Taxi driver calls for updated bye-laws for Athlone ranks
By Rebekah O'Reilly
A local taxi driver has called for updated taxi-rank byelaws in Athlone, claiming that outdated regulations and poor enforcement are leaving drivers unable to operate safely and reducing access to taxis for the public.
Patrick O’Callaghan, a former chairman of the Athlone Taxi Federation, said he has spent months seeking clarity on the legal status of taxi ranks in the town.
Mr O’Callaghan said the issue first came to his attention several years ago following a collision while he was moving forward in a taxi rank near the railway station.
“I was moving up in the rank when another car came in and damaged the side of my vehicle,” he said.
“When I tried to establish the rules around moving up within a taxi rank, I began looking for the legislation governing the ranks.”
He said that when Athlone became a major taxi area in the late 1990s, taxi ranks were provided under statutory regulations. However, he believes many of those ranks have since been altered, moved or removed without updated byelaws being introduced.
According to Mr O’Callaghan, an older statutory instrument setting out taxi-rank locations remains on the statute book, despite significant changes to traffic layouts and rank locations in Athlone.
“Some ranks have changed direction, some have been reduced in size and others have disappeared altogether,” he said. “The old legislation is still there, but it no longer reflects what is on the ground.”
He said the absence of clear, updated rules was contributing to ongoing difficulties with private vehicles parking in designated taxi spaces, particularly on Church Street and near the train station.
“There are private cars parked in taxi ranks every day,” he said. “Drivers can find it impossible to access the rank, and taxis may avoid going to certain locations because there is nowhere to pull in safely.”
Mr O’Callaghan said this affected not only taxi drivers’ ability to work but also members of the public, visitors and tourists who expect to find taxis at clearly marked ranks.
“If a sign says ‘Taxi’, people expect taxis to be available there,” he said. “But if private cars are blocking the rank, taxis cannot get in. It becomes a disservice to the public.”
He also raised concerns about what he described as limited traffic enforcement in the town, saying that taxi drivers often encounter motorists who are unwilling to move from taxi spaces.
Mr O’Callaghan said he had contacted Westmeath County Council and local councillors seeking confirmation of the current legislation governing taxi ranks.
He said he had received limited responses and remained concerned that no modern, taxi-specific byelaws were in place.
He believes the council should introduce updated regulations that formally identify each taxi rank, set out its capacity and direction of travel, and provide clear protections against unauthorised parking.
“Taxi ranks need to be legalised and protected through byelaws,” he said. “They are there to provide a safe environment for drivers and passengers, and they need to reflect the way the town operates today.”
Mr O’Callaghan said the issue should be addressed as a matter of urgency, particularly in areas where taxi ranks have changed or where illegal parking regularly prevents drivers from using designated spaces.
Current Legislation
The current legislative framework governing taxi ranks, known in law as "appointed stands", is set out in the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 and the Athlone Appointed Stands (Street Service Vehicles) Bye-Laws, 1999.
Section 25 of the Taxi Regulation Act provides that a local authority "may make bye-laws" governing taxi ranks within its functional area.
These may include appointing where taxis may stand for hire, fixing the maximum number of taxis permitted at a rank, specifying operating times, determining how taxis are to use a rank, prohibiting taxis from standing for hire anywhere other than an appointed stand, and "otherwise regulating and controlling the use of appointed stands".
The Act also states that a taxi driver "shall not stand for hire with the taxi other than at an appointed stand", may not join a rank that has reached its maximum permitted capacity and, where a rank is full, "shall not stand with the taxi on part of the public road adjoining or in the proximity of the stand".
It also provides that taxis may only occupy an appointed stand when they are available for hire, while vehicles that are not taxis are prohibited from standing or parking at an appointed stand.
The Athlone Appointed Stands (Street Service Vehicles) Bye-Laws, 1999 designate six permanent taxi ranks within the former Athlone Urban District and specify their exact locations, maximum capacities and the manner in which taxis must queue.
The bye-laws require taxis to queue in single file within the marked limits of each stand, replace vacancies in order as vehicles leave, prohibit washing or repairing vehicles at ranks (except emergency repairs needed to remove a vehicle), require drivers to comply with Garda directions, and prohibit taxis from standing for hire anywhere in the urban district other than at an appointed stand operating in accordance with the bye-laws.
These are the principal local legislative provisions governing the operation and use of taxi ranks in Athlone.
In response to a query by the Westmeath Independent, Westmeath County Council responded: “The licencing of taxi services transferred to the Commission for Taxi Regulation in 2006 and is now managed by the National Transport Authority (NTA). The NTA is the regulatory body in respect to licensing, standards, complaints and appeals. Any issues relating to parking including taxi ranks are dealt by the relevant district office under the Parking, Traffic & Carpark Bye Laws byelaws and general road traffic/parking regulations which also includes regulatory signs and road markings.
"The SI No. 241/1999 - Athlone Appointed Stands (Street Service Vehicles) Bye-Laws, 1999 and SI No. 294/2002 - Mullingar Appointed Stands (Street Service Vehicles) Bye-Laws, 2002 were made by the Gardai under the provision of the legislation at that time. Enforcement of parking is also a matter for the Gardai”.
Other local authorities, including Dublin City Council and Sligo County Council, have more recent bye-laws specifying the location, capacity and operation of taxi ranks. Mr O'Callaghan believes a similar review should take place in Athlone.