What is a "short" trip from major airports in Australia? How to deal with it?

[Kangol]

How to deal with it = organise a chauffeured hire car. It's usually only $10 or so more than a normal cab (depending on location) and the advantages are worth the extra amount. Clean luxury cars, respectful drivers, punctual, efficient (they get paid per job so the quicker they get it done the better for them). If you get cabs regularly then you'd be mad not to use one!
The extra cost might add up, but then again you have to ask yourself is it worth the hassle of waiting in a queue for the taxi, in sometimes bad weather, or at bad times, to have the prospect of abuse and someone ruining your day or putting you in a bad mood..

 

[UP4014]

Unless there are two or more of you travelling?

Even with 3 people I think the Skybus is better then the unknown taxi interior, probably have more space as well.

 

[serfty]

Yeah, and thw 10 tripper has gone up $10.

I see the sign in arrivals about a cab fare to the CBD being about 45$ including tolls and assumed this was out of date. Almost all my travel in MEL starts with airport-HSW in docklands. Not the CBD, I realise, but _really_ close. With 2x tolls + CC fee I never see a fair as low as $55 and never even close to $45. ...

It's distance; from the HSW they'll head towards the Westgate bridge before the 270° loop and the Bolte bridge- that's an extra 5K before you really start.

I'd walk up to Southern Cross and catch a cab and tell them Flemington road ... but by then you may as well take the Skybus ....

 

[SeatBackForward]

a good taxi driver operates much like a good airline should, minimum downtime and maximum time spent ticking that meter over. Even if its a short fare. Waiting around for big fares is like an airline only offering premium service for long haul flights, outsourcing to asian crews...oh wait.

 

[dajop]

a good taxi driver operates much like a good airline should, minimum downtime and maximum time spent ticking that meter over. Even if its a short fare.

Had some interesting discussions with taxi drivers here in Singapore about this. One was with a driver gravely concerned about fare rises as that might mean less people take taxis so less full. Then another who, when I expressed surprise he was going the shortest way without prompting, said much better to get there as quick as possible and get a new fare than drive an extra 2-3km to get stuck in traffic on the freeway. And another who picked me up at Changi about 15 mins before the airport surcharge increased from $3 to $5 had been talking to a friend who said he should wait till the surcharge increased, but he was adamant that he'd get more than $2 in that extra 15 mins. But it's different in a place where taxi's are an extension of the public transport, as opposed to another form of taxation (in terms of fees to obtain a taxi license) like it is in Melbourne.

 

[Moopere]

as opposed to another form of taxation (in terms of fees to obtain a taxi license) like it is in Melbourne.

Yes how true. Milking that particular cash cow to death I fear.

 

[medhead]

, as opposed to another form of taxation (in terms of fees to obtain a taxi license) like it is in Melbourne.

Yes how true. Milking that particular cash cow to death I fear.

What are you on about? Driver's licence or the plate. If its the plate the government only sell that once. And the owners of the plate do make a decent amount of money from their investment.

 

[dajop]

What are you on about? Driver's licence or the plate. If its the plate the government only sell that once. And the owners of the plate do make a decent amount of money from their investment.

What about the drivers though? Perhaps if the drivers could make more out the whole arrangements the situation wouldn't be so dire that many of us detest catching taxis fullstop.

A plate fee may be one off, but essentially it's factored into the taxi fare so has the same effect as a tax.

Oh, and whilst I'm having a rant, might as well slag off city link as well , given that I'm a user of the Bulla Rd- Flemington Rd only section of that City Link. Which is a ~$3 higher charge for taxis than cars on the same section of road.

 

[medhead]

What about the drivers though? Perhaps if the drivers could make more out the whole arrangements the situation wouldn't be so dire that many of us detest catching taxis fullstop.

A plate fee may be one off, but essentially it's factored into the taxi fare so has the same effect as a tax.

No, it isn't factored into the fare. Fares are set by the government. The taxi plate fare is a fee for the right to operate a hire car, the plate owner has no means to recoup that fee from customers beyond the statutory fares. Anyway, what's the alternative, let anyone run a taxi? And you think standards are bad now. I also highly doubt that reducing fares is going to help drivers make enough money to life on, either. There are many reasons why taxis are the way they are but a lot of it comes down to enforcement. It also comes do to the public attitude to taxi drivers. Everyone wants a taxi to be sitting there waiting even in busy times, but no one stops to think how all those cabs are going to make money when it's not busy.

 

[dajop]

No, it isn't factored into the fare. Fares are set by the government. The taxi plate fare is a fee for the right to operate a hire car, the plate owner has no means to recoup that fee from customers beyond the statutory fares..

Of course it's factored into the fares, not explicitly, but when setting the statutory fares , or increases thereof, relevant increases in cost of capital would be included in the considerations. Someone is paying for it somewhere along the line it's not like it is money that appears from nowhere. Ultimately that is either the passenger or the driver (or the owner, but I doubt it).

Everyone wants a taxi to be sitting there waiting even in busy times, but no one stops to think how all those cabs are going to make money when it's not busy.

Yes true, but I sort of like the model where drivers have an incentive to be there - surcharging flat amounts of money at certain times or in certain locations can help manage supply and demand (and may lead to less concern about short fares). And I don't mean MEL airport style surcharge which AFAIK goes to MEL airport, vs SIN ( Changi airport) surcharge which goes to the drivers.

Will be interesting to see what the Fels inquiry comes up with.

 

[medhead]

Of course it's factored into the fares, not explicitly, but when setting the statutory fares , or increases thereof, relevant increases in cost of capital would be included in the considerations. Someone is paying for it somewhere along the line it's not like it is money that appears from nowhere. Ultimately that is either the passenger or the driver (or the owner, but I doubt it).

