Taxi driver fined €700 after operating vehicle before licensing was finalised
He was a fully licensed taxi driver, but the Audi A6 he was using at the time had not yet been licensed as a public service vehicle
A Buncrana taxi driver with more than two decades of experience has been fined a total of €700 after admitting to operating a vehicle as a taxi before it had been fully licensed.
Dawid Kolodziej, of 7 Connaberry, Slavery, Buncrana, appeared before Buncrana District Court, where he pleaded guilty to a summons relating to an unlicensed vehicle.
The prosecution was brought by the National Transport Authority (NTA), whose solicitor Jason Teahan told the court that while Mr Kolodziej was a fully licensed taxi driver, the Audi A6 he was using at the time had not yet been licensed as a public service vehicle.
NTA compliance officer Kevin Coyle outlined the facts of the case. He told the court that on Saturday, November 29, at 9.07pm, he approached a 2010-registered Audi A6 in Buncrana town centre and asked for a taxi to the Drift Inn.
The driver was identified as Mr Kolodziej, who invited him into the vehicle. Mr Coyle travelled in the front passenger seat and was conveyed to the Drift Inn, arriving there approximately five minutes later.
After the journey, Mr Coyle asked how much the fare was, and was charged €6, which he paid.
The court heard that the appropriate taxi discs and driver identification were not displayed in the vehicle. However, subsequent checks confirmed that Mr Kolodziej did hold a valid public service vehicle driver's licence, which remains valid until September 2026.
Mr Coyle said the defendant had received a conditional offer to license the Audi as a small public service vehicle, subject to the completion of an NCT and other approval requirements. He added that the vehicle has since been fully licensed as a taxi from March of this year.
The compliance officer described Mr Kolodziej as courteous and cooperative throughout the investigation and confirmed that he had no previous convictions.
Defending solicitor Frank Aran Murphy said the matter arose because his client had not yet completed the NCT process, which prevented the PSV licence for the vehicle from being finalised.
He said Mr Kolodziej had purchased the Audi and was awaiting the necessary certification to bring it fully into compliance as a taxi.
“It was more of an administrative oversight,” Mr Murphy said, adding that there had been no issue whatsoever with the condition of the vehicle.
The solicitor told the court that his client earns approximately €650 per week and is now a full-time sole parent following a recent separation from his wife.
He also noted that Mr Kolodziej has worked as a taxi driver for more than 20 years without any blemish on his record.
Judge Emile Daly said she had taken account of the defendant's early guilty plea and the circumstances outlined before the court.
She imposed a fine of €300 and ordered Mr Kolodziej to contribute €400 towards the prosecution's costs, giving him four months to pay the total amount of €700.