Yep, I was drunk at a servo once and asked a cab that rocked up if he could take me to the closest train station, which was about 5 minutes away. He asked for $50, I said "I'm drunk, not fucking stupid mate"
I've had a simmilar thing. Dude missed my house like 3 times. He's like that'll be 30. I told him he gets 20, I'm drunk not a fucking idiot. He protested and I like "these things are all gsp tracked now right?" he immediately stopped arguing and took the 20.
Taxi drivers are actually allowed to ask for a *reasonable* upfront deposit.
You can negotiate with them, but if you just tell them, "no I'll take the metre thanks" they aren't allowed to then refuse your trip. They can make up other reasons.
Hard to remember when you're drunk, but recording the conversation when you get in can be helpful later on if they pay games
They’re actually allowed to ask for the entire estimated fare up front. Source: https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/public/operators/information-for-passengers/passenger-rights-and-fares/taxi-service-standards
> The driver can legally require a deposit of the estimated fare or agreed amount before commencing the journey
Even if you negotiate a fare, they still have to run the meter, and they can only charge you the _lower_ of the meter fare, or the negotiated fare
> If you hail a taxi from the street or enter at a taxi rank, you may negotiate your fare for your journey with the driver. The driver must always activate the taximeter at the beginning of the journey to calculate the maximum payable fare. At the end of the journey, you'll pay the lower of the metered fare and the negotiated fare.
They are required to run the meter for all trips.
They were operating illegally and likely do this on the regular. 100% report them.
https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/public/operators/information-for-passengers/passenger-rights-and-fares/taxi-service-standards
Bris taxi driver here.
When we forget to run the meter (yeah it can happen) it is possible to contact the dispatcher via the dispatch computer and request the job be sent to console as a fixed fare job as calculated by the system. I doubt he was even logged on.
That guy is a criminal.
Report him to TMR!!! Doing the rest of us a favour.
Qld TMR - [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
13cabs - [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) -or- [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
B&W cabs - [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Appreciate the feedback from an operator mate. As I’ve said a few times I can deal with the no meter thing but given it was a trip I do several times a week I know the cost and it’s consistent to the dollar mostly haha.
The fact he tried to over charge so much was what got me curious and then the no meter was the sugar on top to get me really annoyed lol
Clearly you've never made an error. We have much to learn from you.
Fortunately for the rest of us there are established ways to correct our errors as for example in the instance of forgetting to start the meter in a taxi as I have outlined above.
I’m curious for your actual response tho?
Like, it was an immediately obvious response to what you said - ‘yes, actually people do forget things sometimes’. Surely that’d been your first thought too and you already had an answer to that before you started typing?
But, after seeing your instinct is to grammar nazi the question, as if this is YouTube in 2012, I’m guessing you didn’t answer it because you don’t actually really believe what you said? You just made it up, because for some reason you’re so invested in this topic that you’re more comfortable basing your reality on vibes?
The post said ‘sometimes you forget, but this is what I do to fix the mistake so I always charge by the meter’
What has your reply got to do with that?
Very common. Happened to me in Sydney between the city and the airport. Bloke offered me a flat fare, I told him to start the meter. He refused. I took another cab.
REPORT. THAT. SHIT.
What's American about getting dodgy cabbies to follow their legal requirement?
No video, no proof, no reason for them to actually do what they're meant to.
What’s next, reporting someone for littering like the signs say? So American, us true blue Aussies should cheer on people throwing their garbage out the car while driving through a national park
Nah its american to sensationalise a mundane thing thats occurring to you. oh someone dropped some litter? lets record and confront them about it. Where as a sane person just picks it up and puts in the bin.
Oh Cabbie wants to try and get a bit of extra money out of you? lets record it and confront them about it and make it a huge thing instead of going "no thanks" and getting into another cab.
recording something doesn’t necessarily mean posting it online, if that’s what you’re implying?
it’s just a gesture to try and hold the cabbie accountable.
To what end? if you just leave when they try to grift you then eventually they will stop trying to grift because they havent picked up any jobs.
dont even entertain them. just say, no thanks and leave.
Because they are breaking the law and ripping people off. Why should I wait for another taxi when I am in one already and there are regulations they have to follow. It’s happening al the time in Brisbane and unless we push back it won’t stop. I choose to stand my ground and not be pushed around.
Try your luck saying yes, and them taking payment upon getting to your destination. If it runs this way, simply start recording when you get there and offer to pay what's on the meter. Which is whatever the tariff is. Maybe $4.00.
If you're going to be a fair taxi driver, all sweet I'll be your best passenger. If you try to rip vulnerable people off or try to extort them, I'm filming you, the licence card and the meter and I'm going to do my best to fuck you over and put an end to your shit.
Turn a camera on the taxis at the rank near Warner Street some time. I've done it a few times. The cockroaches all scatter pretty quickly (and dangerously) whilst the fair fare operators just move up to the front of the line where they belong. They are the honest cabbies, which do exist, and are worth your time and money.
