Taxis Reaping Double Fares from Airport - WTF!?

Alien Fiend said :

And why do taxi drivers sit there and look at you to wait for you to say where you are going before they leave the taxi rank? Mate, anywhere in the world I can go is out of here!

Yeees, but you know where you’re going and the taxi driver doesn’t. He’s got to work out the best way of getting to a random destination and the earlier he gets the information, the better.

For example, there are several good ways of getting to Belconnen Town Centre:
1. Along Parkes Way to Gridloch Interchange, then up the GDE or Bindubi to Belconnen Way, turn into Benjamin. Quickest but longest, and fares are calculated on distance, not time.
2. Along Parkes Way to Clunies Ross, swap over to Belconnen Way to Benjamin. Good mix of speed and distance. A chance of getting caught at a few more traffic lights. A slightly shorter alternative is to go through Civic, maybe along Marcus Clarke, but you’re now talking serious traffic lights and delay. Each red light is roughly another minute and another dollar on top of the distance fare.
3. Turn right at the first lights, go up the back way along Fairbairn Avenue past the gun gates of Duntroon, the War Memorial, turn left at Wakefield past the ABC and it’s a straight shot along Macarthur to Belconnen Way. This is the absolute shortest route, but there’s a lot of 60 km/h zone, beginning at Duntroon and it’s well sprinkled with traffic lights. Avoid during rush hour!

The first major decision point comes up pretty quickly, and there’s usually some fiddly driving with merging and dealing with random airport construction vehicles and lost souls, plus the chance of cutting across three lanes to make the turn at the lights, so the driver has to be doing some serious thinking, especially if the destination isn’t at the town centre, but at (say) Bruce or Spence.

And if the destination is Queanbeyan, the first decision point comes up even sooner.

The driver needs to know the destination so he can start making decisions aimed at saving you time and money.

It is a huge help if you indicate your preferred route. You likely know the exact best way to your home address because you’ve tried all the alternatives.

At the airport, if the destination isn’t offered, I’ll start driving because I’ve got a few seconds along the lower U of the pick-up road and I can ask where we’re going. You would be amazed at the number of people who say nothing, resuming interrupted conversations with travelling companions or fiddling with their mobile. They know where they want to go, because their home address is on their drivers licence, or the hotel address is on the travel documents, and somehow they assume that this information is already known to the poor cabbie in a non-verbal fashion.

However, in fairness, there are cabbies who put the meter on while you load up the boot, then ask for the destination so that they can type it into their GPS. At this point, you may consider taking a different cab.

I really don’t get why you’d bother questioning the legality or morality of these practices. Anything that’s written down, law or otherwise, is open to circumvention unless you’re living under a totalitarian regime. If you don’t like the system, learn it inside out, and then find a way to turn it to your own advantage; in the west, we call this entrepreneurship.

The obvious way to do that in this instance has already been suggested, but I’m sure there are others. I haven’t bothered with them because usually when I fly somewhere the only reason I’m flying is because it’s a quick trip, and if the trip is less than five days the car parking is cheaper than the taxi…

The multi-hire system here is a bit strange and not well explained at the airport (where I assume most such trips originate). The flat fare system mentioned earlier would work well, and indeed some drivers offer this anyway.

However, the constant airport tolls are getting grating – there’s a new $1.20 toll leaving the airport (in addition to the existing $2) which isn’t signed that I’ve seen, isn’t on the taxi company or airport websites, but that all the drivers seem to know about… I’m guessing it’s legit given I’ve been charged it 3 times in a row.

Mr Gillespie said :

How do cabbies get away with charging so much? What are the costs that justify such a high rate per km of travel??? And travel to and from the airport is even worse! And how dare they make it legal for them to double-dip like this!!! GREEDY PIGS!!!!!

I assume you are talking in general and not specifically about double hire. If so it’s like everything else about life in modern Australia. That is housing, utilities and food are bloody expensive, needing high rates of pay to allow people to live, which means costs need to go up to cover these costs. With taxi’s in particular the licences are also very expensive and we the passenger needs to pay.

If your talking about double hire rates, then the bottom line is both passengers should have paid less then they would have otherwise paid, so they are hardly being ripped off. They are getting the advantage of a lower rate with less waiting time and yes the driver makes a bit more. Also as others have pointed out it is optional. If your the first passenger in the cab you can refuse a 2nd passenger getting in, and if your in the line and someone calls for a double booking your under no obligation to take up the offer.

It might be legal, but taxis exist to provide a service to their customers. Not the other way around.

I have been caught many times in the past.

“Mind sharing mate? Where you going?”
“That’s fine, Fraser”
“Belconnen anyone?”
“Yep”
“Yep”

So we go to Fraser via Aranda and Kaleen. Save a couple of bucks and lose half an hour! Great.

And why do taxi drivers sit there and look at you to wait for you to say where you are going before they leave the taxi rank? Mate, anywhere in the world I can go is out of here!

