Under a series of enhancements announced to the Local Area Hackney (LAH) licence, up to five local area hackney licensed drivers may now operate a single Local Area Hackney vehicle.
A specialised licence designed to improve transport options in rural communities, the LAH licence provides a simpler and more affordable alternative to a standard hackney licence. It allows local drivers to operate within their own communities rather than nationwide. The changes follow detailed feedback from communities and applicants and aim to make the scheme easier to access, more transparent and more responsive to local needs.
Under the new approach, where a local community gives support to an LAH applicant, the applicant will receive a licence offer from the National Transport Authority (NTA). This removes the requirement for additional assessments that were previously required.
INCREASING AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE
The NTA announced the enhancements on Thursday, April 2nd, with the updated scheme now open for applications.
LAH drivers may pick up passengers only within their approved Local Area. They can drop passengers anywhere, but they cannot pick up fares outside their designated zone.
Friends or family members where the service is privately operated or staff of a local business where the business owner provides the community service, can make up the five local area hackney licensed drivers operating a single Local Area Hackney vehicle, helping to increase service availability. This marks a significant change from the previous requirement, which allowed only one driver to operate the hackney.
The NTA has also launched a new online map showing all areas eligible for the scheme. Previously, applicants only learned if an area was eligible after submitting an application. The new system increases clarity and addresses concerns raised during consultation.
To ensure the safety of passengers, both the driver and the vehicle must be licenced before LAH operations can commence. These licences now last up to 5 years, up from 3 years previously, reducing the costs and administrative burdens on continuing LAH drivers.
The NTA will also publish booking details for LAH operators on its website to make it easier for passengers to find and contact local services.
Full details on the scheme and how to apply can be found at localhackney.ie