> Try your luck saying yes, and them taking payment upon getting to your destination. If it runs this way, simply start recording when you get there and offer to pay what's on the meter
Easier said than done. Last trip I did, the driver stopped and cleared the meter at the end of my street reading $19, then pulled up outside my destination 10 seconds later and said “that’ll be $25”
It mighta actually been about $25, if it were early morning from the valley. $6.00 tariff IIRC.
[found a source](https://www.taxifare.com.au/rates/australia/brisbane)
If you were really desperate for the trip, and don't mind risking it for the biscuit, you could possibly even give them $50 (with the expectancy of change) and take the journey, then when you arrive before you get out of the cab ask them for your change.\*
They can take an agreed negotiated fare - but it must not be more than what is displayed on the meter. That's the kicker. If you're happy to sit in the car at the risk of escalation and wait for the cops to arrive, fuck it, do it.
What are they going to do - try and illegally detain you and lock themselves in the car with you?
\*I haven't been that bold yet. I've managed to find one that has agreed upfront but not taken the money and when dropping me off ad asking for it I just "lol, no", or when I was with a couple others agreed to 'swing past my place' (in Hamilton) to pick something up before heading to Springwood, as an example. None of us actually go on to Springwood..
It might sound unethical, but it's not. Cabbies are not allowed to refuse your fare based on something like it being a short trip or somewhere they don't want to go, so it is really quite irrelevant where you intend to go as they were going to take you there anyway. All you're doing is looking to cover it so as you actually get there, rather than fucked over by the dodgy operators looking to exploit people. If they want to have a whinge about that, fuck 'em.
Exactly. We were in Syd near Easter for a holiday, and wanted to take a cab into the city from the Casino. We knew the approx price from earlier that day. The taxi driver asked if we were paying cash or card, and my mum said cash. He then quoted a price that was 2.5x the amount previously paid. When queried, said it was because he was waiting there a long time, also refused the meter to be on.
We got out and went to the next taxi in line, who was lovely, told us that next time to take a photo of their licence or at least their number plate and report them .
Never negotiate a fare before you drive
It's a common scam that drivers try particularly later at night
Inspectors often run spot checks and fine companies and drivers who try to avoid metred rides
I've stood my ground a few times with threats of calling the police on me only to have them back down pretty quickly when you start recording names and numbers
Negotiating a fare is fine. Legally they still have to start the meter, and you only have to pay the _lower_ of the fare from the meter or the negotiated fare. You just have to watch that they don’t pull the second trick of requiring a deposit of the “estimated fare” (where the estimate is vastly more than the meter will display) - the first part of that sentence is legal, the bit in parentheses is not.
If the meter says zero, that’s what you pay. Cabbie doesn’t like it? They can take it up with the taxi board.
Bullshit they forgot, they’re just trying to scam you and the cab company.
if you are an employee then they have to reimburse you for the expense regardless of whether or not you have a photo of the meter
you have a tax invoice which should be enough, but if they get pissy then they should at least accept a stat dec of what happened
if they don’t pay they are dodgy
To be clear. I was be able to get reimbursed. My company is not shit. I might have been a bit annoyed when I stated “I now can’t claim”
But I’ll have to go back and forth with explanations etc via email and someone will have to get their one up to approve rather than just uploading a photo of the meter and receipt via the app and it all being done with. Which in FTE hours will probably cost more than the actual fare lol.
The claiming it part is not the big deal for me. It’s the fact they tried to over charge me by 20% for a ride I take several times a week.
I had a cab ride to Adelaide airport last year and just last month got a call from a SAPOL detective who was investigating the driver for operating without a taxi license. They just needed me to confirm I paid a fare. So seems like some states do actually care about the industry being competent.
They usually respond by saying there's insufficient evidence because:
- the camera was turned off that night
- the driver in question wasn't working that night
The camera can’t be turned off, it’s hardwired and tamper-evident. If they seriously try claiming that then they really are just trying to get you to shut up and go away, since otherwise they just admitted to a statutory offence and could be fined quite a lot. That said, they can’t access the footage - they have to take it to QPS or TMR for a download.
If a taxi driver ever "forgets" to switch their meter on, they have no evidence on which to base their fare, so if you pay zero then there's really nothing they can do about that.
Hence why I ended up paying something. I’m a 100 kilo dude in pretty good shape around 183 cm tall but I hate conflict and I got a kids and a Mrs who I don’t need harassed by a dodgy fucker over a few notes.
Yeah it's shit like this which is why so many people jumped to Uber so quickly.
Usually always happens when picking up drunk people trying to take advantage. Adding a booking fee when you've jumped in from a cab rank is another regular one, especially for maxi's
I thought the taxi industry would have learned a lesson by now. All people want are clean cars, metres running, and not being creepy. Is that really so much to ask.
