Taxis

[medhead]

PER's issues also arise from how easy they made it to get a cab license here because of all the public opinion. Drivers here can get a license interstate which is as simple as sitting a test for which they can buy the answers for, transfer that license to WA, and ignore the basic local knowledge requirement by procuring a GPS unit which they'll never use anyway.


Well you have my respect as a former taxi driver, but my personal experience does beg to differ.

As a more than frequent taxi customer (at least 250+ journeys a year, most in and around PER), I know there is a sizable compliment of drivers - the evil 1% - who do try to hose the customer and take them the long/wrong way. I have way too many stories to recount on how many drivers I've had hauled over the coals for attempting this stunt.

This isn't to say that the majority of drivers are dishonest - most of them are average to brilliant. As already suggested its a small percentage of drivers who spoil the reputation to others.

Most of things you mention are about standards and these are not going to be enforced while there remains a monopoly in taxis in Australia.

Swan sound pretty good but what is their number 131008 or 132211? As for the dodgy drivers in the wild west. Well yes it is the wild west and it is the only place where I've experienced a V8 powered taxi. In the examples you give you did exactly the right thing. I pulled up a driver for taking me the wrong way, he ordered me out of the taxi. So I got out as required to by law, and that was when he realised his mistake, by ordering me out he lost his fare. He then followed me to the office, as short walk and called the police. He then waited for the police for 2 hours, over a $5 fare, only to have them totally agree that i didn't owe him a cent. (that guy was in the paper a week later for taking an old dear around about 5 newsagencts to get some Crows medals (or some such rubbish). According to the old dear he was such a good driver, he even went into the shop for her at the 5th shop where they finally got the medals - but he kept the meter on the whole way - AHole)

Frankly all this is caused by a vicious cycle of disrespect for taxi drivers by passengers who think taxis are a rip off and then drivers who are working on commission for a bare minimum. That poor sucker who sits at the airport for 2 hours waiting for you to get off the aircraft is lucky if he gets 40% of the fare.

As for tips, a good idea, but better to look at about 10%. Also pay it as cash not on you card or cabcharge. I never give a tip on cabcharge because those rip off artists get 10% of the tip.

Is there a local knowledge test in WA? the qld taxi driving test allowed me to use a UBD to find places (with meter stopped of course). The problem i find in Adelaide is not local knowledge but lack of driving skills. people get arrive in this country and get a taxi licence solely on the basis of being allowed to drive in their home country. I don't care what i pay as long as i get there alive.

[straitman]

SWMBO is teaching to not respond in my usually way to this kind of questioning. And I'm learning slowing.

A question has been asked in this thread. That question was asked by neither you nor NYCguy.

Who Do You Think You Are? Sorry but my world is not revolving around you.

But perhaps I could have been more clear that I was answering the question asked by the OP.

medhead,

Maybe you should listen to SWMBO more often!

Look at it logically, I had a choice of three posts that you could have answered. You did not address who you were answering and the OP seemed the least likely and I could not separate the others so I asked a simple question. The only one with a complex about the world revolving etc etc appears to be you.

Now back on your meds and tomorrow is another day.

[DrA]

Most of things you mention are about standards and these are not going to be enforced while there remains a monopoly in taxis in Australia.

Swan sound pretty good but what is their number 131008 or 132211? As for the dodgy drivers in the wild west. Well yes it is the wild west and it is the only place where I've experienced a V8 powered taxi. In the examples you give you did exactly the right thing. I pulled up a driver for taking me the wrong way, he ordered me out of the taxi. So I got out as required to by law, and that was when he realised his mistake, by ordering me out he lost his fare. He then followed me to the office, as short walk and called the police. He then waited for the police for 2 hours, over a $5 fare, only to have them totally agree that i didn't owe him a cent. (that guy was in the paper a week later for taking an old dear around about 5 newsagencts to get some Crows medals (or some such rubbish). According to the old dear he was such a good driver, he even went into the shop for her at the 5th shop where they finally got the medals - but he kept the meter on the whole way - AHole)

Frankly all this is caused by a vicious cycle of disrespect for taxi drivers by passengers who think taxis are a rip off and then drivers who are working on commission for a bare minimum. That poor sucker who sits at the airport for 2 hours waiting for you to get off the aircraft is lucky if he gets 40% of the fare.

As for tips, a good idea, but better to look at about 10%. Also pay it as cash not on you card or cabcharge. I never give a tip on cabcharge because those rip off artists get 10% of the tip.

