Taxi Fare

Chipboard

I phoned a taxi last Friday evening and asked him to pick me and two others up in a Co Meath village to go to Bellewstown Races (around 6 or 7 miles). When we arrived she sighed and said she would have to charge us EUR26 - EUR10 to come out from Drogheda for the pickup and EUR16 to get to the destination.

I had the taxi number in my phone for ages and I thought that it was based in the locality.

Does anyone know if this is allowed. It sounds like robbery.

markf909

A few weeks ago, I got a taxi from Drogheda to Collon with some mates.
The cost was €30 each way for the approx 8 km journey.
The price must be a Louth thing

Ham'nd'egger

As things stand, a Taxi cannot legally use the meter to tabulate a fare to bring a passenger on a trip that leaves the meter area in which the taxi is licenced by. From what you have stated, it seems that the taxi would have had to have left one county to serve another.

If you pre arrange for a taxi to pick up or drop off outside the metre area the car is licenced for, it is then a private hire arrangement. By law, a private hire pick up has to have an agreed fare between driver (Or base) and passenger; this is supposed to happen with Hackney cabs. If you agreed to this fare, then it is legal, sorry to say, as that is a fairly short trip. Now, if this trip was actually within a meter area, then it should be settled according to the meter, but again, if you agree a fare, you did make a contract.

If you feel that you have been stung, you would need to take it up with either the Taxi Regulator Office or your local PSV Officer in your Garda District. Seeing as you have this booked on phone, and it's a specific trip, it won't be hard to sort out if you are wronged.

Ford Cortina

markf909 wrote:

A few weeks ago, I got a taxi from Drogheda to Collon with some mates.
The cost was €30 each way for the approx 8 km journey.
The price must be a Louth thing

Why did you go each way? Would you have learned your lesson on the first leg of the trip? And if you were going back to where you came from, why did you go in the first place?

markf909

Ford Cortina wrote:

Why did you go each way? Would you have learned your lesson on the first leg of the trip? And if you were going back to where you came from, why did you go in the first place?

Was going on a night out there with some friends. Kind of a recon mission
I dont think this hamlet had a taxi service so we had to arrange with the taxi driver dropping us out to pick us up later on.
Anyhoo, the place is so backward, I wont ever be setting foot in it again.

Chipboard

Hamndegger wrote:

If you agreed to this fare, then it is legal, sorry to say, as that is a fairly short trip. Now, if this trip was actually within a meter area, then it should be settled according to the meter, but again, if you agree a fare, you did make a contract.

My post might have been a bit misleading - she didnt tell us the fare until we arrived at the destination. If he had told me on the phone I would have told him to get lost.

Ham'nd'egger

Chipboard wrote:

My post might have been a bit misleading - she didnt tell us the fare until we arrived at the destination. If he had told me on the phone I would have told him to get lost.

I understand what you are saying but in an instance like this, you and the driver should have agreed a fare BEFORE you left. Now, if you and the driver DIDN'T do this, then it's basically a case of either you paying what is asked by the driver, or you could haggle a fare down at the drop off. Guess you know the next time