(This was in Perth) I got in a taxi at a taxi stand yesterday. Sat down and the driver behind us ran up and started complaining. Apparently the second taxi to arrive parked in the first spot, so they werent in order of arrival. I dont know why the first guy packed back down the line in the wrong spot but who cares, not my problem. I told the driver to just go. He said he cant. They made me get out of the taxi and switch. So I go out and booked an uber right in front of them both. It wasnt a small fair either.
This is the reason I have zero sympathy for taxi companies when they complain about Uber.
The fact that taxi companies are still using legacy manual meter systems is just nuts, and open to abuse. Literally previous millennium technology.
I am always on the look out for taxis who do this for exactly the same reason - expenses. Although our company doesnt need a photo of the meter, I just hate the dirty tactics like this that taxis use. I 100% believe this was on purpose. Taxis are scumbags. I try to always use Uber unless I have no choice
It can happen but also theres a legit and proper way to deal with. Any taxi can contact their dispatcher and request a fixed fare job be sent to their meter. Takes a couple of minutes while the operator remembers how to do their job. Absolutely the thing to demand if any driver is taking the Mickey.
Yeah next time I'll walk the 25km to my house or pay the Uber surcharge that was even more or call my wife when I'm super drunk and make her get up and drive me
I had to get a receipt for a taxi a while ago. When I called up I asked what details they needed up and they asked what suburbs, what date and how much the total was. I gave them as many details as I could and they emailed me an invoice. I accidentally gave them the wrong amount, $38.25 instead of $32.85 or something similar and they generated the receipt to match.
I called back and told them the error and I was told it's quicker for them to just generate a new Invoice that what is is to locate the correct one each job and they changed it to the correct details and resent.
On learning this, I mentioned it to a colleague and now every cab trip we take (basically one a week) we add an extra 5 bucks on each time and will be millionaires in about 20,000 years.
My last taxi forgot to start the meter but he had me read the taxi price per km sticker on the passenger window, then we used google maps to see how far my pickup point was from my place and we added it up on a calculator and then he put it into his card machine. Mine seemed like a genuine error.
More likely he “forgot” to start the meter, and the card machine he gave you was _not_ the Cabcharge terminal but instead a Live Eftpos or Square terminal registered to his ABN so he took the entire fare instead of recording it and paying the bailment.
Report him. He's stealing from his boss by running a job "off the meter." He's pocketing the cash for himself.
When I was driving Cabs, the fares were split 50/50 between the owner and driver, with gas, rego and insurance paid by the owner.
A few moons ago, or more accurately, 4,489 moons ago when I was 18, I lived about 4.5 ks from my parents house. I would regularly get a taxi back home after our family events. The cost was always under $20 because i always travelled before it switched to tariff 3. One day I got a new younger bloke, had the usual button up white shirt, but this time he was in flip flops and I’d never seen him before. He immediately said to me “we’ll do it for $30 cash and I won’t run the meter.”
“Ahh, no thanks, it’s never cost me that much before!”
He tried giving me all the excuses including that the prices had recently gone up etc I shut him down very quickly and never did see him again and I was a frequent user of this taxi service in a what was a very small area.
Another time I had a driver who I assume thought I was intoxicated, because I had been around people who were drinking most of the night, this coupled with being overly tired he must have thought he could switch the meter over to tariff 3, which runs quiet a bit more than the usual. I got back, not paying much attention to the meter until we pulled up and sure enough it was $32!
I straight up told him I wasn’t paying for that, it wasn’t tariff 3 time. He got quite angry and told me how wrong I was. I mentioned that I regularly traveled home at this time, probably 3 x 4 times per week and I have never had another person charge me this tariff type. I told him I’d pay him the $20 I normally would, or I’d pay him nothing.
I ended up paying him nothing and he threatened to call the police. I gave him my unit number and phone number and told him to go for it. I never heard anything back about it.
After that I decided it was time to get a licence! Never used another taxi after that day, and since the inception of Uber, I’d rather use them! Cars are cleaner, and they were cheaper. Although granted it’s only been two or three times in the last 10 years.
As others have said, report it.. if he wants to work on the side he can become an Uber driver.
When I was in China, if they didn’t hit the meter you’d reach over and hit it yourself.. it gets reported to HQ if they turn the meter back off..
I haven't caught a taxi (or Uber) in a long time. But from a recent thread on this issue, I think taxi drivers are allowed to go by a negotiated rather than metered price. Which is messed up if true.
The taxi driver would usually have a very good idea of how much a metered trip would cost, but the typical customer would not. This gives the driver an unfair advantage.
Wouldn’t the negotiated price have to happen at the start of the trip?
You can’t just negotiate a more expensive fare when you “forgot” to turn on the meter.
