NTA closes €15,000 wheelchair taxi grant on SAME DAY it opened due to massive demand from Irish cabbies
The National Transport Authority’s (NTA) Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) Grant Scheme, offering up to €15,000 to support taxi drivers in purchasing wheelchair-accessible vehicles, closed on the same day of opening due to overwhelming demand.
The January application round, which opened on Monday, saw approximately 2,000 submissions before being swiftly shut. Applicants will soon learn whether their bids were successful and can proceed to the next steps of the grant process.
Revised in December to address feedback from the taxi industry, the 2025 scheme includes increased time for completing applications and two submission windows, in January and July.
In a statement, the NTA highlighted the strong response to this year’s scheme as a reflection of continued interest in the small public service vehicle (SPSV) sector. It also confirmed that over €6 million in grant funding was earmarked for 2024, a record figure.
Taxi and hackney drivers keen to apply in July are urged to review the updated terms and conditions in advance to maximise their chances of securing funding.
An NTA spokesperson said via a statement: “Once again, NTA has seen incredible demand for the Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Grant Scheme, with Round 1 of WAV25 closing early on opening day. This demand for financial support to upgrade and licence small public service vehicles such as taxis and hackneys, continues to show a strong interest in the SPSV sector from prospective and existing licence holders. NTA is pleased to confirm that the level grant funding for WAV25 is planned to exceed all previous years, with a high of over €6m issued in 2024.
“As set out in our December update, NTA revised the Grant Scheme for WAV25 in response to industry feedback and to enhance the grant process for all. This included increasing the time applicants have to complete the grant process and providing two opportunities for applying: January and July. January applicants will be contacted soon to find out if they were successful and can proceed to the next stages of the process. Prospective applicants looking to apply in July should familiarise themselves with the updated Terms and Conditions and Information Guide in preparation.”
