Undercover sting operations target rogue taxi drivers at airport

INSPECTORS from the Taxi Regulator’s office have mounted several sting operations at Cork Airport as part of a crackdown on rogue taxi drivers.

The undercover compliance officers hired taxis outside the terminal building and asked drivers to take them to various city destinations.

In at least one case, inspectors were verbally abused by a driver who was angry because the fare was less than two miles. It is understood some on-the-spot fines were issued and that prosecutions may follow.

A spokesperson for the Taxi Regulator declined to comment on the undercover operations but said that covert and overt inspection activity takes place regularly around the country.

But he stressed that the compliance team is assisted by the gardaí, Revenue, Legal Metrology and the Department of Social Protection.

There was a national outcry some months ago after Prime Time exposed serious breaches in the taxi industry — most of which were centred on Dublin.

But Cork taxi drivers said the problems are as bad on Leeside, where their concerns are obvious outside Cork Airport, along Parnell Place near the bus station, and on the Grand Parade. The complaints include:

nup to six drivers operating the same PSV at different times using the same insurance cert;

njob-picking, whereby taxi drivers turn down shorter journeys in favour of longer and more lucrative fares;

nand taking the longest possible route to a destination.

Chlem Mahon, the chairman of Cork Taxi Co-Op, the city’s largest and oldest taxi firm, welcomed the crackdown.

“Anything that leads to a better image of the industry, and public confidence in the industry, should be welcomed,” he said.

But he said the regulator and the transport minister must tackle two key issues to help clean up the industry.

They must crack down on multiple plate owners who can lease them to drivers.

And Mr Mahon said a system must be devised to link the issuing of PSV licences to the PPS system, and PSV licences should be issued annually.

The most recent figures from the Taxi Regulator’s office shows that by June, it had received a total of 165 complaints.

The majority (36%) related to overcharging or matters relating to fares, 28% related to the conduct and behaviour of a PSV operator or taxi driver, 28% relating to the hiring of a PSV vehicle, and 8% related to the condition of the vehicle.