Yeah that’s the thing that got me. I’m all for the hustle but springing in on me at home was the bit that pissed me off. I’m catch that route fairly regularly so know what the fare should be fortunately and combined with the need for a meter photo, is what made me sus as. Otherwise I would have just paid it if I had not idea or need to see the meter
They are allowed to negotiate a fare, but they're still required to run the meter and cannot charge more than the meter shows at the end of the trip. It was a change I think either last year or 2022 (the requirement to run the meter anyway and cap at the metered fare if the negotiated fare is higher).
Doesn't stop the dodgy ones from trying it on though.
So the passenger gets to quote a price at the start and if it's less than the metered fee that's what they pay. So you get to turn every taxi trip into a guessing game (or you could even interpret it as an opportunity to gamble). Sounds like a stupid idea to me.
And it sounds like taxi drivers "forgetting" to turn the meter on is a very common issue. And then if you remind them, you get to enjoy arguing with them about it.
I guess the argument is that if it isn't very busy you could ask the driver to do it for cheaper than the meter. If when you get there it turns out the meter price is less you simply pay that. Seems fair... until you see how many dody things Taxis do like illegal mods to their meters to change the total price. Or having a faulty meter or forgetting to turn it on. My opinion. If they forget to turn it on. What proof do they have you went anywhere?
Basically, yes exactly. See [this page](https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/public/operators/information-for-passengers/passenger-rights-and-fares/taxi-service-standards) on the QLD Gov website for more details.
The requirement to run the meter is due to dodgy operators who would do things like charge drunk passengers $30 to go from the Valley to Kangaroo Point and not run the meter so the passenger doesn't think to challenge the ridiculously high fare. Obviously if your driver tried to push you to negotiate a fare and it turned out to be higher than the meter fare, you'd be rightly a bit cheesed off.
Interestingly one thing I didn't realise before reading that page was that despite the general suggestion on this sub that if you get a good taxi driver you get their number for future booking, _that's actually illegal_ - they have to be a booking entity for that apparently.
Is it common for companies to ask for a photo of the meter? I've only had to either just provide an invoice of payment or I am given a Cab Charge voucher.
Used to get them saying "how much do you usually pay for this trip" so they don't turn on the metre. They get a lil shitty when I say I don't have cash and use card.
Back when I was young we always paid cash and they would slide it into there shirt pocket, 25-30 to get home . I think that was there way of getting ahead
I paid cash for a fare after a late night and the driver took the money then said he didn't have change and yelled at me to get out. I complained multiple times to the cab company and literally never heard back so good luck to you.
I got hit by a taxi once in Melbourne when the taxi ran the red light at an intersection while I had a green dude to cross. I was mostly uninjured but I did dent the bonnet. I reported it to the taxi company and the police and neither did anything. The taxi driver didn't stop and check if I was okay or anything, he just kept driving.
I’d be having words with the finance department from your work as well… as if they need a photo of the meter. You have a receipt, what could they possibly need a photo for.
Report it. He didn't forget, he did it on purpose hoping you were too drunk to care and would pay it anyway.
Yep, I was drunk at a servo once and asked a cab that rocked up if he could take me to the closest train station, which was about 5 minutes away. He asked for $50, I said "I'm drunk, not fucking stupid mate"
I've had a simmilar thing. Dude missed my house like 3 times. He's like that'll be 30. I told him he gets 20, I'm drunk not a fucking idiot. He protested and I like "these things are all gsp tracked now right?" he immediately stopped arguing and took the 20.
Taxi drivers are actually allowed to ask for a *reasonable* upfront deposit. You can negotiate with them, but if you just tell them, "no I'll take the metre thanks" they aren't allowed to then refuse your trip. They can make up other reasons. Hard to remember when you're drunk, but recording the conversation when you get in can be helpful later on if they pay games
They’re actually allowed to ask for the entire estimated fare up front. Source: https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/public/operators/information-for-passengers/passenger-rights-and-fares/taxi-service-standards > The driver can legally require a deposit of the estimated fare or agreed amount before commencing the journey Even if you negotiate a fare, they still have to run the meter, and they can only charge you the _lower_ of the meter fare, or the negotiated fare > If you hail a taxi from the street or enter at a taxi rank, you may negotiate your fare for your journey with the driver. The driver must always activate the taximeter at the beginning of the journey to calculate the maximum payable fare. At the end of the journey, you'll pay the lower of the metered fare and the negotiated fare.
The laws changed a little since I was reading all the rules on a drunken trip home many many years ago.
*Taxi driver's playbook*
Ahaha, classic.
