Car's 'urine' smell and a refusal to carry a guide dog among 1,383 complaints against taxis last year

A taxi driver was fined last year by the National Transport Authority (NTA) after a passenger complained that the taxi smelled of ‘urine’.

The taxi driver was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) by the NTA over the failure to comply with vehicle standards.

New figures released by the NTA show last year the number of FPNs issued against drivers totalled 1,600 resulting in cumulative financial penalties of €76,930 on drivers.

The notices range in penalties from €40 to €250.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, the NTA confirmed that the number of complaints made by customers concerning taxis increased by 5.5% to 1,383 last year.

Of the 1,383 complaints last year by customers, overcharging complaints totalled 529 while complaints over driver conduct totalled 496. The number of complaints concerning the condition of taxis came to 78.

In one driver behaviour case, a customer complained in December that a taxi driver told the passenger not to talk to him as “he had a long night” and “to leave him alone”. In response to the complaint, the NTA issued the driver with a caution.

Last August, the NTA fined a taxi driver after upholding a complaint by a passenger after the taxi driver refused to allow a passenger bring a guide dog into his vehicle.

In November, a passenger complained that a taxi driver refused to take the fare because he didn’t want to take his cello in the taxi. The passenger said that he had a flight to catch and that his cello fits in all cars and hasn’t been damaged in 25 years.

In September, a passenger flagged down a taxi in a town centre and stated that the smell in the taxi was rotten “and he had to travel with the windows open”. The passenger told the driver of the smell in the car and the driver “did not welcome any advice about the smell”.

The driver was issued with a caution by the NTA.

Last July, a passenger complained “the car was dirty and in bad condition. The seats were stained. The floor of the car was badly dented”.

The NTA issued the driver with advice and in August, a passenger described the smell inside another car as "disgusting" and that they should have got out of the taxi.

Concerning another complaint in November, a passenger explained that a taxi “smelled of stale cigarettes and alcohol”. The NTA inspected the car and advice was given to the driver.

In August, a passenger complained that “the interior of the vehicle was filthy, heavy staining on all seating with hairs and loose fibres all over the interior”.

In November, a passenger complained that a vehicle smelled of cigarette smoke, the seats were dirty and carpet ripped in places.