Uber drivers at CNS routinely cancelling rides to manipulate surge pricing

[Aeryn]

Surge, most people would agree, being a higher price than normal...not doubling...that is called price gouging, extortion, a ripoff.....

You are clearly not a regular Uber user, 100-400% increase after a concert gets out is very common. When the train strikes were on my usual Uber commute of $20 became $50, these actual surges are not unusual at all.

Of course when I see actual surges I dont use Uber, noting you can sometime wait as little as 15 mins to see the price halve.

But on daily commute, if I see $24 instead of $20 I know its not surging just a busier time and that that means more traffic and a slower commute. I also know if I took a taxi their meter ticking over whilst moving at a snails pace in that same traffic is still going to be a lot more expensive than that $4.

Whether any mode of transport is considered a rip-off or good value will always be in the eye of the user.

 

[XWu]

As AjMcN wrote, looks like Cairns taxis splashed some money to advertise they don’t have surge pricing. It’s not just some homemade sign on the windscreen as I assumed
So whoever thinks surge pricing is not a problem in Cairns, maybe they can tell Cairns Taxis to stop wasting their cash, or maybe some one do have a hand in it (allegedly).
Or, even better, the sign could be part of a evolving National wide rollout… and the Uber pricing issue (surge, gouging and whatever you call it, personally it’s the fact the drivers accept the fare, then not turn up or cancel, that’s the real problem) at Cairns is just a coincidence

 

[anat0l]

View attachment 438614As AjMcN wrote, looks like Cairns taxis splashed some money to advertise they don’t have surge pricing. It’s not just some homemade sign on the windscreen as I assumed
So whoever thinks surge pricing is not a problem in Cairns, maybe they can tell Cairns Taxis to stop wasting their cash, or maybe some one do have a hand in it (allegedly).
Or, even better, the sign could be part of a evolving National wide rollout… and the Uber pricing issue (surge, gouging and whatever you call it, personally it’s the fact the drivers accept the fare, then not turn up or cancel, that’s the real problem) at Cairns is just a coincidence

I thought (think) "no surge pricing" was (is) a wider taxi industry initiative to try and edge out rideshare services like Uber, but that line has been bandied by taxis all over the nation for quite some time now. Not sure how many taxis painted the words on their rides, but I've definitely seen it on advertising.

It might have ramped up after a bunch of news articles against Uber got thrown up, with people complaining about predatory pricing on Uber after "events" (I believe this was still in the days where surge was specifically shown as a multiplier of a base cost, rather than an opaque figure).

 

[jastel]

You are right I dont use Uber, I also dont catch Taxis very often, well not in Australia anyway.

Cairns Taxis is a locally owned independent Private Company. It is affilated with 131008 and Cabcharge etc but the company is run locally. There is no nationwide rollout of the local sticker decision.

Its not just a cheesy line...its a Fact, NO honest Taxi can surge, they must use the meter in QLD...or quote an agreed amount less than meter amount...here is a tip...THAT wont happen...EVER.

If the Taxi does not have the meter on, and demands $50 or some BS amount from the airport to city, just get out and dont pay. You cant be charged with Fare Evasion if there is no Fare.

There are a few different Tarrifs depending on time of day, high occupancy, Silver service etc but ALL are on the meter if the cabbie is doing the right thing.

NO SURGE PRICING stickers have been put on Taxis to remind people of the fact, as many people just wrongly assume taxis will always be more expensive. Many people, media included, just lump all groups together as Taxis and Rideshare and not specify which service the (usually negative) story is about.

 

[XWu]

I thought (think) "no surge pricing" was (is) a wider taxi industry initiative to try and edge out rideshare services like Uber, but that line has been bandied by taxis all over the nation for quite some time now. Not sure how many taxis painted the words on their rides, but I've definitely seen it on advertising.

It might have ramped up after a bunch of news articles against Uber got thrown up, with people complaining about predatory pricing on Uber after "events" (I believe this was still in the days where surge was specifically shown as a multiplier of a base cost, rather than an opaque figure).

I can say that this is the first time I’ve seen a permanent decal saying “no surge pricing” or anything like it actually on a taxi, didn’t see any in the east coast capitals or Adelaide for the last few years
As I wrote, it could be part of future national rollout but with a widely reported behaviour related to Uber pickup at CNS, is asking us to believe it’s a coincidence, which I personally would struggle with. Of course this does not seem to affect most ride in Uber in Cairns except for that ride out of CNS but considering this is the experience a large proportion of pax (primarily tourists) arriving, it may be enough to put off some from relying on Uber the rest of their trip

 

[XWu]

You are right I dont use Uber, I also dont catch Taxis very often, well not in Australia anyway.