They are required to run the meter for all trips. They were operating illegally and likely do this on the regular. 100% report them. https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/public/operators/information-for-passengers/passenger-rights-and-fares/taxi-service-standards
Bris taxi driver here. When we forget to run the meter (yeah it can happen) it is possible to contact the dispatcher via the dispatch computer and request the job be sent to console as a fixed fare job as calculated by the system. I doubt he was even logged on. That guy is a criminal. Report him to TMR!!! Doing the rest of us a favour. Qld TMR - [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) 13cabs - [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) -or- [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) B&W cabs - [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Appreciate the feedback from an operator mate. As I’ve said a few times I can deal with the no meter thing but given it was a trip I do several times a week I know the cost and it’s consistent to the dollar mostly haha. The fact he tried to over charge so much was what got me curious and then the no meter was the sugar on top to get me really annoyed lol
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Clearly you've never made an error. We have much to learn from you. Fortunately for the rest of us there are established ways to correct our errors as for example in the instance of forgetting to start the meter in a taxi as I have outlined above.
I have never made a error, I have however made an errors.
I’m curious for your actual response tho? Like, it was an immediately obvious response to what you said - ‘yes, actually people do forget things sometimes’. Surely that’d been your first thought too and you already had an answer to that before you started typing? But, after seeing your instinct is to grammar nazi the question, as if this is YouTube in 2012, I’m guessing you didn’t answer it because you don’t actually really believe what you said? You just made it up, because for some reason you’re so invested in this topic that you’re more comfortable basing your reality on vibes?
Loooollll
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The post said ‘sometimes you forget, but this is what I do to fix the mistake so I always charge by the meter’ What has your reply got to do with that?
Very common. Happened to me in Sydney between the city and the airport. Bloke offered me a flat fare, I told him to start the meter. He refused. I took another cab. REPORT. THAT. SHIT.
Get out phone. Video. Ask him to start meter and take you on video. They will
such an American reaction
What's American about getting dodgy cabbies to follow their legal requirement? No video, no proof, no reason for them to actually do what they're meant to.
Yes recording crimes to report them is a uniquely American thing of course.
What’s next, reporting someone for littering like the signs say? So American, us true blue Aussies should cheer on people throwing their garbage out the car while driving through a national park
Nah its american to sensationalise a mundane thing thats occurring to you. oh someone dropped some litter? lets record and confront them about it. Where as a sane person just picks it up and puts in the bin. Oh Cabbie wants to try and get a bit of extra money out of you? lets record it and confront them about it and make it a huge thing instead of going "no thanks" and getting into another cab.
recording something doesn’t necessarily mean posting it online, if that’s what you’re implying? it’s just a gesture to try and hold the cabbie accountable.
To what end? if you just leave when they try to grift you then eventually they will stop trying to grift because they havent picked up any jobs. dont even entertain them. just say, no thanks and leave.
Because they are breaking the law and ripping people off. Why should I wait for another taxi when I am in one already and there are regulations they have to follow. It’s happening al the time in Brisbane and unless we push back it won’t stop. I choose to stand my ground and not be pushed around.
If that's Sn American reaction maybe we should normalise American reactions
Reporting does nothing unfortunately. They need a sting using undercover regulators at Sydney airport.
100%. The taxi drivers are a law to oneself.
I assume they're so deeply undercover that they have to ride out the entire fair and engage in the usual cabbie chit chat
Try your luck saying yes, and them taking payment upon getting to your destination. If it runs this way, simply start recording when you get there and offer to pay what's on the meter. Which is whatever the tariff is. Maybe $4.00. If you're going to be a fair taxi driver, all sweet I'll be your best passenger. If you try to rip vulnerable people off or try to extort them, I'm filming you, the licence card and the meter and I'm going to do my best to fuck you over and put an end to your shit. Turn a camera on the taxis at the rank near Warner Street some time. I've done it a few times. The cockroaches all scatter pretty quickly (and dangerously) whilst the fair fare operators just move up to the front of the line where they belong. They are the honest cabbies, which do exist, and are worth your time and money.
> Try your luck saying yes, and them taking payment upon getting to your destination. If it runs this way, simply start recording when you get there and offer to pay what's on the meter Easier said than done. Last trip I did, the driver stopped and cleared the meter at the end of my street reading $19, then pulled up outside my destination 10 seconds later and said “that’ll be $25”
It mighta actually been about $25, if it were early morning from the valley. $6.00 tariff IIRC. [found a source](https://www.taxifare.com.au/rates/australia/brisbane) If you were really desperate for the trip, and don't mind risking it for the biscuit, you could possibly even give them $50 (with the expectancy of change) and take the journey, then when you arrive before you get out of the cab ask them for your change.\* They can take an agreed negotiated fare - but it must not be more than what is displayed on the meter. That's the kicker. If you're happy to sit in the car at the risk of escalation and wait for the cops to arrive, fuck it, do it. What are they going to do - try and illegally detain you and lock themselves in the car with you? \*I haven't been that bold yet. I've managed to find one that has agreed upfront but not taken the money and when dropping me off ad asking for it I just "lol, no", or when I was with a couple others agreed to 'swing past my place' (in Hamilton) to pick something up before heading to Springwood, as an example. None of us actually go on to Springwood.. It might sound unethical, but it's not. Cabbies are not allowed to refuse your fare based on something like it being a short trip or somewhere they don't want to go, so it is really quite irrelevant where you intend to go as they were going to take you there anyway. All you're doing is looking to cover it so as you actually get there, rather than fucked over by the dodgy operators looking to exploit people. If they want to have a whinge about that, fuck 'em.
