No taxi or hackney will have to leave the fleet because of age in 2022, all other licensing conditions being met, following the approval of the signing of this COVID-19 Emergency Measure by the NTA Board today. Provisions are already in place for 2021.
These emergency regulations permit a one year extension to the final operation date of vehicles due to reach their final date of operation/maximum permissible age in 2022, for the first time or having been catered for by previous COVID-19 Emergency Measures. The day and month of the final operation date of a taxi or hackney will remain but the year of vehicle replacement will move to 2023.
So far, 44% of licence holders from the 2020 cohort of extended life SPSVs have purchased replacement vehicles although eligible to have extended their final operation dates. Information on grant funding which may assist with these replacement costs can be found on the Forms and Guides section of NTA’s website.
For those vehicles due to reach a final operation date in 2023 and beyond, the normal maximum permissible age limits of 10 or 15 years (Regulation 31 of the Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service Vehicle) Regulations 2015) will apply.
Small Public Service Vehicle (Emergency Measure COVID-19) (Maximum Permissible Age) Regulations 2021