Devil_n_Disquiz said :

make sure the meter is set on rate 3 (6am-9pm) or rate 4 (9pm-6am). If the rate is showing 1 or 2 on a multi hire then the driver is trying one on.

This has got me thinking…

Is there a site or URL available that has the regulated pricing for taxis in the ACT? As far as I know, the only place you can find such details is on those gigantic stickers on inside taxis themselves.

Jethro said :

Most cabbies work long hours under shitty conditions, transporting shitty people, for not a huge amount of money.

I wouldn’t describe my passengers thus. In fact, I find that most people are very good.

Late at night, there’s the odd drunk, but my position is that everybody is entitled to go out and have a drink with their mates, and when they’ve had a couple they can’t drive home, usually it’s too far to walk and the buses don’t run after midnight anyway. I regard getting drunk people safely home as an important part of my job.

Mr Gillespie said :

How do cabbies get away with charging so much? What are the costs that justify such a high rate per km of travel??? And travel to and from the airport is even worse! And how dare they make it legal for them to double-dip like this!!! GREEDY PIGS!!!!!

Take it up with the government. They set the rates.

Or rent a car. There are several different firms at the airport happy to put you into a Ford or Holden.

The fare structure is easily found, displayed on every cab. You can get a quote on the web, or ask the driver for an estimate.

The cost is made up of many different components, of which fuel and depreciation of the car are two of the smallest. There’s the driver’s time, the fee charged by the government for a licence – about $50 a day, BTW – the fee charged by the base for administration, the cost of equipment such as security cameras, computers, meters, lights. Insurance and repairs are added in. Not to mention the cost of training, annual medicals, police checks, government testing, uniforms. The bottom line is that it’s bloody expensive to operate a cab and pay for a driver.

dvaey said :

If he had made the arrangement with the individual at the cab rank before entering the cab, they could have split the $20 fare and both paid less than what they wouldve if theyd elected to use the cabs car-pooling system.

Indeed. I sometimes find, to my amusement, that this is the case, and two unrelated passengers have struck a deal. Sometimes they try to conceal this from me.

But I don’t care. It is certainly not illegal for two people to arrange to split a fare or (as is the more usual case) for one to pay the whole fare, giving the other a free ride. I think it’s delightful.

I tend not to do multi-hires anyway. I had one fare tonight where the commissionaire bundled two people into my cab, both going to the same hotel. I thought it would be silly to charge two fares for the one trip, so I did it at the normal rate.

This is where Canberra could do with some shuttle vans or minibuses. A lot of people going to and from the airport have the same destinations, usually the hotels in Civic or the Parliamentary Triangle area. Why not have a flat fare? It would free up a lot of cabs at peak times.

Mr Gillespie said :

How do cabbies get away with charging so much?

Not sure if serious or trolling

Post number 2, click the link

– The maximum taxi fares that can be charged are determined by the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services under section 60 of the Road Transport (Public Passenger Services) Act 2001.

Mr Gillespie said :

How do cabbies get away with charging so much? What are the costs that justify such a high rate per km of travel??? And travel to and from the airport is even worse! And how dare they make it legal for them to double-dip like this!!! GREEDY PIGS!!!!!

You are aware that most cabbies are simply employees of the taxi license holder, and that they do not set the rate or get paid at the rate at which you are charged. Most cabbies work long hours under shitty conditions, transporting shitty people, for not a huge amount of money. (Note: I am not a cabbie, but at least I know where they are coming from so I’m not a total prick to them when I use their services.)

How do cabbies get away with charging so much? What are the costs that justify such a high rate per km of travel??? And travel to and from the airport is even worse! And how dare they make it legal for them to double-dip like this!!! GREEDY PIGS!!!!!

The huge benefit for the sharing system is that it means people don’t wait ages for a taxi at the airport, or any other taxi rank. It’s a great scheme. Punters who don’t wish to share are under no obligation. In my experience the driver ALWAYS asks whether it’s OK to share. You’d need a pretty good reason to say no!

Dont share – go “together”, organise it in the line. The person getting out first can pay the other person.

If the taxi driver says no when you get to the first persons house, just pay him the rate up to that point and get out.

johnboy said :

Devil_n_Disquiz said :

That could work if you were both getting out at the same place. You could fool the driver into thinking that you were both work colleagues going to the same place. However, as soon as one gets out and the other stays, be prepared to be charged what the first person got charged, or be taken back to teh airport to start again 🙂

Try that on me and you’d better be willing to call the cops.

You’re being paid to drive. Dropping someone off on the way is a fair request.

You missed the point John. We are talking about deliberate deception by passengers to avoid paying a multi-hire, which is what I was referring to. Which I have actioned, and which has involved the police. Its fare evasion and as such you wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.

Devil_n_Disquiz said :

That could work if you were both getting out at the same place. You could fool the driver into thinking that you were both work colleagues going to the same place. However, as soon as one gets out and the other stays, be prepared to be charged what the first person got charged, or be taken back to teh airport to start again 🙂

Try that on me and you’d better be willing to call the cops.

