John Heron’s four-hour flight from Perth arrived in Sydney on Tuesday, just before 10.30pm. The 75-year-old had booked a nearby hotel, about 1.5km away, to spend the night after arriving late.
Heron grabbed his bag, left the airport and wandered into the taxi ranks across the Trayin Australia Terminal about half an hour later. A rank-and-file worker directs him to a taxi waiting in a bay. But Heron said the cabbie refused his fare because the trip was short.
“He said, ‘Oh no, you have to walk there’,” Heron recalled of the driver in a phone call to Guardian Australia. “Directly outside the Virgin Terminal is the Taxi rank, and it’s not busy at all. There are plenty of cabs.”
However the Heron was instead directed to another taxi waiting in the queue. He said he got the same answer.
“How did I walk there, alone at night, on a path I don’t know?” He said. “It’s a maze of roads, footpaths, no lights, so it’s not an easy thing at 11 o’clock at night to go there in the dark.
“And besides, I’m happy to pay for a taxi.”
In the end Heron later made a cab after talking to a rank supervisor and snapping pictures of the two cabs. The ride to the Moxy Hotel near the airport was less than five minutes, but he said he paid about $28, which he was happy to do.
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A hotel worker, who declined to give their name, said difficulties getting cabs to and from Moxy is a known problem.
“If it’s from home, they’re usually walking,” the manager said of customers staying at the hotel. If travelers want a ride, he usually suggests guests get an Uber.
The Point of New South Wales Points to appoint the Commissioner Commissioner Issued 12 Fare Refusal Pentice Notices Between January and June of this year, the most recent time it releases data for this item. It issued 58 similar sanctions last year, with more than a third coming in December alone.
In total, the commission issued more than 1,200 fines in recent years.
The fine for taxi drivers for the first fare-related offense will be increased from $1,000 to $3,000 in an effort to prevent drivers from overcharging drivers or failing to use their meters.
The Commission told Guardian Australia that all passengers have the right to hire a cab from a range, including at Sydney Airport, “regardless of the length of the journey”. There is only certain limited circumstances where trips may be rejected.
The Commission said in a statement that “the vast majority of taxi drivers in NSW are doing the right thing”. However, to support a new $ 60 flat fare settlement launched on Monday, “the authorized officers operated at Sydney Airport, which carried out plaininclothes and more visible operation”.
If a passenger refuses to serve because of a short fare, the agency said, they are encouraged to note the plate number, the name of the Company to the point of the taxi hotline.
Nick Abruhim, the CEO of the NSW Taxi Council, told the Guardian that while the majority of drivers come up with fares, any driver who fails to meet industry standards and comply with the Act will not be accepted.
“We will not allow that,” Abahim said. “Whatever the driver’s reason is, even though they are waiting, that is not the fault of any passenger… and in fact, the law is broken.
“We are there to serve the passengers, no matter where they are going, or whatever the end of the journey may be.”
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Abraim said the Council is taking feedback and concerns from drivers, with some raising the issue of low fares from the airport. The Council is actively working on a solution to support drivers and ensure passengers can board when and where they need it, including some form of a short fare system.
But, he said, drivers must obey the law.
A new court for taxi fare signatures from the ranks of Sydney Airport in the city’s CBD has begun in an effort to help cabs with rideshare services. Within 18 months, passengers traveling in a defined area of the CBD will report a set play of $60 for a standard taxi or $80 for a maxi taxi.
That fare includes all tolls, fees, tolls and taxes, except for credit card or payment fees.
Asked about incidents like Heron, the Sydney airport said in a statement in Australia that Australia needs fares and passenger rights “.
“All passengers are entitled to a metered fare at regulated rates,” said an airport spokesperson. They urge passengers to report any driver who refuses to travel or fails to use the meter.
Sydney Airport recently introduced a taxi conciegore program, in partnership with the Taxi Council and Commissioner, to ensure drivers accept all fares.
Heron said he understands the taxi’s point of view, but said some trips are long, and others are short.
“If that’s the problem for short trips, maybe put a surcharge on it,” he suggested.
“I didn’t mind paying a surcharge,” Heron added. “I’d actually give him a generous tip if he was a good guy.”
Have you ever had a taxi driver refuse to take you on a short trip? Contact Nick.Visser@hetuardian.com