A NEW APP has been launched that enables taxi customers to verify who their driver is.

Public and Commuter Transport Minister, Alan Kelly, launched the new Taxi Driver Check Smartphone app, which was devised by the National Transport Authority.

Free app

The free smartphone app means that passenger can check the licence details of both the vehicle and the driver, and to see an ID photo of the authorised driver.

They can then forward these details (minus the photo) to a friend, which Kelly said will “reassure taxi customers that they are travelling safely, and that there is a record of their trip”. All details can be checked by a customer before they get in the vehicle.

Minister Kelly said:

We are using technology to give consumers more confidence in the taxi sector and make the public feel safer when travelling in a taxi. For drivers it will promote greater professionalism and accountability and the data is already public record but being made accessible to the public in an easy way.

He said that he promised a safety and security measure so the public would feel safer when travelling in taxis as part of the Department’s recent Taxi Regulation Review, and this app will address those concerns.

Using the app

To use the app, once it is downloaded to their phone the consumer just has to launch it, and then input one of the following:

1. Ordinary vehicle registration number
2. Vehicle licence number – displayed on roof-sign and on door signs
3. Driver licence number (displayed on the ID card on the dashboard of the vehicle); or
4. Scan the QR code on the vehicle which is located on a disc on both the front and rear windscreens.

On first use, consumers will be asked to register their own contact details, to enable sending a quick message to a friend from a cab, and to assist in following up any subsequent reports they may submit.

Approximately 70 per cent of taxi vehicles are registered with the database and members of the public are being asked to help make this 100 per cent.

“The fact is that people will begin walking away from taxis which return a “No details available” screen on the app so I would call on drivers to ensure they are on the database,” said the Minister.

The NTA is imposing a fixed charge fine of €40 on drivers who have not registered. Consumers can press the “report” button option on any “no details available” screen they get on the app.

The app is free to download from Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play Store.

The app joins Hailo and TaxiFair, two other taxi-related apps. Hailo enables customers to book taxis, while TaxiFair shows customers how much they should be charged for a trip and the route the taxi should have taken.

Read: App for taxi customers monitors route and average fare>