A taxi driver has been charged with indecently assaulting a female passenger during a short ride in inner Sydney this week.

Police will allege in court that the 61-year-old male driver grabbed the 26-year-old woman's hand and made inappropriate comments towards her during the late-night taxi ride on Sunday.

The woman, Emma, claimed that the driver grabbed her arm, attempted to kiss her and said: "You're like honey – I'm trying to taste the honey."

Emma, who did not want her surname used, told Fairfax Media she was returning from an interstate trip, and had caught the train from Sydney Airport to Central Railway Station about 11pm on Sunday. She then hailed a taxi at Central, and asked the driver to take her to her home in Glebe.

However, police said the taxi driver allegedly made inappropriate advances towards her during the ride.