The cost of capital is something different to the taxi plate fee collected by the government. There is an active secondary market for taxi plates, in which the cost of the plate can be vastly different to the fare initial collected by the government when they first released the plate. So factoring in the cost of the plate does not mean the government collected fee.

Yes true, but I sort of like the model where drivers have an incentive to be there - surcharging flat amounts of money at certain times or in certain locations can help manage supply and demand (and may lead to less concern about short fares). And I don't mean MEL airport style surcharge which AFAIK goes to MEL airport, vs SIN ( Changi airport) surcharge which goes to the drivers.

isn't the the purpose of the flag fall? It's a surcharge for being available. Of course, a big problem with flag fall is being based on 9 to 5 hours, rather than recognizing this is shift work. There is hardly a need to give someone a few extra dollars to be out on Saturday night, for example.


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[eric2011]

You can always do what I do. Ask driver to pull over and get out and just walk away. Wait a minute and hail a cab which going the oposite direction ie back to airport. Always seems more empty ones going to airport than coming from. I always get into a cab with my phone voice recorder switched on and recording any abuse. That way you have an excuse for getting out and a reason for not paying ie the taxi didnt deliver you to your destination.

p.s It also helps if you are like me 6 foot 4 inches and weighing at around 115kg's with a very mean looking face.

 

[serfty]

...

But, what is a "short trip"? $40? $50? Anywhere short of Frankston? I am curious what others think.

Frankston would be $140+ and avoiding tollways! (Take Eastlink and it's $160+)

It costs $10 to go past the F1 hotel at MEL with flag-fall, airport fee, tollway fee, time charge and the 1km you have travelled.

Look at $45-$55 for CBD.

Back to the topic - I guess in the eye of the Taxi Driver, anything less than $40 - at $34 all up it means you travelled 13km - 15 km.

Certainly not a small trip.

 

[medhead]

You can always do what I do. Ask driver to pull over and get out and just walk away. Wait a minute and hail a cab which going the oposite direction ie back to airport. Always seems more empty ones going to airport than coming from. I always get into a cab with my phone voice recorder switched on and recording any abuse. That way you have an excuse for getting out and a reason for not paying ie the taxi didnt deliver you to your destination.

p.s It also helps if you are like me 6 foot 4 inches and weighing at around 115kg's with a very mean looking face.

If you choose to get out you are still required to pay. If they kick you out then you don't have to pay. It all comes down to who terminated the hiring.

This is why arm-breaker Latham was in the right. (Not his fault the taxi driver had soft bones.) I have also used this to good effect, accusing a taxi driver of ripping me off, he kicked me out, as he is entitled to do, so I walked the last 500m to work with him following and demanding the money. The police attended and confirmed I owed nothing.


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[Canny man]

I get this all the time, living 10 mins from the airport. I will usually apologise when I get in 'sorry mate it's a short one' but expect to be taken without complaint.
Scenario 1 - 'No worries, they even out etc' = respectable tip.
Scenario 2 - sullen attitude, sharp acceleration = no tip

Given that I read recently that the average taxi driver can expect to take home $11 per hour (after paying the cab owner and other costs) even a few $ tip makes a difference.

 

[medhead]

Given that I read recently that the average taxi driver can expect to take home $11 per hour (after paying the cab owner and other costs) even a few $ tip makes a difference.

Yep, $10 an hour was a good shift back in the mid-90s when I drove cabs. Best tip ever was a guy who paid the fare in cash and then emptied his pocket full of coins into the center console - ~$50

Worst was that group of private school A-holes who did a runner. Funniest? Well that's another guy who did a runner but then had a yelling match with his sister's boyfriend when I just happened to be driving past.


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[tuapekastar]

I get this all the time, living 10 mins from the airport. I will usually apologise when I get in 'sorry mate it's a short one' but expect to be taken without complaint.
Scenario 1 - 'No worries, they even out etc' = respectable tip.
Scenario 2 - sullen attitude, sharp acceleration = no tip

Given that I read recently that the average taxi driver can expect to take home $11 per hour (after paying the cab owner and other costs) even a few $ tip makes a difference.

Out of interest, do you let them know their attitude cost them a tip? My help them to recalibrate the attitude.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Worst rip off, when l flew back to PER (Subiaco, years ago) and old Chinese mate decided the take the scenic tour and the fare was very high. I was so tired from the partying that weekend l couldn't be bothered giving him a mouth full, normally l'd rip into any cabbie for ripping me off that much.

Scariest taxi ride, old mate in Bangkok, 1 eye missing, driving a manual and doing about 160km/h+ on the freeway with 6 people in the cab. At least l was in the front with seat belt and a airbag

Shortest taxi ride, somewhere in BKK, literally in and out, 100baht. No worries, no angry cabbie, l tipped more than the fare.

Haven't had a angry cabbie in Australia.
My definition of a short fare would be $5/$10 cab ride. But l agree, MEL seem to have some fruitcakes. I was down there years ago, early morning, raining a little, this guy had the air-con on heat and fogged up the windscreen, he had no idea.

 

[Deleted member]

You can always do what I do. Ask driver to pull over and get out and just walk away. Wait a minute and hail a cab which going the oposite direction ie back to airport. Always seems more empty ones going to airport than coming from. I always get into a cab with my phone voice recorder switched on and recording any abuse. That way you have an excuse for getting out and a reason for not paying ie the taxi didnt deliver you to your destination.

p.s It also helps if you are like me 6 foot 4 inches and weighing at around 115kg's with a very mean looking face.

Let's see that face

 

[medhead]

I was down there years ago, early morning, raining a little, this guy had the air-con on heat and fogged up the windscreen, he had no idea.

A/C and heat works. The problem is it will fog up until the windscreen heats up. In fact, A/C will always defog, just changing from cold to hot or vv will cause fogging.