There was a drastic reduction in the number of fines handed out to taxi drivers last year while there were also fewer complaints against them, according to new figures.
Latest statistics from the National Transport Authority (NTA) revealed there were 928 grievances sent in by members of the public relating to public service vehicle drivers in 2015 - down slightly from 952 the previous year.
The majority of complaints related to the “conduct, behaviour and identification” of drivers, and there were almost 300 complaints to do with overcharging and disagreements over fares.
Despite a large increase in the number of checks and audits conducted by licensed officers - more than 40,000 in 2015 compared to 28,000 the year before - only half as many fixed penalties were handed out to operators.
Taxi drivers who fail roadside compliance and licensing checks are liable for fines of between €40 and €250, and there were just 692 fixed penalty notices handed out in 2015 compared with 1,369 in 2014.
Downward trend
Elsewhere, the statistics demonstrate a continued downward trend in the overall numbers of taxi driver and vehicle licences in Ireland since the post-deregulation highs seen in the late 2000s.
There were 27,440 active taxi driver licences held nationwide in 2015, down from a record of 47,222 in 2009, and the number of active vehicle licences fell by 400 to 21,146 last year.
Some 450 new vehicle licences were issued in 2015, 269 of which were for limousines.
The proportion of wheelchair-accessible vehicles in the fleet remains low, according to the NTA, with just 1 in 20 public service vehicles wheelchair ready.
A separate survey conducted by the NTA found the average taxi fare is €2 more expensive in Dublin than in Cork and €4 more than in Athlone.
The Taximeter Survey 2015 tracked 85 drivers across the three areas over the course of three months, and data from their meters revealed that the average fare in Dublin was €14.97 compared to €12.96 in Cork and €10.72 in Athlone.
It found taxi drivers in the sample group worked an average of 25 hours per week spread over 5.3 to 5.4 days, and metered revenue per week ranged from €98 to €1,189 for different drivers.
Taxi drivers in Cork took in the highest average weekly revenue of €650, more than the average of €635 in Dublin and €382 in Athlone.