Thread: Taxi scam in Sydney

I had one last year, tryed to double did me on the Airport flag fare.

English was not that good after that.

Mascot air port.

I don't know if this is still the case, but it used to be that the cabbie paid the toll and tacked it onto your fare.

If that's still the case the cabbie'd have to carry his own etag. Imagine the paperwork trying to get the toll money back from each driver.

Not knowing the way, or pleading ignorant to up the fare hasn't changed.

Cheers
Simon

Dont use taxis but we dont have any tolls here in Perth-thank God as it would really p155 me off as i am a tradie and i go from one side of the city and back all day long.
I lived in Brissie for a while and got sick of paying tolls thats why i left (not really)
Haven't they paid off those damn bridges and roads yet.

Originally Posted by harry

today i had a gc -syd return trip,
on the return, we ordered a taxi, who we eventually intercepted to take me from bankstown to mascot.
now i did the reverse of this trip first thing this morning, so i actually know the route.
so i jump in the cab, ask him to take me to mascot, he asks which way i would like to go and wanted to turn the wrong way leaving bankstown airport [like he's the taxi driver - huh?]
so as we drove out of bankstown airport i had to advise him which way to turn - interesting, i thought,
more advise from me found us on the freeway on ramp - as he should have done without prompting.
as we drove into the toll booth 'e' tag lane he pulled an e tag jigger from his pocket and held it up to beep as they do, and returned it to the door pocket -?
i asked him why he needed to hold the thing up to the 'screen, thinking that the cab's wnidow mount was shagged, no he said. 'i work for them differently' or something like that -english wasn't his language of choice!

some time later i think i have figured it out __--
he was employed on the basis that he pays his own e toll - so that is why he wanted to take me a different route, and avoid the freeway tolls.
an expensive scam for the unknowing, as it was his fare from bankstown airport to mascot was $54.00
so watch out - if the e' tag isn't attached to the screen, you might be getting shafted.

Would,ve been cheaper to walk while sculling bottles of Grange.

harry! next time let me know and i'll drive you to the airport, im only 3min from wankstown and my etag is in my company car so you wont be putting me out

as it was i drove into the city at 8am and returned by 12pm in the 90...class all the way

cheers phil

[quote=Bigmark;860908]Dont use taxis but we dont have any tolls here in Perth-thank God as it would really p155 me off as i am a tradie and i go from one side of the city and back all day long.
I lived in Brissie for a while and got sick of paying tolls thats why i left (not really)
Haven't they paid off those damn bridges and roads yet.[/quote]

Yep...They have....now they collecting so that they got the money to replace the bridges in 2133, when they reach the end of their useful life, so that they can charge us a toll so that they they got the money to replace the new bridges...................

I'm not making excuses for the cabbie.

About 20 years ago when I was studying for my Science degree I drove a cab in Sydney so I know a little about these things.

Yes the customer has to pay all toll charges for the trip, including if you cross the Harbour Bridge the toll for the cab to return to where he (sic) picked you up (or at least that used to be the rule). Virtually no taxi operates on the Bailment Agreement anymore, so taxis are rented at a flat rate for the shift and the toll charges incurred are paid by the cabbie.

Everyone in this city has their own opinion of what is the best way to get around and while there are regulations to use the shortest route (by distance) that is not always the quickest or cheapest route. To save on arguments it is easier to ask the fare which way they would prefer to go and go via that route. On occasions this will result in a tirade of abuse directed at the driver for not knowing his (sic) way around. It is also likely that he possibly knows a number of routes, some better than others which are to be used at different times of the day.

On tags - there are 3 different companies and the RTA supplying tags in Sydney and all use a different brand of tag and the bracket is not always interchangeable. If the taxi owner has a tag off one company and the driver off another then the bracket won't work. Yes the driver is breaking the law for not having the tag affixed to the screen.

IMHO, Yes there are some awful drivers pushing cabs around Sydney and some very good, professional experienced drivers and first language may not be the determining factor.

Diana

if you work in aposition where you need to talk with ppl as part of your job you should damn well speak the language fluently