Is there a local knowledge test in WA? the qld taxi driving test allowed me to use a UBD to find places (with meter stopped of course). The problem i find in Adelaide is not local knowledge but lack of driving skills. people get arrive in this country and get a taxi licence solely on the basis of being allowed to drive in their home country. I don't care what i pay as long as i get there alive.

Swan Taxi is 131330. And I have ongoing issues with them. Pre-order taxis to go to the airport that show up so late you barely make check-in cut off times despite having given yourself what should have been plenty of leeway. Or more often, they simply don't show up at all and you miss the flight entirely unless you can find someone to drive you at the last minute. I'm not sure if this is an issue with the drivers or with the dispatch centre, but it's ridiculous the number of times this has happened to me. I'd like to think that it's not the drivers, as I'd assume they'd appreciate the $40-$50 cab fare from my house. But then that raises questions about the dispatch centre not putting bookings into the system.

[anat0l]

Swan Taxi is 131330. And I have ongoing issues with them. Pre-order taxis to go to the airport that show up so late you barely make check-in cut off times despite having given yourself what should have been plenty of leeway. Or more often, they simply don't show up at all and you miss the flight entirely unless you can find someone to drive you at the last minute. I'm not sure if this is an issue with the drivers or with the dispatch centre, but it's ridiculous the number of times this has happened to me. I'd like to think that it's not the drivers, as I'd assume they'd appreciate the $40-$50 cab fare from my house. But then that raises questions about the dispatch centre not putting bookings into the system.

+1 know how you feel!

I was in PER last year catching a charter flight to LER. We asked for a pickup at a time (with sufficient contingency!) from the Sheraton; we booked the taxi at least 12 hours ahead but our ride arrived 30 minutes late. We were almost considering to join the rank, since the people there seemed to be having more success.

Someone said there aren't enough taxis in PER - though the same "problem" existed over 3 years ago now (i.e. during the mining boom and still persists during the "plateau"). Then again, I feel sorry for any driver that gets a morning job from the airport to Mandurah then doesn't have a job down there to carry back to PER proper; feel even more sorry for them when they have to traverse the traffic on the main highway back to PER. On the other hand, an airport job ex-Mandurah should easily clock up a fare of close to $100....

[harvyk]

I ended up emailing a complaint to the taxi company, including the receipt details.

They seemed to be quite concerned by the behaviour of the driver, so I'll see how that goes. (They said the driver has 14 days in which to respond to the complaint, so they will get back to me with the result within that time)

I have in the past used taxi websites to provide fare estimates, so I know roughly how much I am up for, and I start question things if the fare is approaching that price and yet we're not yet close to the destination.

That all said I usually try to catch public transport or airport buses where possible. It's rare that I have things outside CBD's. (Although not unheard of, as is evident in one of my other active threads)

[docjames]

This thread illustrates why the major capitals of Australia need fixed fares for Airport-CBD.

eg. MEL to any CBD destination = $fixed.

Works well in NYC where fare is fixed to any location on manhattan island.

Minicabs in London will tell you over then phone a fixed price for service to LHR/LGW etc (varies pending time/day etc).

[medhead]

medhead,

Maybe you should listen to SWMBO more often!

Look at it logically, I had a choice of three posts that you could have answered. You did not address who you were answering and the OP seemed the least likely and I could not separate the others so I asked a simple question. The only one with a complex about the world revolving etc etc appears to be you.

Now back on your meds and tomorrow is another day.

Yes, lets look at it logically: the OP finished with

Do you guys have any stratagies you use to ensure that your not taken for a ride if your in a city you don't really know?

That is basically the topic of the thread, the purpose if you like to address the question posed by the OP

"Not really" clearly fits as a response, despite your illogical conclusions. unlike for your post as you note.

Read it aloud to yourself - "do you have stratagies?" "Not really"

I also didn't quote you, i wasn't responding to you at all otherwise I would have quoted you. By all normal thread conventions I was answering the OP.

In deference to SWMBO I'll leave it at that, but will note that her training is about telling me not to fire off the first thing that comes to mind. That doesn't mean that I can't respond to people whose logic doesn't seem to conceive of the idea that other people are in the world and they can have conversation without them. No matter how excellent their suggestions might be.

I also don't see anything self centered about trying to carry on a conversation with the OP that doesn't involve you . NO MEDS FOR ME

[medhead]

Swan Taxi is 131330. And I have ongoing issues with them. Pre-order taxis to go to the airport that show up so late you barely make check-in cut off times despite having given yourself what should have been plenty of leeway. Or more often, they simply don't show up at all and you miss the flight entirely unless you can find someone to drive you at the last minute. I'm not sure if this is an issue with the drivers or with the dispatch centre, but it's ridiculous the number of times this has happened to me. I'd like to think that it's not the drivers, as I'd assume they'd appreciate the $40-$50 cab fare from my house. But then that raises questions about the dispatch centre not putting bookings into the system.

