Prosecutions to follow four-hour ‘blitz’ on taxi drivers

Date Published: {J}

A four hour ‘blitz check’ on city taxis over the weekend will lead to a number of prosecutions, the Sentinel has learned.

Gardaí, the Taxi Regulator and the Customs Service carried out the checks on taxis in the city last Friday night.

The most serious of the offences will centre on a small number of taxi drivers detected using the far cheaper marked diesel oil in their tanks.

This ‘green diesel’ – permitted by law for use only in agricultural machines such as tractors – normally sells at less than half the price of what motorists can expect to pay at the pumps.

However, a Garda spokesman stressed that the vast majority of the taxi drivers checked had everything perfectly in order.

“A small minority of taxi drivers were found to be in breach of different regulations during last Friday night’s check. A number of prosecutions will follow,” said a Garda spokesman.

He pointed out that the fines for the use of marked diesel oil in vehicles other than agricultural machinery were very severe.

Taxi drivers were also checked last Friday by personnel from the Taxi Regulator on a series of PSV (public service vehicle) requirements.

Other things to come under scrutiny were the calibration of meters in the vehicles, the ready availability of ID and the issuing of receipts.

Gardai and Customs were also involved in a number of mobile checkpoints around the city last Friday between 8pm and midnight.