Cab Charges

[Joy]

Last night I was with some friends heading from Brisbane city to the Regatta. There was 6 of us so we needed a Maxi Cab. Being in the city we decided to try and hail one because in my experience you always get a booking charge if you have to order a Maxi. So we waited till we saw one and sure enough, an Orange Maxi came round the corner and we jumped in.

As we drove off I looked at the fee counter and the driver had STARTED the counter at $14. I'd had a few drinks and thought that was fucking ludicrous so I asked the cabbie. He was trying to say that because we had 6 people and not 4 that there's a $14 charge. I'm used to having the counter start at like $6-7 and that's after midnight (this was at 9pm). When I got a bit cranky and the driver tried to kick me out. Luckily the girls I was with smoothed things.

I kept an eye on the counter the rest of the trip and he seemed to have stopped it, so was he scared of being sprung?
Was I being a drunk idiot? Or was I justified in thinking this cabbie was trying to rip us off?

Apologies for the length of this rant

 

[Spike-X]

I haven't driven cabs in years, never drove in Qld, and never drove maxis, but that does sound a bit suss.

Maybe a polite enquiry to the cab company would be in order?

 

[b_S]

Was I being a drunk idiot?

Sorta yeah. Don't they have a list of charges visible on the front left windscreen/sunshade/glovebox?
From Yellow Cab Co.: "If a Maxi Taxi is requested and pre-booked - the flagfall is $11 extra than a standard flagfall for that time of day"
Sounds like a fair fare, it's not cheap but then again you do have 6 people... I've caught a maxi and when we dropped off half the people the driver recommended we restart the meter as for 4 people or less he charged standard cab rates.

 

[PSYCHO-T]

Similar thing happend to me the othernight at a party, a friend was drunk and neeeded to go home so i dialed the cab and got them to come, and the call out was like $7 and it was only a few minute walk away from the cab rank place, (my friend was too drunk to walk there)
but yes there are some jerk taxi drivers around

:EDIT: forgot to put in but my mate called a taxi later that night and the call out was about $2 he said

 

[slip]

The bloke was a dud. Wanted to pull decent coin out of a small City-Gatta fare with 6 people.

 

[frostbite]

If you call and order a maxi taxi then they can charge you extra (Inc I think higher rates per/km). If you hail one its a regular taxi fare, regardless of how many people it fits. This is in vic, and out of the 3 times I've caught a maxi twice I had issues with this.

Cabbies after dark are usually hard to deal with / trying to up the fare in my experience. I learned when living inner city to get into the cab before telling them where you want to go (or lie and then 'change your mind') because if the trip isnt long enough then they often just wind up the window and drive off.

 

[Joy]

Sorta yeah. Don't they have a list of charges visible on the front left windscreen/sunshade/glovebox?
From Yellow Cab Co.: "If a Maxi Taxi is requested and pre-booked - the flagfall is $11 extra than a standard flagfall for that time of day"
Sounds like a fair fare, it's not cheap but then again you do have 6 people... I've caught a maxi and when we dropped off half the people the driver recommended we restart the meter as for 4 people or less he charged standard cab rates.

Yeah I asked him if he had like a fee book or something I could look at. The Maxi wasn't requested and pre booked because we knew there would be the flagfall. As Frostbite said, if you get in one off the street you don't get charged extra, no matter what type it is. Well that's how I thought it worked anyway

 

[MasterOfReality]

Taxis in Brisbane are farked.

Twice I have prebooked a taxi to the airport the night before, only to have them not turn up. Once when I rang back I was given the excuse that the driver couldn't find the street. Idiots!

I now use a private silver service taxi for all my business trips, and just avoid taxis all other times.

 

[sawtell]

semi on the same thing..


last night going from williamstown into the city (russel/chinatown area).

the best way to go is to get on the westgate, then take montegue street., then flinders all the way up to russell..

especially since of MOOMBA .. as most roads up around stkilda road were closed..


stupid fuckin taxi driver, says no not going that way, gets of at power street, tries to get on stkilda road/swanston to get over the bridge, .. of course its closed.. then long story short a 20 minute 30 buck cab ride, turned into 50 minutes 70 dollars.. and he fuckin made us pay the full fare..

would not let us out till we copped up the 70 dollars.. fair enough i understand he has to make money and he wasted his time, but we asked him to go the other way.. and he refused. got his taxi number etc etc, will defintaly report the dog.



i fuckin hate them... but since the public transport is much worse, and never gets you to were you want to be, and you ahve to share it with scum.. and since parking in the city on a public holiday eve is freakin ridiculous.. taxi's are the only option.

 

[E-thugin]

Most of my taxis I catch Before we go anywhere I say to the driver.
"okay, I'll give you $.... cash if you do the trip off the metre"

They 95% of the time accept the offer, You can easily save 50% of the fare.


But, I've had drivers play dumb with me while it has been a legit trip by missing the turn off or going up a one way road, I instantly tell them to stop the metre. can't let them fuck you around.

 

[Lorday]

Had my first expirence with a maxi taxi (and cabs in general) for the first time on Saturday night/Sunday morning. A friend had booked it early that week. Stopped in front of the Enmore, drove us to castle towers, 8 people, $140 (pre quoted), flat rate. I reckon that was pretty good. (NSW BTW)
I'm going to assume from stories this was a decent cabbie?

 

[bowzaa]

We had a couple of really good cabbies last night.
1st one helped to point out all the 'talent' on display whilst joking with us/letting us take stupid photo's and everything.
2nd bloke got us home in record time, we paid upfront charge of $60 as maximum, he said it'd be about $70, but it cost us $51.40.
We let him keep the change, good cabbies are few and far between.

 

[Spike-X]

Unfortunately, so are good passengers.



(not having a go at anyone here)

 

[Hamsta]

Most of my taxis I catch Before we go anywhere I say to the driver.
"okay, I'll give you $.... cash if you do the trip off the metre"

They 95% of the time accept the offer, You can easily save 50% of the fare.

I have a 'regular' booking for a taxi. Deal is, I call the driver's mobile, let him know when I want the fare, and he charges me a flat $180 instead of $250+ on the meter. Usually, I face the hideous 4.00am checkin, so the run to the airport is pretty much traffic free. Enroute, I buy him a coffee and some cigars, and I never miss a flight. He even lets me choose the music.

 

[Matt H]

On the weekend I got home in a cab at about 3 in the morning, drunk and baked off my tits and realised I spent all the cab money on 5 cheeseburgers at the maccas drivethrough. I had to run inside and get my mum to go out and pay for the cab.

 

[PSYCHO-T]

I have a 'regular' booking for a taxi. Deal is, I call the driver's mobile, let him know when I want the fare, and he charges me a flat $180 instead of $250+ on the meter. Usually, I face the hideous 4.00am checkin, so the run to the airport is pretty much traffic free. Enroute, I buy him a coffee and some cigars, and I never miss a flight. He even lets me choose the music.

Good to see some cabbies are good people
One guy i had one night going to morwell from moe didnt start the meter untill we got onto the highway (would of been $15 EASY)

the local guys are generaly pretty good, but that one guy i had the other week annoyed me