New taxi App

aloyisious

RTE News
New app allows passengers to check taxi details
Updated: 12:40, Thursday, 28 February 2013



A new app that will allow taxi passengers to check the details of the driver has been launched by the Government.

All taxi drivers will be required to register on the taxi driver check or face a €40 fine.

The free app provides photo identification of the driver registered to the car. Passengers can also check if all details, such as vehicle make and licence number, are correct.

The app also provides an option for passengers to make complaints, such as overcharging, straight to the National Transport Authority or to email the taxi details to a friend.

Minister of State for Transport Alan Kelly said it was a great day for consumers, who will now be able to check if the driver is who they say there. He said the responsibility will be on taxi drivers to keep all details up-to-date. Mr Kelly has also urged consumers to report unregistered taxis.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the Taxi Advisory Committee, which represents taxi drivers and other interest groups, is meeting today as concern is being expressed about a proposed new penalty points system. The special penalty points are part of new taxi laws, which introduce disqualifications for taxi drivers with criminal convictions.
However, taxi drivers are concerned about the new system, which could mean a taxi driver losing his licence for three months for an accumulation of offences, such as overcharging or waiting outside ranks.

Taxi organisations recently postponed a protest pending a meeting with Minister Kelly.

Seachmall

The App should allow you to scan the reg before getting into the taxi.

Good idea regardless, make it safer for people going home alone and help to curb the use of unlicensed taxis.

However, taxi drivers are concerned about the new system, which could mean a taxi driver losing his licence for three months for an accumulation of offences, such as overcharging or waiting outside ranks.

Surely this is beneficial to both the drivers and the passengers?

Where To

It's a load of balls, I reported myself five times and I'm still working.

It won't work unless you drum into people's head to take note of the details of the driver and the vehicle when hiring them, and ALWAYS ask for a receipt.

Edit forgot to add the app is nearly impossible to find, it's not on the nta website, if you go to download the journey planner app from transport for Ireland it's there under related apps.

SunnyDub1

seems like a good idea imo.

Slightly off topic but why has every taxi in Dublin got a green/blue sticker on the side of them?

anncoates

aloyisious wrote: »

or face a €40 fine.

lol

Where To

Seachmall wrote: »

The App should allow you to scan the reg before getting into the taxi.

Good idea regardless, make it safer for people going home alone and help to curb the use of unlicensed taxis.

Surely this is beneficial to both the drivers and the passengers?

You can, just go along the rank and type in all the reg numbees and you should get the name, photograph and licence details of every driver.

If the information doesn't match up, press the report button.

Great idea in theory,in practice I'm not so sure.

Slunk

Good idea. Here's the app for those looking for it

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.osds.cabs2

A bit off topic but again, Rte shoddy reporting doesn't actually name, link or explain how to get something

ITS_A_BADGER

I wouldn't imagine too many taxi drivers would best pleased with people photographing their details and scanning them with the app, they should have no problem if they are legit tho

smash

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

seems like a good idea imo.

Slightly off topic but why has every taxi in Dublin got a green/blue sticker on the side of them?

Wasn't this surrounded in controversy because it's to identify "Irish" drivers.

Seachmall

ITS_A_BADGER wrote: »

I wouldn't imagine too many taxi drivers would best pleased with people photographing their details and scanning them with the app, they should have no problem if they are legit tho

Taxi drivers have to display their picture and details on their license in the taxi anyway. This just allows you to verify those details before getting into the taxi.

Or at least that's what I think the purpose is.

Where To

Slunk wrote: »

Good idea. Here's the app for those looking for it

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.osds.cabs2

A bit off topic but again, Rte shoddy reporting doesn't actually name, link or explain how to get something

Can't really blame RTE this time, they probably couldn't find it, took me over an hour to find it last night*.

*no taxidriver's sense of direction jokes please.

Where To

Seachmall wrote: »

Taxi drivers have to display their picture and details on their license in the taxi anyway. This just allows you to verify those details before getting into the taxi.

Or at least that's what I think the purpose is.

Yeah that's what it's purpose should be, and also to identify who to compliment or complain about, lost property etc.

The reality is a large minority of people don't know if it was a taxi that took them home, never mind any details about car or driver.

Banjo String

Would come in handy for stalkers.

I'm still waiting in the day an Esmeralda from pulp fiction drives my cab.

She was hot!

Where To

SamHall wrote: »

Would come in handy for stalkers.

I'm still waiting in the day an Esmeralda from pulp fiction drives my cab.

She was hot!

How many hot taxidrivers do you know?

Apart from me?

Banjo String

Where To wrote: »

How many hot taxidrivers do you know?

Apart from me?

Just you where-to!

And you are SMOKIN HOT:pac:

tylercheribini

40 euro fine?yeah i think all criminal drivers will divulge their sordid past in order to avoid that hefty penalty

CreepingDeath

Interesting... I now have the name of the ***hole who cut me up on the quays.

