What's your taxi experience lately?

[albatross710]

Try as I can I do still support the taxi industry. They do make it hard though.

CabCharge : 5% processing fee on EFTPOS transactions.

Booking fee : $1.50 when hotel concierge books a taxi for you via the ‘free’ hotel phone.

Quoted price : rarely accurate, goes low side. then need to add tolls and extras.

Fixed price offers: The app offers to fix at the top of the range.

The Black & White App : As used by B&W Brisbane is a sad example of an app. Doesn’t even pass destination or quoted price range to drivers. According to the driver.

App doesn't provide info on the $1.50 booking fee.

Dispute resolution : Tried taking up my booking fee and card fee issue with cab co. Sorry mate, not our problem because :

Independent drivers​

Cabcharge sets their own fee​

Anyone got any positive taxi stories?

Alby

I only use a cab once or twice per month. If they keep this up I’ll end up reinstalling Uber again

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Plenty good taxis around where quality of cars / drivers / service way superior to most Uber / DiDi / Ola - find them and stick with them - info posted on AFF already

 

[albatross710]

Just off the phone from Cabcharge. They confirm they charge 5% on EFTPOS transactions. Idiots.

 

[albatross710]

Just off the phone from Cabcharge. They confirm they charge 5% on EFTPOS transactions. Idiots.

Apologies for using the idiots term. I meant to say that it is "idiots clinging to a sub-optimal rent seeking pricing model."

 

[NSun]

My best (and in 2019 my only taxi) experience was OK, from Santiago Airport to the city for 20,000 pesos (about A$40) for 20 minutes. Driver didn't speak a word of English but took me where I had to be. Was double my Uber ride back to the airport a few days later. Then I went to Argentina to the taxi booth but didn't accept credit cards, no ATM worked. I connected to wifi and 2 minutes later am in an Uber - there's less policing of Uber at EZE than at SCL.

 

[kpc]

Anyone got any positive taxi stories?

Alby

Yes...it is called Uber / Ola / Bolt etc . Taxis in Syd / Mel are dishonest when it comes to fares until proven otherwise. I used Grab in SE Asia this year and recently used Bolt in Eastern Europe all with +ve stories

 

[defurax]

I have so many bad taxi experiences. Here are just a few things I hate about 90% of taxi drivers in Melbourne:
1- they don't know where they are and/or where they are going. At least with Uber there is as destination on the screen.
2- they initially ask a few polite questions, but most of the time it's to find out if I live in Melbourne or not. So they can take the long way home.
3- They don't care about cleanliness of their car
4- The cabcharge machine magically works again when I say I have absolutely no other way to pay them than by using a cabcharge card. I guess they don't get as much money without the cabcharge surcharge.
5- They talk loudly on the phone
6- Proselytising at 6am...

 

[dxwell]

CabCharge : 5% processing fee

Well that is better than the 10% it used to be.

The taxi industry needs major reform in cost, service, product quality. I haven't used one since ride sharing came in. Before that, I suffered frequently with terrible cab service.

 

[Scarlett]

Anyone got any positive taxi stories?

I caught a standard cab from a train station cab rank in semi-rural Japan last month:
- clean seats
- well dressed older gentleman driving (yes, wearing white gloves)
- he drove safely within the speed limit
- accepted my Aus credit card no problem

Was probably about as expensive as a ride of similar length here.

Chalk and cheese really.

 

[Scarlett]

Related question:
Why does anyone use cabcharge?
I thought it died a predictable death 15 years ago for being so pointlessly uncompetitive.

 

[Denali]

.......Anyone got any positive taxi stories?

 

[defurax]

Related question:
Why does anyone use cabcharge?
I thought it died a predictable death 15 years ago for being so pointlessly uncompetitive.

Billed directly to employer, easy to use. If I use my corporate credit card I still need to take a picture of the receipt, upload in accounting software, etc. Saves time.

 

[Lynda2475]

The last two taxis i took both in Melbourne skimmed/copied my credit card resulting in the inconveninece of havng to have card cancelled, fraud case etc. So i wont take a taxi in Melbourne ever again, unless it is an emmergency and I know the route and have cash to cover the fare so no fraud.

