More than 100 Dublin taxi drivers have been taken off the road in a garda clampdown which uncovered some frightening discrepancies.
Revenue officers alongside the gardai targeted taxi ranks across Dublin in an effort to clamp down on the industry.
According to the Irish Mirror, many drivers were found to have issues with tax clearance certificates and unsuitable vehicles.
However, in a frightening discovery, it was found that many drivers were driving with licenses that weren’t their own.
Sources told the paper: “It’s not uncommon that many non-national drivers share the one licence and take turns, meaning their car is never off the road.
“This is dangerous as the men are not vetted. They could be anyone and that’s why the State agencies are doing what they’re doing.
“There will be many more mini checkpoints and snap inspections. The licence swapping is sadly easy to do but it’s also easy to catch.
“They would be friends or family members and they’d be saving money by not paying for their own meter or their licence.
“If the false driver is stopped and asked to show his licence, then it’s done.
“Taxi drivers have to go to work and have a lot of forms with them including a tax clearance cert.
“They can be taken directly off the streets if they don’t have them on them.”
The process is still underway, with plans for more assessments in the works and driver lockdowns ongoing.
