They should have been required to take the shortest route already; I’ve caught two of them taking long ways before.

My guess is they’ll abuse this law by taking the shortest yet most time to take route.
I always dictate the direction to the taxi driver because I know the roads, but tourists don’t know the roads.

Anyone else notice how kind taxi drivers are with your money ticking over on the meter?

waving pedestrians across
Flashing at cars to let them out of junctions
obeying 30 mph speed limits

Without any passenger they’d knock a pedestrian down at 60mph in a 30 mph zone

Define the ‘shortest route possible’ – distance or time taken?

Also how will they monitor using CCTV? Is this like mystery shoppers or will taxis need to have cctv on board?

In fairness, I haven’t had a ‘long way round’ fare in a long time. I don’t really see this as a current problem with the taxi industry. The real problems are sub standard cars and bad driving.

We had it bad enough in Dublin some years ago I am sure everyone remember the days when taxi drivers could do what they wanted and pick the most profitable routes and leave the rest behind, But I do agree we are much better now

I was on a night out in Blackrock and we got a taxi to go home to Howth , didn’t he start driving to Wicklow . Unluckily for him I used to live in Blackrock , got the whole fair for free when we threatened calling the cops.

This could mean shortest route time wise and not in terms of distance, which would be a good thing.

I seriously thought that part of the service was to throw in a quick tour of the city…strange that.

Howyra joe, I’ve been a taxi driver for 850 years now and I tell ya these new regulations are going to put taxi drivers out of business

Ahhh taxi drivers, here’s some of the good ole saying I hear regular:

- Dat government is a bleedin’ joke
- Ders far too many taxis out there
- Dis is me first run all day
- Have you nuttin’ smaller bud
- Dem foreigners have the county ruined

I always enjoy meeting them in Dublin, they nearly always slot into the stereotype and you meet some great characters! :)

Completely pointless if they cannot even enforce existing laws!! Imagine getting a taxi from the airport where not only could I not open the door from the inside, the taxi driver also had great difficulty in so far as that he could only open the door of his vehicle from the outside. Then when you make a complaint to the regulator about the general safety of the vehicle and the general behaviour of the taxi driver, they cannot even compel the driver to come in so that htey can inspect the vehicle!

Great the more honest taxi people( I’m not saying all drivers are dishonest) we have everyone wins

The shortest route is not necessarily the quickest ! If I had to go to my sisters house from mine the shortest way is through the city centre . At certain times of the day this is certainly not the quickest !
I feel like The Irish Government is turning into a production if the Wizard of Oz .. No heart , no courage and certainly No Brain !!!!!

But what if I don’t want to take the shortest route? What of I’m happy to pay extra to take the M50 as I need to get from A to B as fast as possible? Or what if the shortest route is up George’s street/Camden street at 11pm on a Saturday night, do I have sit in traffic? A half assed attempt at “better” regulation comes to mind…

The solution is to put plainclothes Gardai in cabs at the airport. Just a few times a week would do. If they get screwed by the taxi driver, he/she (I’ve been screwed by both) loses their license. No arguments. Full stop.
A few of them removed from the business will eliminate 80% of the abuses. Don’t forget to wear a camera! That tends to take the starch out of the stiffest courtroom defense.
It’s like arresting burglars–get one and you’ll clear up fifty burglaries.

On Saturday night I got a taxi home (for the second time in a week and it was a foreign national – who I think are probably more honest than the native taxi drivers) The first time the brought me one way which was is longer mainly due to traffic lights/speed bumps and the second one where there is not and you would expect to be quicker (checking google maps its quicker by two mins)
I was charged the same, and in the second cab the taxi driver offered me the choice of which route to take and said that he always asks the customer which is the best route. I have never experienced that with some of the native taxi drivers.
Plus the foreign nationals actually are better to chat to, at times!

I feel pity for the Taxis drivers that are genuinely nice and kind, don’t take the piss yet everyone tars with this horrible stick..

If you are not sure where you are going some can take advantage.

I hope it helps. I fear it won’t. The crooked minority of drivers probably know how to evade this already.

most taxi drivers take the piss.

If you think Dublin taxis are chancers, and I don’t think they generally are, you should try and get a taxi in the South of France. Closed shop, 400 cabs for 1,000,000 people, about 4 times the charge, they always take the longest route, suspected mafia involvement. We have it easy.

Booked a taxi to take from Ballyfermot to Dun Laoighre, about 19km. Driver insisted we take the the M50 which is 29km. Oh we’ll, he cost himself a good fare. Chancers out there!

the shortest route is not always the cheapest. many drivers try to catch as many red lights as possible to maximise time and fare!

Good. As a foreigner , often people think I don’t know my way about Galway, and try to bring me around loops. Ill tell them off then and then that this isn’t the way and that I’m not paying more than a certain amount. Usually if challenged they will concede and give you the rightful fare, but some are more thug like and try to bully you into paying

I was charged an extra ?10 even after the taxi man amitted going the wrong way. No harm in this law but I’d question how enforceable it is!

Should be done worldwide

Considering almost no taxis have applied the new branding to their cars, I have no faith in the enforcement of laws regarding taxis.

Curious is it cheaper to get taxi on longer route eg M50 but where he can drive faster or shorter route where speed is lower

The shortest route isn’t necessarily the fastest. For people going to meetings or late for work or an appointment, speed is the most important factor.

Shortest route possible? a bit ambiguous?
If i get a job as a taxi driver in a city I don’t know the shortest route possible for me could be very far out of the way indeed.

Why not mandatory GPS tracking? Inspectors can spot check very easily.

The shortest route (particularly in Dublin city centre) is not always the quickest (and therefore cheapest) route. An experienced driver will know this and advise his passenger of the route he is taking and why.

i aggree with the shortest route. meters calculate the fare using time and distance. i taxied in galway for awhile.if knew the traffic was bad kn the direcg route i wkuld ask to use a parallal route which might be a mile longer. the way the meter works it would have clocked up around 0.15 cent for every 2) seconds. so the extra fare you wo get for an extra mile is minor. of course there are drivers who take the piss .all you do is report the plate number thats why the sign is on the roof with the plate number on the passanger side.

This law will be very interesting to see if it will be enforced ? me I dont think so look at the penalty points system. To add insult to injury for the drivers that abide by the law and take their punishment the Garda are investigating themselves this investigation should be taken out of their hands and some one who is neutral be given the job for this reason I think its laughable.

Shortest route has been in place a few years now. Most these regulations have been. Ppl that get overcharged deserve it in my opinion. Don’t pay and ring the guards if this happens and stop cribbing to strangers on the Internet

sorry i ment 15 cent every 20 secs.