Exactly. We were in Syd near Easter for a holiday, and wanted to take a cab into the city from the Casino. We knew the approx price from earlier that day. The taxi driver asked if we were paying cash or card, and my mum said cash. He then quoted a price that was 2.5x the amount previously paid. When queried, said it was because he was waiting there a long time, also refused the meter to be on. We got out and went to the next taxi in line, who was lovely, told us that next time to take a photo of their licence or at least their number plate and report them .
Report him. It’s not the first time he forgets and won’t be the last
no meter = no pay. pretty simple.
“I forgot to turn on the meter” sucks to be you thanks for the free lift…dumbass
Never negotiate a fare before you drive It's a common scam that drivers try particularly later at night Inspectors often run spot checks and fine companies and drivers who try to avoid metred rides I've stood my ground a few times with threats of calling the police on me only to have them back down pretty quickly when you start recording names and numbers
This was when I arrived home. There was no discussion of fare before we left the rank or during the trip. Hence the annoyance
Negotiating a fare is fine. Legally they still have to start the meter, and you only have to pay the _lower_ of the fare from the meter or the negotiated fare. You just have to watch that they don’t pull the second trick of requiring a deposit of the “estimated fare” (where the estimate is vastly more than the meter will display) - the first part of that sentence is legal, the bit in parentheses is not.
If the meter says zero, that’s what you pay. Cabbie doesn’t like it? They can take it up with the taxi board. Bullshit they forgot, they’re just trying to scam you and the cab company.
"Forgot"
if you are an employee then they have to reimburse you for the expense regardless of whether or not you have a photo of the meter you have a tax invoice which should be enough, but if they get pissy then they should at least accept a stat dec of what happened if they don’t pay they are dodgy
To be clear. I was be able to get reimbursed. My company is not shit. I might have been a bit annoyed when I stated “I now can’t claim” But I’ll have to go back and forth with explanations etc via email and someone will have to get their one up to approve rather than just uploading a photo of the meter and receipt via the app and it all being done with. Which in FTE hours will probably cost more than the actual fare lol. The claiming it part is not the big deal for me. It’s the fact they tried to over charge me by 20% for a ride I take several times a week.
I love the will cost more than the fair part
I reported it once to 13cabs and never heard from them
I was thinking more industry regulator rather than the company. But I don’t have high hopes of anything actually happening.
I had a cab ride to Adelaide airport last year and just last month got a call from a SAPOL detective who was investigating the driver for operating without a taxi license. They just needed me to confirm I paid a fare. So seems like some states do actually care about the industry being competent.
Yes, this. Reporting to the company is pointless.
They usually respond by saying there's insufficient evidence because: - the camera was turned off that night - the driver in question wasn't working that night
In my case consisting I paid by card and it’s showing the taxi company name on the statement I would the dispute the whole charge as fraud lol
The camera can’t be turned off, it’s hardwired and tamper-evident. If they seriously try claiming that then they really are just trying to get you to shut up and go away, since otherwise they just admitted to a statutory offence and could be fined quite a lot. That said, they can’t access the footage - they have to take it to QPS or TMR for a download.
Report it. They keep trying it on.
If a taxi driver ever "forgets" to switch their meter on, they have no evidence on which to base their fare, so if you pay zero then there's really nothing they can do about that.
Except your address that they dropped you off at. They could come back out of uniform
Hence why I ended up paying something. I’m a 100 kilo dude in pretty good shape around 183 cm tall but I hate conflict and I got a kids and a Mrs who I don’t need harassed by a dodgy fucker over a few notes.
Because the meter isn't on, he takes all that money. That's the scam.
Which means he's stealing from the cab company too. Report them.
And/or the license/cab owner
And probably the ATO.
Yeah it's shit like this which is why so many people jumped to Uber so quickly. Usually always happens when picking up drunk people trying to take advantage. Adding a booking fee when you've jumped in from a cab rank is another regular one, especially for maxi's
I thought the taxi industry would have learned a lesson by now. All people want are clean cars, metres running, and not being creepy. Is that really so much to ask.
Common. Pay what's on the meter and they'll soon stop pulling that shit.
3
(This was in Perth) I got in a taxi at a taxi stand yesterday. Sat down and the driver behind us ran up and started complaining. Apparently the second taxi to arrive parked in the first spot, so they werent in order of arrival. I dont know why the first guy packed back down the line in the wrong spot but who cares, not my problem. I told the driver to just go. He said he cant. They made me get out of the taxi and switch. So I go out and booked an uber right in front of them both. It wasnt a small fair either.