You’re being paid to drive. Dropping someone off on the way is a fair request.

dvaey said :

Skyring said :

I’m sorry that you felt that there was something underhanded going on, but seriously, did you really expect to get from the airport to (say) some city hotel for just a couple of dollars?

If he had made the arrangement with the individual at the cab rank before entering the cab, they could have split the $20 fare and both paid less than what they wouldve if theyd elected to use the cabs car-pooling system.

That could work if you were both getting out at the same place. You could fool the driver into thinking that you were both work colleagues going to the same place. However, as soon as one gets out and the other stays, be prepared to be charged what the first person got charged, or be taken back to teh airport to start again 🙂

I had a similar experience last Monday sharing a cab with three others. One passenger was an English Tourist who seemed quite shocked at the system. I was also a little embarrassed.

I have no doubt the system is legal. However in my humble opinion the system is poor and does little to encourage the sharing of taxis, improve the perception of the taxi industry and must be detrimental for word of mouth regarding the ACT.

My cab journey was from the Airport into the City; after two other stops in the city (one at Rydges and one outside Casino Canberra), the English gentleman and I both got off last at the Novotel.

The English Tourist & I paid $28 each, the first gentleman paid around $18.00 and the second gentleman a figure in the middle. Basically, the taxi owner/driver/company received around $95 for this journey. My previous experience is that a cab journey from the airport to the city is around $25-$30. So the only real benefit to me is not waiting in the line. Arguably, the sharing of taxis (and reduced lines) also benefit the Government, Taxi’s and the Airport… however the consumer does not seem to get much financial benefit from this current metering system.

I would suggest either move to a metering system that allows up to 4 separate fairs to be displayed (eg the flag fall & km rate is divided by the number of occupants) with a flag fall surcharge so the taxi obtains some benefit.

Or a simpler suggestiong would be a flat fare (per person) to regions (when sharing from Airport) – $15 to the Russell/CBD/ANU/Parliamentary Triangle, Inner south, Inner north, $25 to Woden / belconnen, $30 Gungahlin / Tuggeranong.

The idea of resetting the meter after the first person does not work, as the first person will generally wear the bulk of the fare.

Mind you, a better bus system to the airport would be nice as an alternative. But yes, I know this will not happen.

Correct me if I am mistaken, but it would seem the passenger is only better off if the other passengers destination is very close? I have had the same situation occur to me, and felt ripped off, so I am very interested to hear how it works, and when a cab driver is permitted to do this

In your scenario, where the meter is reset after the first passenger has hopped out, you’ve basically had that first passenger pay the vast majority of your fare for you, while you get to pay a substantially reduced fare. If circumstances were such that you were the first to be dropped off, would you be happy to know that the person sharing your cab paid say a quarter of your fare, just because they were a few km closer than your destination?

The multiple hire rates are all listed on the fares sticker, inside the windscreen on the passenger side. Nothing dodgy about this at all. The alternative is for you to refuse a multiple hire, and end up paying full fare for your trip.

Skyring said :

I’m sorry that you felt that there was something underhanded going on, but seriously, did you really expect to get from the airport to (say) some city hotel for just a couple of dollars?

If he had made the arrangement with the individual at the cab rank before entering the cab, they could have split the $20 fare and both paid less than what they wouldve if theyd elected to use the cabs car-pooling system.

“….and I effectively paid a cab $18 to drive less than a km.”

If you had only paid a couple of buck for traveling the 0.5 – 1k further up the road, the first passenger paid a HUGE part of your fare giving you a massive discount that you were not entitiled to ???

Anyway, just a little warning. As most of you know, there are SOME dodgy taxi drivers out there. So if you do multi hire out of the airport make sure the meter is set on rate 3 (6am-9pm) or rate 4 (9pm-6am). If the rate is showing 1 or 2 on a multi hire then the driver is trying one on.
Exit the vehicle at your stop, tell the driver you aren’t paying diddly and take note of his TX # and Driver Authority # and report it.

That’s a multiple hiring and the driver did exactly the right thing according to the government regulations. Ideally, he should have explained the system so that you understood it, and if you did not agree, dropped you back on the rank.

You actually paid a substantially reduced fare, with flagfall dropping to $3.50 from $4.70 and the per-kilometre rate at $1.43 instead of $1.90.

Everybody wins here. The passengers pay less than they normally would have and get to their destination faster. The cabbie makes more than he would have if he’d made just the one trip.

However, everyone has to understand and agree for it to result in happiness all round. I’m sorry that you felt that there was something underhanded going on, but seriously, did you really expect to get from the airport to (say) some city hotel for just a couple of dollars?

This is the share rate for the Cab. This is legal.

If you don’t like it you can refuse to share. The fare would have been more than $18 to go from Airport to your home under the alternative fare rules.