These Regulations are made under the Taxis Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (S.I. 2008 (N.I. 4) which provides for the regulation and testing of vehicles which are to be licensed as taxis.
The Regulations in particular—
deal with applications for taxi licences, prescribe the fees payable and set out the circumstances under which fees may be refunded;
prescribe the classes of use for which a taxi licence may be granted and set out the conditions of the licence;
require owners of licensed taxis to comply with conditions in relation to the equipment and use of taxis, particularly in relation to fire extinguishing apparatus, roof signs and spare wheel, lifting jack and wheel brace.
The Regulations also set out the transitional provisions which apply to holders of public service vehicle licences.
The Taxis (2008 Act) (Commencement No.4) Order (Northern Ireland) 2014 (S.I. 2014 No. 300 (C. 16)) provides for the coming into operation of the enabling provisions under which these Regulations are made.
An Explanatory Memorandum and a Regulatory Impact Assessment have been produced and are available from the Road Safety and Vehicle Regulation Division, Department of the Environment, Clarence Court, 10-18 Adelaide Street, Town Parks, Belfast BT2 8GB or may be accessed via the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk