Fake taxi man arrested while driving young woman home

Gardaí last night arrested a man who was posing as a taxi driver with a fake roof sign while attempting to drop a young woman home.

The car was pulled over by members of the Dublin Metropolitan Region traffic corps, who discovered the driver had no tax, insurance or NCT and was driving without a licence.

The silver Volkswagen he was driving was fitted with a fake illuminated roof sign and fake door stickers to give it the appearance of being a taxi.

He was arrested at the scene and charged with driving without a licence and with no insurance, carrying a passenger for reward and displaying a taxi sign without having a public service vehicle licence.

He will appear before a sitting of the Criminal Courts of Justice on March 13th in connection with the charges.

Gardaí have urged members of the public who are suspicious about a taxi's authenticity to consult the taxi check page on the Transport For Ireland website, where visitors can crosscheck driver licence numbers, vehicle licence and registration information and a taxi operator's credentials.

Properly certified taxi drivers must pay a series of fees to conduct business, including €85 for a specific public service vehicle driving test and €250 for a driver licence fee.