Taxi regulator logs 1 complaint a day

Official complaints about taxis have been lodged at a rate of one a day, according to figures from the sector’s watchdog.

The Commission for Taxi Regulation received 181 complaints in the first half of 2012 — half of which related to the “conduct and behaviour of a SPSV [small public-service vehicles] operator or driver”.

However, the regulator does not keep a record as to how many complaints are made by taxi drivers about others working in the sector, or the number of investigations in which a breach of regulations is confirmed.

Privately, many taxi drivers do not believe the regulator is cracking down hard enough on certain elements within their industry — such as substandard cars a or the perceived shortage of inspectors.

The National Transport Authority, which oversees the work of the regulator, confirmed that there are eight compliance officers monitoring adherence to regulations.

And, contrary to the view expressed by some drivers, a considerable portion of vehicle checks are carried out during evening, night-time, and weekend hours to reflect operations within the 24-hour industry.

A total of 1,474 vehicle checks were undertaken on-street during the month of July alone, bringing the total for the year to date to 8,533.

To the end of June there had been 181 official complaints made to the Taxi Regulator.

This included:

* 12 complaints regarding the condition and cleanliness of the vehicle;

* 79 complaints regarding the conduct and behaviour of an SPSV operator or driver;

* 51 complaints related to overcharging or to other matters relating to fares;

* 39 complaints linked to issues over the hiring of an SPSV.

The regulator also that said work was “ongoing” on the implementation of various recommendations in the Taxi Review Report, a document on the future of the taxi sector published last January.

Among the proposals is that taxi drivers would need to make declarations of other employment, aimed at preventing situations where they work as bus drivers before then taking to the road in a taxi, or vice-versa.