: Waterford new Taxi ID scheme goes ahead despite confusing information and the NTA logo, do drivers know who they are signing up to?,

Waterford taxi drivers to test out Taxi Identification System
Waterford, Ireland, 5th October 2011: Over thirty local Waterford City Taxi drivers have signed up to be part of a pilot scheme aimed at giving any member of the public the ability to confirm the identity of a taxi driver in real-time using their smartphone through an application which confirms the identity of a taxi vehicle and taxi driver.


The pilot is due to run for 4-6 weeks and Global Business Register Ltd (GBR), the Waterford based company behind the scheme, is encouraging taxi drivers in other towns and cities across the country to register for the scheme. It is hoped that the Taxi Regulation Directorate will support the system’s nationwide roll out once the pilot has been completed successfully.

GBR has been developing this application since issues in the industry were brought to their attention during a Prime Time investigation into the taxi industry which was aired by RTE 1 in May. The method to identify the taxi driver and car is quick and easy to use for a member of the public, only requiring them to have a smart phone.

Each taxi driver will place a QR code just above the door handle on both rear door windows making it accessible for the user to scan the code from the footpath. There will also be QR codes placed on the inside the vehicle on the back of the front seat and on the dashboard for passengers in the vehicle.

Each QR code will be unique for the public service vehicle and will not be able to be replicated as it is proposed to link directly to the databases of the Taxi Regulation Directorate in the National Transport Authority when the system goes fully live.

A user can use any standard QR code reader, such as XZING, installed on their phone to do a simple scan of the QR code. They will receive the verified identity of the licensed taxi driver and vehicle back to their phone. Scanning a QR code is simple – all the user needs is a QR code scanner on their smart phone which is available for free through the iPhone app store or android Marketplace. The user can now look at the vehicle and driver and see if they both match. If they match, they can feel safe that they are getting into a fully licensed and compliant vehicle with a fully licensed and compliant driver. If they don’t match they can decide not to get in.

Over the coming weeks when you see the TrustiD™ Taxi QR codes begin to appear on the side of taxis we encourage you to try out the service and simply just ‘Scan the Taxi’.

As this is a pilot scheme around the Waterford City area we are also seeking feedback from both members of the public and taxi drivers on the service. They can contact us and leave a comment on one of our social media channels. Join the conversation and follow us on Twitter: @TrustiDTaxi and like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/trustidtaxi. More information on the system can be found at