The refusal by the National Transport Authority (NTA ) to grant a Local Area Hackney Licence in the municipal district of Athenry-Oranmore has been criticised by a Galway County Councillor.
Fianna Fáil councillor Shelly Herterich Quinn said she was outraged by the NTA’s decision because there were no licence holders currently in the area.
Speaking at Tuesday afternoon’s Athenry municipal district meeting at County Hall, Cllr Quinn said; “We submitted a local licence [application] because there are no hackney licence holders in our area to bring people into the transport hub of Athenry. The application was refused on the grounds that there are bus and train stations in Athenry. But we do not have a method to bring people to the bus and train stations.
“I was outraged. We want NTA to explain themselves. The impact is people are not coming out of homes to socialise because they can’t get home. I am investigating this at the moment and we will be appealing it. These bureaucrats are a law unto themselves and they need to be exposed.”
