29 complaints made against Galway taxi drivers in 2017

Galway City Tribune – The vast majority of official complaints made about Galway taxis and hackneys last year related to overcharging, routes taken, rude drivers and queue skipping.

Passenger disputes with drivers that resulted in complaints lodged with National Transport Authority (NTA) included gripes about fares and not issuing receipts, or refusal to accept the hire because the journey was too short.

Figures supplied to the Galway City Tribune following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request reveal there were some 29 official complaints against SPSV (small public service vehicles) lodged in 2017.

Four of these complaints are still under investigation, and 25 complaints were completed. The NTA issued fines in four of the cases, relating to the non-issuing of receipts; and it either cautioned or issued advice to taxi or hackney drivers in four more cases.

The remaining 16 complaints did not proceed, either due to a lack of evidence or insufficient evidence of an offence having taken place or attempts to contact the complainant were unsuccessful.

The majority of complaints against taxis and hackneys in Galway related to the summer months of July and August, accounting for almost half of all complaints received by the NTA.
To read the rest of this article and details of the complaints, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week’s paper here, or download the app for Android or iPhone.