‘Smelly Cars And Bad Hygiene’ Just Some Of The Complaints Against Irish Taxi Drivers

The number of complaints made by members of the public over taxis and the behaviour of taxi drivers last year increased by 15% (148 complaints).

Information released by National Roads Authority in response to a FOI request revealed that there were a total of 1,146 complaints made last year.

Among the list of complaints were issues regarding road worthiness, condition and cleanliness of taxis, according to the Irish Mirror.

There was a total of 445 issues relating to the behaviour, conduct, and identification of drivers, making it the biggest problem area.

Alleged overcharging and other fare related issues made up 380 complaints, while 248 complaints were made over the hiring and booking of taxis. 

One passenger reported a “strong stench on entering the car – had to open and keep the window open for the journey”

One incident reported to the National Transport Authority last year involved a passenger being asked by a driver to manually indicate out the window, as the driver had no working indicators on the car.

Another complaint reported that a taxi driver "did not look right when coming to roundabouts", making the passenger feel that the driver wasn't familiar with the rules of the road. The same driver also drove with the main beams of his car on while driving towards other cars.

In another case, a taxi driver took a detour and charged a passenger €43 for a trip from Dublin airport that would usually cost €25.

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