Cairns Taxis is a locally owned independent Private Company. It is affilated with 131008 and Cabcharge etc but the company is run locally. There is no nationwide rollout of the local sticker decision.

Its not just a cheesy line...its a Fact, NO honest Taxi can surge, they must use the meter in QLD...or quote an agreed amount less than meter amount...here is a tip...THAT wont happen...EVER.

If the Taxi does not have the meter on, and demands $50 or some BS amount from the airport to city, just get out and dont pay. You cant be charged with Fare Evasion if there is no Fare.

There are a few different Tarrifs depending on time of day, high occupancy, Silver service etc but ALL are on the meter if the cabbie is doing the right thing.

NO SURGE PRICING stickers have been put on Taxis to remind people of the fact, as many people just wrongly assume taxis will always be more expensive. Many people, media included, just lump all groups together as Taxis and Rideshare and not specify which service the (usually negative) story is about

My experience with surge pricing by taxi drivers was in Melbourne CBD evening not CNS, he waited for all of us to get into the car with stuff at the back before telling us he is not using the meter and demanding a fixed fare, more than double the price. By then several other taxis have been taken up at the same spot, with no other available in sight. You can say we could have got out, but none of us can be sure we can get one without calling for one (incurring the booking surcharge) or how long we have to wait for another one.
Some can say you can report the taxi driver, but ultimately the taxi driver can negotiate a private (invariably higher) fare upfront as far as I am aware,it's take it or leave it so you don’t really get anywhere by complaining.
Of course this tale have nothing to do with Cairns taxis, who will not be asking for private fare during peak events … because they have “ no surge pricing. “ on the door, or maybe there’s not that many large events that would attract such pricing?

 

[jastel]

It is a QUEENSLAND LAW, (using the meter) not only in Cairns.

Having a sticker on the door or not does not make an honest driver.

Sorry for your problem in Melbourne, have heard of many similar incidents but I am not totally sure of the law there though I think it has changed closer to the QLD one now after all the bad publicity at Xmas etc. Maybe Melbourne people should make a new thread.

If nobody complains nothing will change. But complain to the Transport Department.

The sticker is just advertising a fact that Surge Pricing is not legal in Qld Taxis.
Why it IS legal in Uber, you should ask the Qld Government....

 

[Aeryn]

True taxis dont have a surge the same way as Uber but they do kinda have an inbuilt surge as the meter keeps ticking over even if you aren't moving or if they take you the long way round. Poor route costs you money in a taxi vs fixed price for ride shares.

Rideshare drivers are therefore incentivized to take quickest route and avoid traffic whereas taxis drivers are not.

Then there is the times the taxi driver uses the late night rate in daytime over charging customers.

Anyway I'll be back in Cairns in a few month and plan to use UBER as I have personally not experienced the cancellation dance at CNS and always found fares reasonable.

 

[XWu]

True taxis dont have a surge the same way as Uber but they do kinda have an inbuilt surge as the meter keeps ticking over even if you aren't moving or if they take you the long way round. Poor route costs you money in a taxi vs fixed price for ride shares.

Rideshare drivers are therefore incentivized to take quickest route and avoid traffic whereas taxis drivers are not.

Then there is the times the taxi driver uses the late night rate in daytime over charging customers.

Anyway I'll be back in Cairns in a few month and plan to use UBER as I have personally not experienced the cancellation dance at CNS and always found fares reasonable.

Hey don’t jinx yourself by saying that! I might be a modern person but I believe in not tempting fate…

People choose rideshare over taxi for lower prices, fixed quote, and maybe better service (in theory, I note that at the moment many taxi driver still don’t improve their game with putting their own music on the stereo, the smell of the cabin, and being on the phone call via earbuds while driving, I don’t ride on Uber or others enough to comment if rideshare drivers are guilty of the same thing) but at least we have more choice even if Uber doesn’t necessarily mean better alternatives

 

[jastel]

If you know the route you want, tell them in advance.
Do you think the Taxi Driver likes you that much he wants to spend MORE time with you??
I doubt Taxi Drivers like traffic jams anymore than you do.
The "long way" scam is over, Taxis are GPS tracked now (and for the last 20 years or so) so the driver will get in trouble...IF you complain.

