Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981

Regulations for purposes of Articles 59 to 65F1 . . . N.I.

F2 66.—(1) The Department may make regulations for all or any of the following purposes, which regulations may apply to public service vehicles generally or to public service vehicles of a particular class,—

(a) prescribing F3 . . . the fees to be paid on application for, and on the issue of, licences under Articles 61F1 . . . ;

(b) regulating the manner in which the distinguishing mark or plate, referred to in Article 60(3), is to be shown on any such vehicle;

(c) regulating the number of persons who may be carried in any such vehicle, the space to be allotted to each such person, and the manner in which such number and space are to be indicated upon the vehicle;

(d) regulating the manner in which such vehicles are to be furnished or fitted;

(e) ensuring that such vehicles are fit for public hire;

(f) ensuring the safety of persons carried in such vehicles;

(g) providing for the inspection of such vehicles for the purpose of ensuring that they are fit for public hire and that persons may safely be carried in them;

(h) providing for the cessation of the use of any such vehicle which at any time fails to comply with the regulations;

(i) prescribing the classes of vehicles upon which a conductor must be carried in addition to the driver;

(j) requiring the wearing of badges by licensed drivers and conductors;

(k) regulating the conduct of passengers and of persons employed in connection with such vehicles;

(l) securing the due publication of the rates and fares to be paid by passengers in such vehicles or for the hire of such vehicles;

(m) securing the safe custody and delivery to its owner of any property accidentally left in such vehicles and fixing the charges to be paid in respect of safe-keeping and delivery and empowering prescribed persons to cause such property to be sold, or given to the finder, in the event of its not being claimed within a prescribed time;

(n) providing for the performance by constables of such duties as may be assigned to them under Article 64;

(o) prescribing anything which is required to be prescribed by Articles 59 to 65 and generally for giving effect to those Articles;

(p) requiring documents of any prescribed description relevant to the administration or enforcement of any directly applicable Community provision regulating the provision of international passenger-carrying road transport services to be kept and produced on demand for the inspection of a prescribed person;

(q) prescribing persons to act as authorised inspection officers for purposes of any such Community provision;

(r) without prejudice to any of the above sub-paragraphs, prescribing anything which is authorised to be prescribed under this paragraph by virtue of Article 10(1) of the Transport (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 [1977 NI 10] .

(2) The Department may by regulations exempt from all or any of the provisions of Articles 59 to 65F1 . . . or of any regulations made under paragraph (1) public service vehicles or any class or description of public service vehicles registered elsewhere than in Northern Ireland or brought temporarily into Northern Ireland or the drivers of such vehicles or modify or adapt such provisions in relation to such vehicles or drivers.

(3) Where any such directly applicable Community provision as is referred to in paragraph (1)( p) requires the keeping or production of any document, any person who contravenes that requirement shall be guilty of an offence under this Order.

F1 1991 NI 3

F2 mod. by SR 1981/199

F3 Words in art. 66(1)(a) repealed (15.11.2007) by Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/916 (N.I. 10)), arts. 1(3)(4), 79(3)(b), 86(2), Sch. 8 Pt. I; S.R. 2007/454, art. 2, Sch.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Arts. 59-66 excluded (23.11.2009 for specified purposes, 31.5.2016 in so far as not already in operation) by Taxis Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (c. 4), ss. 54(1), 59; S.R. 2009/352, art. 2, Sch.; S.R. 2015/389, art. 2(3), Sch. Pt. 3