NEWMARKET in North Cork is one of 21 rural locations included in a new Local Hackney Pilot Scheme to help provide more transport choices in rural areas.

The pilot scheme announced on Monday was launched by the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan alongside the National Transport Authority (NTA).

The one-year pilot programme for a localised specially licenced hackney service to help improve transport choices for people living in rural locations across the country is designed to encourage new part-time local hackney services to operate in communities which could not support a full-time taxi or hackney operation.

All drivers will be licenced, insured and Garda vetted and will be able to pick people up from their doors to drop them to where they want to go, providing essential connection for people living in more isolated and rural areas.

Minister Eamon Ryan said that one of the key priorities in transport is to improve connectivity across rural Ireland in particular.

“This pilot responds to the reality of rural life in Ireland, in a creative and local-based way, connecting people from their doors to local towns, healthcare centres, the post-offices, or onto other transport stops and hubs.

“With this new pilot service, rural communities across Ireland will now be given the opportunity to have a part-time local area hackney service available to them.

“We will monitor it over the coming year and learn from it so that we can roll it out across many other areas. This Pilot is an important tenet of the Government’s National Sustainable Mobility Plan 2022-2025 and a key deliverable under Our Rural Future 2021-2025.

“Each successful applicant for the local hackney license may be granted €6,000 as a subsidy to ordinary fares income, to run the service. This grant is designed to contribute towards the fixed costs associated with providing this service.”

CEO of the National Transport Authority Anne Graham said the NTA is proud to launch the pilot programme which she said will help give people in rural communities access to a safe, reliable, part-time local hackney service in their area.

Applications to take part in the Pilot Programme can be made at localhackney.ie.