Taxis make more money from the flagfall, (meter starting), than a paltry time rate in a traffic jam.
He is still burning petrol/electricity, you are still in the car preventing him from getting another job, of course you should be paying for his time...do you work for free?

Thats why uber drivers get cranky on Maccas runs...set price fares do not cover 10 minutes waiting for fast food...try it sometime.

Modern dispatch systems also make changing the Tarriff by the driver much harder. usually a supervisor has to change it from the base. The computer knows what time it is, where the car is and what sort of booking it is. Its mostly automated dispatch now just like uber.
There should be a fare sticker on the windscreen explaining it all.

Im not trying to convert you...just correct some statements, most of your complaints went out with radio dispatch.

 

[aikman]

Uber was quoting $29 from the airport so I jumped in a taxi which cost $27.

I was monitoring the Uber price and after 45 mins Uber dropped to $20.

 

[PineappleSkip]

True taxis dont have a surge the same way as Uber but they do kinda have an inbuilt surge as the meter keeps ticking over even if you aren't moving or if they take you the long way round. Poor route costs you money in a taxi vs fixed price for ride shares.

Rideshare drivers are therefore incentivized to take quickest route and avoid traffic whereas taxis drivers are not.

I've seen a lot of smoke (and mirrors?) in this thread but this is demonstrably rubbish. The current time and distance based rates for Queensland regional taxis are here. $2.73 per km distance rate or $0.98 per minute waiting at the lights. That means you're making $2.73 a minute if you're doing 60 km/h, which is nearly three times what you get while waiting at the lights for a minute. The best fares are long rides barreling down the motorway, with your happy, happy driver watching the meter go clickety clickety click. The worst fares are traffic jams, and you may have noticed traffic jams make drivers cranky. You have a vehicle for a set shift and want to maximise your return for the shift.

More than 30 years ago I last drove taxis and it was the same then, except the meter really did go clickety click. Passengers sometimes suggested that traffic lights were some sort of rort and I was happy to explain the numbers to them.

BTW I've experienced Uber drivers cancelling on me at both CNS and MCY. I occasionally get the late QF flight into the latter and normally get an Uber. At MCY a Uber cancel has happened to me maybe one trip out of three. It seems to me that the real culprit for all the cancellations is in the Queensland regulations if they are as per this quote from the ABC article

"Queensland driver-partners can see the rider's trip fare before the trip starts, as required by state regulations."

If that's the case, and I was an Uber driver, I'd be cancelling $10 fares flagged to me in advance to the extent that I safely could, if the odds were in favour of the next fare being $50. I guess you could call that gaming the system. If I was an Uber driver i'd call it trying to make a living.

Cheers skip

 

[anat0l]

I think the moral (Or immoral?) of this thread is that no one - taxis or ridesharers - seems to like short fares. For something like CNS to Cairns CBD, that's a real kick in the head for passengers, because they have to either wait for the next ethical driver or whoever is forced to pick up "leftover jobs".

Damn shame.

 

[ethernet]

It has been a while, But I remember Sydney CBD to Bondi, drivers refusing to take fares. I expect nothing has changed. Recently Nursing home cabcharge chits were apparently open to complaint. Easy to rip off disabled passengers.

 

[NM]

And reporting back with facts and a data point.

Arrived CNS early afternoon on Easter Monday (public holiday). There were about 4 people/groups waiting in the taxi queue, which cleared in a few minuits.

Checked Uber quote upon landing ($28.58) and again exiting the terminal ($29.94) and while in the taxi queue ($30.19). All were quoting 8 mins away.

Taxi was about 2-3 min wait in the queue and cost $25.94 total ($24.70 fare + $1.24 "service fee" and paid with Amex).

Return trip from hotel to CNS I chose the taxi option arranged by hotel reception. Was told it would be there in 2 mins and it was. Uber would have been cheaper for the return trip, but was quoting 5 mins and I have 100% experience of them never arriving at the quoted time. This was 5:30am and any delay was going to come between me and the Qantas Club Barista. So decided to give my money to the taxi driver/company.

Both taxi rides were pleasant, direct route in clean vehicles (Rav4 Hybrid and Corolla Cross Hybrid).