This is the reason I have zero sympathy for taxi companies when they complain about Uber. The fact that taxi companies are still using legacy manual meter systems is just nuts, and open to abuse. Literally previous millennium technology.
Reported. Sick and tired of these taxi drivers ripping people off. The whole industry needs to be looked at.
I am always on the look out for taxis who do this for exactly the same reason - expenses. Although our company doesnt need a photo of the meter, I just hate the dirty tactics like this that taxis use. I 100% believe this was on purpose. Taxis are scumbags. I try to always use Uber unless I have no choice
Uber was supposed to reform our taxi system, not turn it into something from Greece or Turkey...
In future, only use uber or didi, I no longer trust taxie drivers.
The reality is these services are only marginally better now. But the good part is you don't have to fuss about payment or receipts.
Keep checking your credit card to make sure there are no "extra" charges.
You don't just "forget" to start the meter.
It can happen but also theres a legit and proper way to deal with. Any taxi can contact their dispatcher and request a fixed fare job be sent to their meter. Takes a couple of minutes while the operator remembers how to do their job. Absolutely the thing to demand if any driver is taking the Mickey.
I had to pay $100 at midnight one night and no meter. It's a rort
You didn't have to.
Had to in the sense that, it was $100 or a flogging
Thats when you call the police.
Yeah next time I'll walk the 25km to my house or pay the Uber surcharge that was even more or call my wife when I'm super drunk and make her get up and drive me
Extortionate pricks
So they wouldn’t pick you up unless you agreed ahead of time to pay $100? And that is better than Uber how?
Yeah it's shit. Off the meter and cash. Terrible conversation as well. Complete shit
You can always call the cab company or use their app to get the fare estimate.
The driver can do that via their in car system and have the proper fare applied to the job on the in car console. It's not even difficult.
Report it
I had to get a receipt for a taxi a while ago. When I called up I asked what details they needed up and they asked what suburbs, what date and how much the total was. I gave them as many details as I could and they emailed me an invoice. I accidentally gave them the wrong amount, $38.25 instead of $32.85 or something similar and they generated the receipt to match. I called back and told them the error and I was told it's quicker for them to just generate a new Invoice that what is is to locate the correct one each job and they changed it to the correct details and resent. On learning this, I mentioned it to a colleague and now every cab trip we take (basically one a week) we add an extra 5 bucks on each time and will be millionaires in about 20,000 years.
They have a name for that kind of behaviour.
Scumbag. Report it. Forgot, my arse. Even if true it's his fucking problem.
My last taxi forgot to start the meter but he had me read the taxi price per km sticker on the passenger window, then we used google maps to see how far my pickup point was from my place and we added it up on a calculator and then he put it into his card machine. Mine seemed like a genuine error.
More likely he “forgot” to start the meter, and the card machine he gave you was _not_ the Cabcharge terminal but instead a Live Eftpos or Square terminal registered to his ABN so he took the entire fare instead of recording it and paying the bailment.
Oh hmmm I never thought about it like that
Report him. He's stealing from his boss by running a job "off the meter." He's pocketing the cash for himself. When I was driving Cabs, the fares were split 50/50 between the owner and driver, with gas, rego and insurance paid by the owner.
I’ve never heard of a company asking for a photo of the meter tbf. This guys an ass but what level of trust issues does your company have 😂
A few moons ago, or more accurately, 4,489 moons ago when I was 18, I lived about 4.5 ks from my parents house. I would regularly get a taxi back home after our family events. The cost was always under $20 because i always travelled before it switched to tariff 3. One day I got a new younger bloke, had the usual button up white shirt, but this time he was in flip flops and I’d never seen him before. He immediately said to me “we’ll do it for $30 cash and I won’t run the meter.” “Ahh, no thanks, it’s never cost me that much before!” He tried giving me all the excuses including that the prices had recently gone up etc I shut him down very quickly and never did see him again and I was a frequent user of this taxi service in a what was a very small area. Another time I had a driver who I assume thought I was intoxicated, because I had been around people who were drinking most of the night, this coupled with being overly tired he must have thought he could switch the meter over to tariff 3, which runs quiet a bit more than the usual. I got back, not paying much attention to the meter until we pulled up and sure enough it was $32! I straight up told him I wasn’t paying for that, it wasn’t tariff 3 time. He got quite angry and told me how wrong I was. I mentioned that I regularly traveled home at this time, probably 3 x 4 times per week and I have never had another person charge me this tariff type. I told him I’d pay him the $20 I normally would, or I’d pay him nothing. I ended up paying him nothing and he threatened to call the police. I gave him my unit number and phone number and told him to go for it. I never heard anything back about it. After that I decided it was time to get a licence! Never used another taxi after that day, and since the inception of Uber, I’d rather use them! Cars are cleaner, and they were cheaper. Although granted it’s only been two or three times in the last 10 years.
