S.I. No. 273/1968:

ROAD TRAFFIC (PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLES) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1968.

ROAD TRAFFIC (PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLES) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1968.

The Minister for Local Government in exercise of the power conferred on him by sections 5 and 82 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961 (No. 24 of 1961) hereby makes the following regulations:--

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations, 1968.

(2) These Regulations and the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1967, may be cited as the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1968.

(3) In these Regulations " the Principal Regulations " means the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 ( S.I. No. 191 of 1963 ).

2. Sub-article (1) of article 3 of the Principal Regulations is hereby amended by the substitution in the definition of " Cork taximeter area " for the word " ten " of the word " six ".

3. Article 12 of the Principal Regulations is hereby amended by the addition thereto of the following sub-article--

" (2) There shall not be used or exhibited in or on a small public service vehicle other than a licensed public hire vehicle any telephone number or any sign or advertisement indicating the nature of the business in which the vehicle or its owner is engaged or that the vehicle is for hire."

4. Part IV of the Principal Regulations is hereby amended by the substitution for the words " licensed public hire vehicles " wherever these words appear, save in article 43, of the words " small public service vehicles."

5. There shall be substituted for article 43 of the Principal Regulations the following--

" 43. (1) A person shall not drive a small public service vehicle unless there is in force in respect of that person a licence to drive small public service vehicles.

(2) A person shall not drive a licensed public hire vehicle in a taximeter area unless there is endorsed on the licence referred to in sub-article (1) of this article a statement by the Commissioner or any officer of the Garda Síochána authorised by the Commissioner that such person has satisfied the Commissioner or officer that he has an adequate knowledge of the taximeter area.

(3) The owner of a small public service vehicle shall not employ a person as a driver of such a vehicle unless there is in force in respect of that person a licence to drive small public service vehicles and shall not employ a person as a driver of a licensed public hire vehicle operating in a taximeter area unless in addition such licence has endorsed on it a statement under sub-article (2) that such person has an adequate knowledge of that taximeter area."

6. There shall be substituted for paragraph (8) of article 45 of the Principal Regulations the following--

" (8) He shall take all reasonable precautions to ensure that the means provided for indicating the route, the fares and the destination are clearly and correctly displayed and that the means for indicating the fares, where these are not displayed in the vehicle, and any current timetable provided are available for inspection by a passenger on demand."

7. There shall be substituted for sub-article (2) of article 52 of the Principal Regulations, the following sub-article--

" (2) Whenever a person requests the driver of a vehicle used as a public hire vehicle then standing for hire in a taximeter area to drive him to a specified place in that area, it shall be the duty of the driver to comply with the request unless the person making the request fails to tender the lawful fare or prove that he is able to pay the lawful fare on being so required by the driver or the driver has other reasonable excuse for refusing or failing to comply with the request."

8. Article 53 of the Principal Regulations is hereby amended by the addition thereto of the following sub-article--

" (3) The driver of a vehicle used as a public hire vehicle fitted with a taximeter shall operate the taximeter within a taximeter area so long as the vehicle is on hire."

9. Every licence to drive licensed public hire vehicles granted under Part IV of the Principal Regulations and in force at the date of the coming into operation of these Regulations shall continue in force and be regarded as having been granted as a licence to drive small public service vehicles under these Regulations until the expiration of the period in respect of which the current annual licence fee in respect of such licence has been paid.

10. These Regulations shall come into operation on the first day of February, 1969.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Local Government this

17th day of December, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Sixty-Eight.

CAOIMHGHÍN Ó BEOLÁIN,

Aire Rialtais Áitúil.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Regulations amend the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, 1963. They amend the definition of the " Cork taximeter area "; prohibit the use of advertisements on private hire vehicles (" hackneys "); require the licensing of drivers of private hire vehicles; require taxi drivers to have a knowledge of the area in which they operate and make other minor amendments in relation to the duties of drivers of public service vehicles. The Regulations come into operation on the 1st February, 1969.