Written answer
Taxi Regulations
The Minister said dispatcher fees are private contractual matters outside fare regulation, with SPSV operators free to choose dispatchers, and referred the issue to the NTA.
181. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Transport if he has considered introducing statutory limits on dispatcher commission fees for regulated metered SPSV trips. [64214/26]
Comment on this
The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector.
Dispatch operator commission fees are private consumer to business contract fees and are not governed by the Maximum Fare Order established by the NTA. SPSV operators are self-employed and may decide to sign-up, or not, with a licensed dispatch operator, such as Uber or FreeNow. They are not obliged by my Department or the NTA to be affiliated with any dispatch operator but where they choose to do so, they are free to contract with a dispatch operator of their choice. They also decide on their own hours of work within the SPSV regulatory framework.
Given the NTA's responsibility for the regulation of the sector, I have referred your question to the NTA for further information. Please advise my private office if you have not received a reply within 10 working days.