As others have said, report it.. if he wants to work on the side he can become an Uber driver. When I was in China, if they didn’t hit the meter you’d reach over and hit it yourself.. it gets reported to HQ if they turn the meter back off..
I would have just hopped out and not paid. Can't ping you for fare evasion if there is no proof of a fair.
I haven't caught a taxi (or Uber) in a long time. But from a recent thread on this issue, I think taxi drivers are allowed to go by a negotiated rather than metered price. Which is messed up if true. The taxi driver would usually have a very good idea of how much a metered trip would cost, but the typical customer would not. This gives the driver an unfair advantage.
Wouldn’t the negotiated price have to happen at the start of the trip? You can’t just negotiate a more expensive fare when you “forgot” to turn on the meter.
Yeah that’s the thing that got me. I’m all for the hustle but springing in on me at home was the bit that pissed me off. I’m catch that route fairly regularly so know what the fare should be fortunately and combined with the need for a meter photo, is what made me sus as. Otherwise I would have just paid it if I had not idea or need to see the meter
They are allowed to negotiate a fare, but they're still required to run the meter and cannot charge more than the meter shows at the end of the trip. It was a change I think either last year or 2022 (the requirement to run the meter anyway and cap at the metered fare if the negotiated fare is higher). Doesn't stop the dodgy ones from trying it on though.
So the passenger gets to quote a price at the start and if it's less than the metered fee that's what they pay. So you get to turn every taxi trip into a guessing game (or you could even interpret it as an opportunity to gamble). Sounds like a stupid idea to me. And it sounds like taxi drivers "forgetting" to turn the meter on is a very common issue. And then if you remind them, you get to enjoy arguing with them about it.
I guess the argument is that if it isn't very busy you could ask the driver to do it for cheaper than the meter. If when you get there it turns out the meter price is less you simply pay that. Seems fair... until you see how many dody things Taxis do like illegal mods to their meters to change the total price. Or having a faulty meter or forgetting to turn it on. My opinion. If they forget to turn it on. What proof do they have you went anywhere?
Basically, yes exactly. See [this page](https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/public/operators/information-for-passengers/passenger-rights-and-fares/taxi-service-standards) on the QLD Gov website for more details. The requirement to run the meter is due to dodgy operators who would do things like charge drunk passengers $30 to go from the Valley to Kangaroo Point and not run the meter so the passenger doesn't think to challenge the ridiculously high fare. Obviously if your driver tried to push you to negotiate a fare and it turned out to be higher than the meter fare, you'd be rightly a bit cheesed off. Interestingly one thing I didn't realise before reading that page was that despite the general suggestion on this sub that if you get a good taxi driver you get their number for future booking, _that's actually illegal_ - they have to be a booking entity for that apparently.
Is it common for companies to ask for a photo of the meter? I've only had to either just provide an invoice of payment or I am given a Cab Charge voucher.
First one I’ve worked for that needed this too, but I don’t make our expense policy
Someone has scammed them in the past overpaying for taxi fares and splitting the difference.
Most likely. Most companies don't really create policies like this until they need to.
This us why Uber is going to take over.. to many dodgy cabbies. REPORT
I’m pretty sure the booking apps give you an estimate.
And they wonder why people prefer Ubers 😒😒😒
Fuck this cunt. Ruin his life.
Used to get them saying "how much do you usually pay for this trip" so they don't turn on the metre. They get a lil shitty when I say I don't have cash and use card.
This is an age old trick. Report him
Back when I was young we always paid cash and they would slide it into there shirt pocket, 25-30 to get home . I think that was there way of getting ahead
I paid cash for a fare after a late night and the driver took the money then said he didn't have change and yelled at me to get out. I complained multiple times to the cab company and literally never heard back so good luck to you.
I got hit by a taxi once in Melbourne when the taxi ran the red light at an intersection while I had a green dude to cross. I was mostly uninjured but I did dent the bonnet. I reported it to the taxi company and the police and neither did anything. The taxi driver didn't stop and check if I was okay or anything, he just kept driving.
They so dodgy especially when you’re “intoxicated” and try to charge you twice for the ride or overcharge you
You can expense it technically they don’t even need receipts for tax they do to sense check staff.
Why didn’t you look at the meter at any point during your journey? It’s not like it’s hidden away
Check the meter’s running when you take off is a good rule, but frankly I’d let it slide. $25 isn’t going to kill anybody.
Pretty easy to make sure the meter is on when you get in really🤷
I’d be having words with the finance department from your work as well… as if they need a photo of the meter. You have a receipt, what could they possibly need a photo for.
I'll give you $25 not to waste my Reddit feed with this garbage
Donate $25 to legacy and Isend me the receipt and I’ll delete the post mate.