market there for an enterprising taxi driver or hackney/minibus company. That's not really the case for residents of Carlow or Fermanagh or Roscommon, and a lot of other rural areas that are not close to major population centres or tourist attractions.

Going Forward

spank_inferno wrote: »

An odd angle was the rural minister proposing this move was that it will help with mental health in elderly rural areas.
As if heaping pints down their gullet is supposed to help with their mental health?

Also, where would the area covered be?
I live in Wicklow and aside from the east coast, the county is rural.
However there is an abundance of taxis and hackneys around, that do serve the rural villages in the county.

Will this not cut-the-rug out from underneath existing PSV drivers?

I think so, are there really any areas that dont have hackneys now?

A different question is whether they're bothered doing this sort of work (night work)!

Markcheese

I suppose you might need a community minibus/ hackney , with several avaiable drivers to fill different roles .... So a bit of of school transport where needed,a bit of rural transport scheme for the old dears... The occasional hospital trip or disabled hackney.... Local clubs and sports groups might be on the go a bit later... Finishing off with the pubs at closing time.... If everybody paid as they used... But provided or got a driver... Would have to be less than a 9 seater bus

daheff

The beauty of a free market is that if there was a demand for it and it was profitable then it would already be available.

Now I understand that its not quite a free market, but i think that the regulations to have a minimum standard/qualification are reasonable.

Other than that, i think its more a case that people cant pay or wont pay for such a service. In which case there is no need.

Del2005

daheff wrote: »

The beauty of a free market is that if there was a demand for it and it was profitable then it would already be available.

Now I understand that its not quite a free market, but i think that the regulations to have a minimum standard/qualification are reasonable.

It's not difficult to get a taxi licence, so unless they do a special deal I can't see the hackneys working. I can't see them allowing less safe vehicles to be used and insurance is going to be huge.

daheff wrote: »

Other than that, i think its more a case that people cant pay or wont pay for such a service. In which case there is no need.

People have to understand that if you want to live in a rural area with no near neighbours than you can't have public transport unless you pay a lot for it. The people living in the rural place don't want to pay the high price, or move into a village to create enough mass for partially affordable public transport, so they think the government should pay. But the government can't make public transport pay in Dublin with over a million people living in relatively densely populated areas, so how can it afford to subsidise a service in an area where houses are spread out for miles on crap roads.