Taxi Driver Online

Anger at Edinburgh Airport taxis "blatant profiteering" disputed by sole operator

An Edinburgh woman has hit out at what she calls “blatant profiteering” by the sole taxi operator at Edinburgh Airport, which has defended its prices.

Private hire firm Capital Cars has provided both the black cab and private hire operation at Edinburgh Airport since April 14, 2023, after securing a contract estimated to be worth up to £100 million over five years.

Stef McDonald contacted the Evening News after noticing what she claims is a more than 50 per cent rise in a year for the taxi fare from the airport to Blackhall in Edinburgh, when she travelled on Sunday, October 27 with another adult and three children, with all five passengers each carrying a backpack bag.

As well as being angry with Capital Cars, Stef also hit out at Edinburgh Airport for allowing such high price rises in a year.

She said: “What is going on with Edinburgh Airport’s taxi charges? Rates have increased at an incredible rate. The airport is allowing operators to undertake blatant profiteering at the cost to their customers.

“I travelled from the airport on Sunday and couldn’t believe the price difference from a year ago. It was a £38 fare to Blackhall. Which only a year ago would have been £23.

“How is it that private hire firm Capital Cars can charge £17 when I get into a taxi at the airport? It’s outrageous.”

Edinburgh Airport declined the opportunity to comment, as it doesn’t set the taxi fares.

A spokesperson for Capital Cars defended the price of a private hire taxi from the airport to Blackhall and queried the claimed price increase from a year ago.

He said: “The price would have been shown to the customer upfront. For comparison the bus price would have been £5.50 per head and this taxi came in at £6.90 per head for a door to door private transfer service.

“We have a separate pricing structure for passengers requiring people carriers and this was provided. The actual vehicle was a one-year-old Mercedes Benz People carrier at the cost of £60,000.

“The vehicle the customer took was a six-seater due to the combination of luggage and passengers not fitting into a standard private hire, estate private hire or/ and availability of a black taxi. We price our larger people carriers at roughly 1.3 times the normal rate.

“This fare does indeed start at £17 but does cover all the costs and the first mile. The black cab would technically be £13 if done this way

“The price of £23 last year is disputed, we believe it would been £28 including the barrier fee. There has been no increase in the taxi pricing since June, 2023, when it went up by 20 per cent. There is also a taxi increase due in December this year as per Edinburgh Council’s decision.”

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IDFIMH

The lady wants a multi-seater at the airport.

The lady then gets the hump when she realises that a multi-seater costs more than a 4-seater saloon.

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IDFIMH

It's about six miles

So £38 is certainly a hefty fare, but considering it's a multi-seater and in view of the airport charges etc then it's hardly off the scale

One wonders why she didn't book a non-airport car if she is that concerned about the cost.

Also, the operator's comment about the cost comparison between a bus and a cab is interesting.

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IDFIMH

Sometimes in scenarios like that I wonder if the previous trip was priced in error, just like you see stuff in Tesco or Asda occasionally and wonder whether someone in head office responsible for pricing has pressed the wrong button

It's the same on the ranks - I've sometimes underpriced runs because I've thought they're closer than what they actually are, and of course stuff like that is even worse for newbie drivers who don't even know where the next street is

But when people next get a cab and are quoted a more realistic price then they cry foul

Yes, heard that one a few times before, but it's often the other way round - sure I recall someone in a letter in the local rag making some daft price comparison between a bus and taxi trip to demonstrate that the bus is better value.

Best one was probably twenty years ago, when a woman came up to the rank and asked for a quote on a five-mile run. When I stated the fare she harrumphed that she would be "cheaper getting the bus"

And, of course, a more recent version is people here claiming they'd be cheaper getting an Uber

Yes, you would be, if there were any here