Also found a PDF with what seems to be the entire list via Google here http://www.irelandbytaxi.com/dbs/VehicleLicence.pdf

Where To

tylercheribini wrote: »

40 euro fine?yeah i think all criminal drivers will divulge their sordid past in order to avoid that hefty penalty

The idea is that if they are not on the system they get reported.

fishy fishy

another money racket.

Also, they say now that they cannot check for criminal records on a lot of taxi drivers as they are not from ireland - so how in the hell are they going to disqualify people if they don't know their records.

another idiotic plan

Where To

fishy fishy wrote: »

another money racket.

Also, they say now that they cannot check for criminal records on a lot of taxi drivers as they are not from ireland - so how in the hell are they going to disqualify people if they don't know their records.

another idiotic plan

Have to agree, though I've been using it all day to see if my competitors are legit or not, so it's useful for a pastime if nothing else.

CreepingDeath

fishy fishy wrote: »

Also, they say now that they cannot check for criminal records on a lot of taxi drivers as they are not from ireland

Why begs the question why weren't they checked before being admitted into the country, at least for the non-EU ones.

Dravokivich

Haha, just read some of the reviews:

"Tried to test this program and tells me I am not connected to the Internet. Same connection I am writing this review with."

Grayson

fishy fishy wrote: »

another money racket.

Also, they say now that they cannot check for criminal records on a lot of taxi drivers as they are not from ireland - so how in the hell are they going to disqualify people if they don't know their records.

another idiotic plan

There are probably more than enough irish criminals to check for.

Where To

Grayson wrote: »

There are probably more than enough irish criminals to check for.

I'm currently in the process of getting my licence renewed, it takes twelve weeks minimum to renew the licence due to the background check. Madness.

AnonoBoy

Yay! I'm reporting every driver from now on.

For. The. Craic.

Celly Smunt

Surely an sms or email system would be better.You get in the taxi,you get sent a text or email with the details.

Spook_ie

pmcmahon wrote: »

Surely an sms or email system would be better.You get in the taxi,you get sent a text or email with the details.

But you already know which taxi you're in, unless you're too pissed to notice. The email is to go to a friend.

Though I suppose you could email yourself so that if you lost anything you knew which taxi it was you were in when you thought you lost it. Though if it's your laptop or whatever you check your emails on, then you might have a problem.....maybe

Spook_ie

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Yay! I'm reporting every driver from now on.

For. The. Craic.

I'd suggest limiting it to the ones where the app details don't match the car/driver, you'll find plenty of them last estimate around 50-60%

AnonoBoy

Spook_ie wrote: »

I'd suggest limiting it to the ones where the app details don't match the car/driver, you'll find plenty of them last estimate around 50-60%

Last estimate by the regulator?

fishy fishy

Grayson wrote: »

There are probably more than enough irish criminals to check for.

:rolleyes: if they are going to bring in an idiotic "law for some" like that, the only fair thing to do is NOT to let people become taxi drivers UNLESS they CAN check their background. Fair is fair.

Kolido

It's a good idea but Im not sure how practical it will be.

Will there be an app for taxi drivers to check who they are picking up!

AnonoBoy

Kolido wrote: »

Will there be an app for taxi drivers to check who they are picking up!

Imagine that!

"Hi can you take me to Phibsboro please?"
"Nah mate. I've read your boards posts, you seem like a tw@t. Get the car behind."

kingtut

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Imagine that!

"Hi can you take me to Phibsboro please?"
"Nah mate. I've read your boards posts, you seem like a tw@t. Get the car behind."

I almost spat out my coffee

MOH

Dravokivich wrote: »

Haha, just read some of the reviews:

I find this app very useful. I was in a shopping centre earlier and forgot what kind of car I was driving so I entered my taxi plate number and lo and behold my reg number and make and model of car was in front of me, It even showed me a picture of myself in case I forgot what I looked like.

Just checked the app out, it's dire. I really hope they got a student on work experience to design this thing in house, because if they paid any serious money for it it's a waste.

First thing it does is bring you to a settings screen, kept flagging my name as not having been entered even though it was. Eventually realised this wasn't the real problem - while you'd expect saving your details to return you to the main screen, you have to do that manually.

Search for a random taxi, details come up. Click the History button - 'no saved search data'.

Leaving aside the fact that there's nothing stopping me picking random taxis and reporting them. At the very least it should record your location when you make a report, that way there's some chance of verifying you were actually in the vicinity of the taxi. Plus then if you choose to mail the details to a friend and your location data is included, if you do end up missing or murdered or whatever, there's a helpful starting point for finding out what happened.

AnonoBoy

MOH wrote: »

Plus then if you choose to mail the details to a friend and your location data is included, if you do end up missing or murdered or whatever, there's a helpful starting point for finding out what happened.

They could call that the 'Avenge My Death' feature.

Pretty hand alright.

cournioni

Last time I used a taxi app I got into a taxi with a driver that said the following after another taxi cut in front of him:
"Fcuking black bastard"
After a long awkward silence in the taxi he said the following (I kid you not):
"Sorry, I'm not racist, I just hate them all".