Taxi Driver Online

I hear it time and time again, it's not right that the likes of Uber can charge crazy prices but hackneys are stuck to the approved rates within their licensing area.

But why should that be?

What's stopping a licensing authority from approving an app surge price process that can be included on the tariff sheet?

Why can't a council put something like this on their tariff sheet?

For journeys booked and paid via an app - up to the maximum fare as quoted by the app may be charged.

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IDFIMH

Can't be bothered arguing about this, but of course if HCDs want to charge mega-fares, they can always change code

And HCs have always had a form of surge-pricing anyway, although obviously it's very crude, but some are a bit more refined in terms of 'party tariffs' for weekends rather than just the normal T2, blah, blah.

Anyway, noticed this from Australia, and an interesting approach there

Can't see it happening here, though


The 'rip off' taxi trend that's taking over one of our Australia's biggest cities - but it's completely legal: 'They've got to crack down on it'

• Veteran newsman said he was quoted $80 for a 15 minute journey in Melbourne
• Taxi drivers are dictating the price to certain locations and refusing to use meter
• Frustrating practice is legal with drivers allowed to set price from 10pm to 5am

City-slickers looking to catch a late-night taxi are being warned about a 'rip off' rank trend that could see their fares double or even triple.

Newsman Tony Jones learned of the frustrating trend when he tried to leave a KISS concert at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena at about 11 pm on Tuesday night.

The top journalist said when he approached the line of taxis, each of the drivers refused to put the meter on and instead demanded an 'exorbitant' set fare of $80.

Mr Jones said it should only cost $25 to travel to his destination in Kew, an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, located just a 15-minute drive from the stadium.

'The taxi rank was teeming with taxis, which was a good sign, but when we approached the taxis all the meters were off,' he said.

'The set fee from Rod Laver Arena was between $60 and $80 to get to Kew.

'For the life of me, I can't understand how they get away with it.'

Mr Jones told 3AW's Neil Mitchell he ended up abandoning the taxi rank and caught an Uber to his destination which cost $25.

He said 'smug' drivers shouldn't be able to dictate how much a journey should cost and said the issue needs to be addressed before the upcoming AFL finals.

'They're for all intents and purposes, not legitimate drivers, so therefore why are they clogging up this makeshift service lane for taxis for the people who do want to get a legitimate fare,' he told listeners.

'Why are theatre-goers or concert-goers getting ripped off? They've got to crack down on it.'

Transport Matters MP Rod Barton later revealed the frustrating practice is legal, with taxi drivers allowed to quote a price from 10pm to 5am.

'I don't like it. I've raised this matter directly with the Minister himself and I've also been raising this for months,' he told 3AW's Neil Mitchell.

'The regulator has lost control.'

Mr Barton said the issue had sprung from the popularity of Ubers and other ride-share companies that have forced taxis to compete.

'We all wanted to go down this Uber route and have the market determine the price, well, unfortunately, it's coming back home to roost now,' he said.

The MP added that Daniel Andrew's Labor government has only increased taxi fares once in 14 years, which he described as a 'ridiculous scenario'.

'We have been able to negotiate and get a fare increase recently, however it's not effective as of yet,' he said.

That's maybe why it's not a good idea to try out-Ubering Uber by allowing drivers to set unregulated prices

I just think it would be good for the hackney trade to have the option to surge should a punter accept that price.

They can do so now for out-of-town work, so you have to question why they can't in town if the council has agreed to it.

However, I believe the need to use a meter is the main, if not the only, reason why in town work cannot be surged for hackneys.

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IDFIMH

If Hackneys want to be able to charge what they like then they should do as I did and get themselves a private hire operators license and plate as private hire.

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Grandad,

It's surge pricing that's wrong, should be made illegal in my opinion, pure blatant profiteering when people need the service most.

You don't see the Price of Fish and Chips going up just because it's teatime, so why should anyone price surge just because its a busy time...bloody robbery.

You don't see the price being discounted when it is quiet either.

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Grandad,

Don't normally bother with overseas stuff, but keep on coming across this article from Australia

Anyway, it's a bit different to the one above from Australia, where drivers are allowed to negotiate any fare they want late at night

The one below is presumably a different jurisdiction, but here it's the more normal issue of cherry-picking and off-meter fares. But maybe that's a consequence of no fare rise since 2014, and combined with the driver shortage. And, of course, once these things take hold, there will be a copycat effect as the more scrupulous drivers think they're losing out, particularly if the authorities have their head in the sand and fail to act (like the official in Wales the other day as regards brooming short runs).


Taxi passengers across Australia say drivers increasingly demanding upfront cash instead of using meter

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n ... sing-meter

NSW Taxi Council says ‘no excuse’ for drivers to charge off-meter, while industry under pressure with fees frozen since 2014

Last month, Douglas, who asked not to use his surname, was traveling from Brisbane airport with his family and approached a maxi cab. The driver offered them an upfront fee of $60 if he could find others to join the ride.

“I was confused because I didn’t think that’s how it worked,” Douglas said.

He ended up taking the taxi with just his family, and the driver charged them $70, demanding it in cash.

“It was all quite disconcerting,” Douglas said. On the way back, they used a ride-sharing app instead.“It only cost $42.30, including tolls.”

Douglas is among a number of passengers sharing reports of taxi drivers in Australia turning off their meters and asking for an upfront or set fee, often at a higher rate than would be expected for that distance and in breach of the law.

In recent weeks, people have been taking to social media to share their concerns about the issue,. One user said during half of their recent taxi rides, the driver didn’t turn the meter on and instead haggled for a flat charge.

Scott Rhodie tried to get a taxi from the Sydney CBD to St Peters in the inner west last week. The driver said it would be $75 upfront and wouldn’t budge, so drove off when Rhodie refused to pay. The trip would usually cost him about $25.

“I can understand why more people want to use Uber because it’s infuriating,” he said.

“The government wants us to get back in the city [but] this keeps happening.”

It is difficult to know whether such incidents are becoming more common.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson said it is an offence for taxi drivers to not use the meter for cabs caught from a taxi rank or hailed from the street.

“If a passenger experiences this behaviour they should report it to the taxi service provider in the first instance,” the spokesperson said.

Booked services, however, are able to have set fares by the provider.

If passengers complain to a taxi service about fares and the issue is unresolved, they can contact the NSW Point to Point Transport Commissioner.

Guardian Australia requested data on the number of complaints, however Transport for NSW said the commissioner does not have it readily available, and could not confirm whether this data exists or is available for release.

CEO of the NSW Taxi Council, Martin Rogers, said he would “most definitely” be concerned if drivers are overcharging for regulated trips.

“In instances where there [are] overcharges … then that’s where you’d be calling on the regulator to enforce the regulations and appropriate penalties around that,” he said.

While Rogers said there is “no excuse” for drivers to charge above the meter, there are pressures on those in the industry because the regulated fee structure hasn’t changed since 2014.

“So for eight years we have not had a fare increase,” he said.

The Taxi Council has been asking the NSW government to look at a fare increase to help with the increased running costs of taxis, particularly with the fuel excise cut ending last week.

Monty Jacka, a Wagga Wagga resident was leaving a pub with a few friends last month and called a taxi, with each person wanting to go to a different suburb.

Instead of leaving the meter on, the driver instead offered to charge $48 upfront.

“It didn’t sound like something that was necessarily allowed, but he seemed like a nice guy so I agreed,” Jacka said.

The taxi driver also asked Jacka to transfer the funds directly to him via bank transfer, rather than pay with cash or EFTPOS.

“It’s definitely something I’ve never really heard of,” Jacka said.