The National Transport Authority received more than 900 complaints about taxis last year.

According to figures released to The Irish Times under a Freedom of Information request taxi driver behaviour accounted for more than half of the complaints with some customers saying they felt frightened by a taxi driver.

In one case a hotel worker said a taxi driver told her to f*ck off several times.

Fares were the second most frequent reason for complaints while smelly taxis and cabs covered in hair were also reported.

President of the Irish Taxi Federation Joe Heron has been speaking to Anton Savage.

He said taxi drivers do not have it easy either: “They often have problems getting paid from passengers, not just because they get out and run away.

"And that unfortunately happens occasionally.

"But also just straight refusal to pay and the taxi driver doesn’t have the same situation where he can complain about the same way a customer can complain.”