Taxi complaints: Claims of driver aggression, overpayments and inappropriate behaviour
As Ireland’s taxi regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA) process and manage complaints from members of the public who have bad experiences with a licensed taxi, limousine or hackney service.
The Waterford News & Star has obtained records of these complaints made by customers Waterford, and the outcomes of their complaints.
In all, there were only eight Waterford based complaints received by the NTA from January to September of this year.
One unhappy Waterford customer claimed that the price of their fare was at €15 before the journey had even commenced.
"It was obvious that he had started the meter when he accepted the job on the app", the customer said about the driver.
The customer said they told the driver it was the policy of the company to not start the meter until the passengers entered the vehicle.
The customer's official complaint states: “The driver got very aggressive with me and argued that this is his livelihood, and he had to make a living. I told him we all must make a living, but that he is overcharging and stealing from people.”
The customer said there was another passenger in the car during the trip, and that this passenger removed themselves from the vehicle before reaching their destination because "she didn’t feel safe with his (driver's) aggression".
The complaint stated that the driver then got out of the car and continued to be very hostile towards the customers.
The complainant said that their partner and friend had to stop the driver from approaching them.
They said it appeared as if the driver was trying to start a fight with them after they told him he was going to be reported.
“We called the taxi office while this was happening so that the dispatcher could hear what was going on. I made a complaint to the taxi office, but I feel this hasn’t been addressed” the customer said.
The NTA said that this complaint is currently under investigation.
A complainant who was driving their vehicle through Waterford, told the NTA that following some confusion at a traffic light, a taxi driver opened their car window and began cursing at them.
"Can the driver be re-educated on the traffic law and rules please?", the complainant said.
The NTA noted that the complainant was unwilling to pursue this complaint further.
Another complainant alleges that after entering a taxi, the driver said: "By the way, I don’t take cards."
This contravenes a law introduced in 2022 which states that all taxis in Ireland must be equipped with a terminal to accept cashless payments.
The NTA say that this complaint in under investigation.
Another complaint sent to the NTA by a Waterford customer outlines that upon entering a taxi, the price on the meter was already clocked at €11.
The customer said they paid a total of €46.20 for the trip, and also received an invoice worth €31.80.
"Absolutely robbed", the customer said in their complaint.
The NTA issued a fixed payment notice to the taxi operator following this complaint.
In another complaint made to the NTA, a customer claimed that a driver told them that the payment they made via PayPal did not process, and so instead the driver took a new payment via a SumUp portable card reader machine.
The complainant said however that they later noticed they had been charged via both PayPal and via the card reader machine.
"Uber refused to reimburse me and only offered a €10 discount on my next purchase", the complaint stated.
This complaint is currently under investigation, the NTA said.
A 20-year-old female passenger claimed that she was in a car with a taxi driver for between 10 and 20 minutes during a ride home.
She noted that a taxi driver identification card was not visible inside the car, which she found strange.
She said that the driver began asking her personal questions and said: “You have such a sweet voice. I won’t only remember it for now, but I will remember it for a long time.”
The customer also claimed that the driver said: ‘I will give you my number. Anytime you need a lift you call me and I will be there.”
The customer said she didn’t like the atmosphere inside the taxi.
She claims that she spoke to others about the driver and was informed that he had also been speaking inappropriately to other female passengers.
"I just wanted to make this complaint to make you aware of this inappropriate behaviour towards a young woman" the complainant said to the NTA.
The complaint is currently under investigation.