My general rule is don't book a taxi, and if it is not there within 10 minutes ring for another taxi. Generally somewhere like ther sheraton is going to get better response to a phoned immediate booking. Youmention people on the rank having more success, if it is busy with ranks full of pax you'll find that few drivers will listen for radio jobs, this is especially worse with the automatic system where they have to login. When i drove it was voice dispatch and I could at least hear when the operator was yelling for a pick up. But they only yell for a pick up for a VIP customer, someone like the sheraton, DrA who booked the night before is not going to get the same response. The other factor is that when it's busy radio jobs are pretty often no shows, because they usually jump in the first cab that shows up, whereas that is less likely at a sheraton pickup, for example.

Basically if no one is in your area, which is likely if it is busy, say early morning airport jobs, your goingto have great trouble getting a taxi. most taxis in the suburbs will either not take a radio job if they don't want to go to the airport. this happens if shift change over time is close say 5 or 6 am, going to the airport will get them stuck there for at least 2 hours. To make change over, and not pay the next driver penalties, basically means driving back empty. That is also why any driver going to te airport in the morning is going to stay there and get a pax away from the airport, so taxis will tend to concentrate at the airport in the morning. So it is not that there isn;t enough taxis, just that the business dynamics are based on not starting the car unless your getting paid, as much as possible.

anat0l in relation to the question of driving to Mandurah, if it is outside of the Perth taxi zone then the pax probably to pay the driver the fare to return to the Perth taxi zone. Of course, I'm not sure if WA have taxi zones and how big they might be.

[sikeveo]

When I was doing FIFO perth, some guy at the airport (a miner - operator) jumped in a cab and said he wanted to go to bunbury - cant imagine how expensive that fair would have been.

[DrA]

My general rule is don't book a taxi, and if it is not there within 10 minutes ring for another taxi. Generally somewhere like ther sheraton is going to get better response to a phoned immediate booking. Youmention people on the rank having more success, if it is busy with ranks full of pax you'll find that few drivers will listen for radio jobs, this is especially worse with the automatic system where they have to login. When i drove it was voice dispatch and I could at least hear when the operator was yelling for a pick up. But they only yell for a pick up for a VIP customer, someone like the sheraton, DrA who booked the night before is not going to get the same response. The other factor is that when it's busy radio jobs are pretty often no shows, because they usually jump in the first cab that shows up, whereas that is less likely at a sheraton pickup, for example.

Basically if no one is in your area, which is likely if it is busy, say early morning airport jobs, your goingto have great trouble getting a taxi. most taxis in the suburbs will either not take a radio job if they don't want to go to the airport. this happens if shift change over time is close say 5 or 6 am, going to the airport will get them stuck there for at least 2 hours. To make change over, and not pay the next driver penalties, basically means driving back empty. That is also why any driver going to te airport in the morning is going to stay there and get a pax away from the airport, so taxis will tend to concentrate at the airport in the morning. So it is not that there isn;t enough taxis, just that the business dynamics are based on not starting the car unless your getting paid, as much as possible.

anat0l in relation to the question of driving to Mandurah, if it is outside of the Perth taxi zone then the pax probably to pay the driver the fare to return to the Perth taxi zone. Of course, I'm not sure if WA have taxi zones and how big they might be.

I live in Perth. I'm not calling from the Sheraton. I often have to leave for the airport at 2-3am to catch the 6am flight to Dubai. That doesn't leave me with the option to go wake my neighbours up and beg them to drive me to the airport. I'm a regular customer, but for whatever reason, taxis don't show up. I'll give them 15-20 minutes before I ring back and ask them to send a taxi. And still...They don't show up. Ring back again, still doesn't show up. Rinse and repeat. I have missed flights because of this. Whether it's taxi drivers who think I'm just a pi**head who is lying about needing a cab to the airport at 3am on a weekend to get priority, or whether the dispatch centre is worse than useless...It doesn't matter. The fact remains that I shouldn't have to put up with this just because I live in a residential area, nowhere near a taxi rank, and am not booking a pickup from a hotel.

Sorry, I have anger issues with Swan Taxis. I'm hoping that if they again increase the number of taxi permits they issue that this problem might be reduced.