A Buncrana man who unwittingly accepted an undercover transport inspector as a passenger and charged him €6 for a short journey has been fined for operating an unlicensed taxi service.
Shane McGrory, of 36 Earlsfort, Buncrana, appeared before Buncrana District Court, where he pleaded guilty to two offences arising from the incident.
The 52-year-old former carpenter admitted operating a vehicle without a taxi licence and acting as a taxi driver without the required driver’s licence.
The court heard that Mr McGrory was detected during a covert operation carried out by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in Buncrana last November.
Prosecuting solicitor Jason Teahan, appearing on behalf of the NTA, told the court that Ireland operates a dual licensing system for hackney and taxi services. Under the regulations, both the vehicle and the driver must hold separate licences before passengers can be carried for financial reward.
Defence solicitor Frank Aran Murphy said “Buncrana is notorious for a lack of taxis” and Mr McGrory was asked if he’d be interested in starting taxiing; so he decided to “give it a try on a trial basis” before taking it up as a full-time career.
NTA compliance officer Kevin Coyle outlined how the offences came to light. He said that at approximately 11.15pm on the night of November 1, 2025, he approached Mr McGrory at Main Street in Buncrana and requested a taxi journey to the nearby Drift Inn, a distance of around one kilometre.
“I requested a taxi from there to the Drift Inn,” Mr Coyle told the court. “Mr McGrory said okay, to get in. So I took the journey with him, and he charged me €6.”
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The court heard that Mr McGrory was driving a 2010-registered Vauxhall Insignia at the time. The vehicle displayed none of the required markings associated with a licensed hackney service, including the official badges that must be affixed to the front and rear windows. There was also no driver identification displayed inside the car.
Following the detection, Mr McGrory later met with another NTA inspector, Gerry Burke. During that meeting, he cooperated fully with the investigation, made a statement after caution and admitted his involvement.
Defence solicitor Frank Aran Murphy said his client had accepted responsibility for the offences from the outset and had “no qualms about it.”