In Sydney the 13 Cabs app is woeful, even though you put full address into the app, the driver only gets the suburb, and you end up directing them. The Uber/OLA app works everytime - as soon as driver starts the trip they get the full adress and the directions.

For work trips we use Uber for business - expense claim lodged straight onto corporate account from the app - no paperwork or receipts and no surcharge for paying electronically - plus the GPS locations are provided which prevents staff fraudulently claiming personal travel as a work trip.

For personal travel i now almost exclusively use uber, the cars in my experience are cleaner and newer than taxis, i dont have to worry about payment at my destination, plus I have the double protection of Paypal + Credit card linked to Paypal - so I dont worry about my card details being misused like I do with a taxi driver. And there are safety features in the uber app where my ride can be tracked by a friend or family member. Plus i get uber rewards and earn qantas points to/from airport.

Where Uber operates oversea it has also been great for me, as you dont worry about any language barrier or being ripped off in an unfamiliar currency.

For decades i had a great local Taxi driver (Pierre) whom Id book direct with for early morning airport depatures or going to client sites, he retired and unfortunately was one of a dying breed, who actually knew his way around Sydney, kept his cab clean and always showed up when he had committed to. Recommendations after his retirement for other drivers were never as good, so I find it much better to pay less and rise with Uber (or ride share of your choice).

I dont own a car so I use ubers very frequently at least 10 rides a week for the last 3 years or so - so I have a good number of rides to compare across.

 

[offshore171]

The above post is right on the mark.

 

[albatross710]

The taxi industry needs major reform in cost, service, product quality. I haven't used one since ride sharing came in. Before that, I suffered frequently with terrible cab service.

well not many happy taxi stories. really the need to start an entire new stream of taxi 2.0 business. not trying to transition the current sunk methods.

 

[Tallfont]

I was a committed taxi user until about 18 months ago. Then one night I got a cab from Perth Domestic to home (about 10-12 minutes away) and the guy didn't know his way out of the airport! He wanted to go the way he knew which would have resulted in at least double the usual fare.

I decided to try Uber. I have now used it in the UK, France, Holland and Belgium. Also in most states of Australia.
I have never had a bad experience (maybe I been lucky!). The vehicles have almost always been late models, clean and tidy. Often with chilled water offered. The drivers have all been courteous and helpful.

For me the great advantage is no money changes hands during the ride. The invoice appears in my inbox and I could even have it go into my Xero accounting package if I wanted.

The taxi business model is "dead in the water" and still living in the 1990's. Until they clean up their act they will dwindle away to insignificance.

 

[lonewolf]

I refuse to use taxis these days, been rorted so many times by drivers going on far far off routes including lying to my face when i question why arent we on this road or that road only to get told its closed when it wasnt. As well as i thought the cabcharge used to be 10% ?

 

[laikanuj]

With the advent of Uber, the value of taxi plates has crashed significantly. As the value of the plate is a large component of your fare, this drop in plate value should be reflected in reduced fares, but no they never came down at all. So when the taxi industry cries about the unfair competition from the likes of Uber, they are crocodile tears. Cabcharge has a stranglehold on the taxi industry and nowhere else can any retailer charge 5% commission on credit cards. Boycott taxis until Cabcharge is pulled into line and taxi fares are reduced to realistic levels. In fact the only way the taxi industry will reform is for the likes of Cabcharge and big investors being forced out and it reverts back to what is used to be, owner operators, like Uber for instance

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Yep Uber is such a fabulous pillar of society - Cabcharge at 5% grossly unfair? How do we all consider Uber's rake of 27% from drivers? Fair? Criminal?

 

[siri]

Cabcharge is political supported in Australia and you know why.. We now have mobile epfpos terminals and why cabcharge asking politically supported 5% fee?
I had dedicated taxi drivers that come to my home and also picked me from airport after landing with fix price and they are great. Taxi guys never turn up for early morning airport run and that's why I have dedicated people that do for me.
Its a disgrace that in NSW pollies that support this corrupt system with bridge return fee etc.. Village idiots ruining nice country..