PIC: This Post Is The Exact Reason Why Taxis Aren’t Keen To Take On Long Journeys From Dublin

Darragh Berry

There’s such a collective frustration when trying to get a taxi in Dublin on busy nights out.

Even on the quietest weekend, it can still be a struggle and a half.

Flagging down a cab ahead of anyone else is one thing, but then trying to convince them to bring you somewhere that’s 10 minutes or more outside of the city is another job altogether.

You’ll hear groans every weekend about how taxi drivers refuse to take on long journeys and while there has never been a reasonable explanation behind it, experiences like this are often the reason why.

Longer journeys often mean heading on the motorway or a more likely chance of getting stuck in traffic, all of which can add up to your fare.

But if you don’t understand a taxi meter, all of this can go over your head.

This taxi driver in Dublin is one of very few drivers who accepted a long distant fare recently and the way the journey panned out in the end probably made them wish they hadn’t bothered.

The driver starts by saying:

“I am a taxi driver and see so many posts regarding taxi drivers not being nice or not picking up passengers.

He went on and claimed that the girl he had picked up seemed to be drunk and a friend that was with her said that no other taxi would bring her home.

She lived in Layston near Drogheda which was a “44km job, it was raining and I agreed to bring her home.”

He said to her that the journey would take about 40 minutes max and by the time they reached the house, she had fallen asleep.

But, it was when the journey was over that the fuss began.

“Her husband came out and instead of being thankful, he started asking questions like ‘what time she got in the car’ and ‘how long the journey took’.

The husband in question took the driver’s ID card number as well as taking a picture of the drivers taxi picture.

“I felt so much shame. I gave him my receipt, all the details were on it but how can he behave like this?”

With an incident like this, it’s easy to see why some taxis refuse to take long distance fares.

So, if you do manage to get a long distance fare on a busy night out, always make sure to ask about how long and much the fare will be before you set off.