Fall in prosecutions against taxi drivers

PROSECUTIONS AGAINST taxi drivers have fallen by one-third this year while complaints by passengers are down by almost one-fifth according to figures from the Commission for Taxi Regulation.

Two-thirds of the prosecutions taken by the regulator were for driving without a taxi licence or vehicle licence. More than half of passenger complaints were for overcharging.

The commission had received 450 complaints from the public against drivers up to November 31st this year compared to 551 in the same period last year and 701 to the end of November 2007.

Taxi regulator Kathleen Doyle said she was “very pleased” with the fall in complaints.

“The continuing reduction in complaints is certainly encouraging particularly as the consumer becomes increasingly aware of our existence and the complaints mechanism.”

Complaints fall into four categories: condition and cleanliness, conduct and behaviour, overcharging, and matters related to hiring.

There was a slight increase in the number of overcharging complaints this year, 242 up from 239. However, in percentage terms this category increased from 43 per cent to 54 per cent.

Complaints about driver behaviour accounted for more than a quarter of complaints and were down from 156 last year to 123.

Matters related to hiring, which largely relates to a refusal to take a fare, accounted for 60 complaints (13 per cent) down from 89 last year.

The biggest drop in complaints related to the condition and cleanliness of cars. This category accounted for 67 complaints or 12 per cent last year and just 25 complaints or six per cent this year.

“This shows that the new standards we have introduced for vehicles are working. It’s really good news for consumers,” Ms Doyle said.

Just 69 prosecutions relating to 71 offences (a small number of drivers having been prosecuted for more than one offence) were brought by the regulator against drivers. Few of these prosecutions arose as a result of complaints from passengers and most related to breaches of the taxi licensing laws.

Operating without a taxi driver’s licence accounted for 25 offences and not having a vehicle licence accounted for 22 of offences prosecuted.

Prosecutions were taken against six drivers for not having an adequate knowledge of the local area in which they were licensed to operate and five drivers failed to display identification.

In the majority of these cases drivers had let their licences lapse, only a few drivers had never previously had either driving or vehicle licences.

Just two drivers were prosecuted for not operating a meter, and the same number were prosecuted for failing to provide receipts, overcharging, and plying for hire in a hackney.

One driver was prosecuted for uncivil behaviour, one for providing false information to the regulator, another for operating without a roof sign, one for not having tamper-proof identification discs and one for failing to comply with a customer requirement.

In most case these legal proceedings resulted in fines for drivers of up to €2,000. A large number of these prosecutions were taken because a driver had not paid the fixed fine of €250 when they were stopped for an offence.

More than €87,000 was collected in fixed fines this year.