THE NATIONAL TRANSPORT Authority (NTA) has today launched a campaign to encourage people to respect their taxi drivers.

The NTA says it wants to create a more positive working environment for drivers.

It comes after a high-profile case last month after an incident captured on a dashcam showing an alleged assault on a taxi driver went viral on social media. In that case, a passenger can be heard shouting racial slurs at the driver before he attacks him physically.

The six-week campaign launched today will feature on digital and social media platforms, as well as on bus shelters, on-board public transport and on bus vehicle exteriors. 

NTA CEO Anne Graham said that the new campaign will highlight that taxi drivers “are not simply people who provide a vital service to the public”. 

“They are also our neighbours, our friends, our family, and members of our communities, and as such deserve respect,” she said.

Drivers have a right to expect a working environment that is free of abuse and aggression. We hope that through the roll out of this awareness campaign customers will realise that taxi drivers are not anonymous but are real people with loved ones.

The NTA previously examined whether or not taxi drivers want mandatory security measures implemented. 

A 2015 report found that – of the 2,649 submissions the organisation received – over 97% said safety equipment in vehicles like taxis shouldn’t be mandatory.

Partitions could lead to a “perception of poor customer service”, the report says, and that is “a risk which would ruin the reputation of the sociable Irish driver”.