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Minister Sean Sherlock is calling on local transport groups and individuals to make submissions to their local authority as soon as possible. Photo: iStock

Minister for Research and Innovation, Sean Sherlock, is calling on local transport groups and individuals interested in applying for the new low-cost rural hackney licences to make submissions to their local authority as soon as possible, after regulations governing the new system came into force recently.

"It is vital that interested parties now work with the local authority so that areas in north Cork and surrounding regions most in need of access to transport can benefit from the new local area hackney licence," he said.

"At present, hackney licences are only being issued to wheelchair accessible vehicles, meaning the cost of providing such a service could be well over €30,000 - but the new system will see this cost reduce dramatically - to just €70. This is designed to facilitate entry to the market and generally make it easier for people to provide transport to areas which suffer from an acute lack of transport services," the Minister said.

Over the next week, the National Transport Authority will be writing to County Managers and rural transport groups outlining how the process works and asking them to suggest possible areas to pilot the scheme. Applicants will have to prove that there is a transport deficit in their area that is not likely to be resolved within one year.

“What I hope is that the rural transport groups, working with the local authorities, will be able to identify the areas most in need of access to transport and licences can be granted on that basis," he said.

"I would certainly encourage people to make contact with the local authority on making an application to the NTA as soon as possible so communities most in need can begin benefiting from this creative and straightforward approach," he concluded.

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