A Dublin Airport taxi driver got more than he bargained for when he decided to take his passenger for a ride, literally.
42-yr-old Barry Burns from Bath Road, Balbriggan, County Dublin pleaded not guilty to a taxi regulation charge of not driving as directed by his passenger.
Accountant, John Conroy told the court that he travelled a lot for work and he gets a taxi from the airport to his home in Blackrock in south Dublin regularly.
He said that he always asked the drivers to take him home via the M1 and the fare home was €35 every time, he told Judge Miriam Walsh at Dublin District Court.
Mr Conroy said that on March 20th last year he got into Burn’s taxi and was told that the M1 was closed and did he not see the notice at Dublin airport pointing this out?
Mr Conroy claimed Burns told him he would have to take an alternative route that would cost €10 or €15 more.
Mr Conroy said Burns told him to basically charge the extra charge to his company account.
The fare ended up being charged at €64.40 to which a receipt was produced in court showing same with a comment stating “M1 closed due to accident”.
After much back and forth over evidence, eventually Judge Walsh found him guilty and fined Burns, who is a driving a taxi since 2006, €250 and ordered him to pay €130 in witness expenses.