Taxi charge for airport pickup

Adeptus Titanicus

Hi,

A couple of mornings ago I came out of arrivals at Dublin airport after seeing someone off (so I had no bags) and hopped into the first cab at the rank there. The driver turns on the meter, 4.10 basic charge, then presses the extras button twice, adding €2.

This bothered me as my understanding was that the "callout charge" from the airport had been dropped. I asked the driver if the new fare system was in place (which it obviously was considering the 4:10 initial fare), and he said yes it was. So I asked if the €2 charge for picking up at the airport was not dropped. He said basically, "ah no, it's still there", and that they had gotten around it as the real rank was about a mile away from the airport and they actually get called up to the rank at the terminal building.

I thought this was a pile of crap, but when stuck in a confined place sitting beside a 20 stone giant I wasn't sure what to say next. Chatting further about the new fares made me less inclined to push the matter as he was clearly unhappy with how Aer Rianta was charging them over €400 for the right to use the airport rank. I've since confirmed that he did indeed over charge me, and in my opinion, knowingly so.

But, is it worth reporting this? Of course it bothers me that he knows where I live!

Ham'nd'egger

Adeptus Titanicus wrote:

Hi,

A couple of mornings ago I came out of arrivals at Dublin airport after seeing someone off (so I had no bags) and hopped into the first cab at the rank there. The driver turns on the meter, 4.10 basic charge, then presses the extras button twice, adding €2.

This bothered me as my understanding was that the "callout charge" from the airport had been dropped. I asked the driver if the new fare system was in place (which it obviously was considering the 4:10 initial fare), and he said yes it was. So I asked if the €2 charge for picking up at the airport was not dropped. He said basically, "ah no, it's still there", and that they had gotten around it as the real rank was about a mile away from the airport and they actually get called up to the rank at the terminal building.

I thought this was a pile of crap, but when stuck in a confined place sitting beside a 20 stone giant I wasn't sure what to say next. Chatting further about the new fares made me less inclined to push the matter as he was clearly unhappy with how Aer Rianta was charging them over €400 for the right to use the airport rank. I've since confirmed that he did indeed over charge me, and in my opinion, knowingly so.

But, is it worth reporting this? Of course it bothers me that he knows where I live!

There was a hiatus of the airport permit scheme after the 25th September so drivers may have been adding this on the "understanding" that it was still legitimate; evidentally, this guy wasn't acting on this basis. That being said, the pick up charge for the airport rank has been eliminated.

As to what the driver mentioned about being "called" up, he is technically correct to say wat he did. The rank at the airport is kept watch over by supervisors who willl call taxis up as required to pick up any awaiting passengers. The parking area for taxis at the airport who can't get into this pick up area or are awaiting word to move towards it (The Kesh, to drivers) has a tannoy system to notify drivers when they are called up to the pick up area at Arrivals; effectively, the drivers could reasonably argue that they are "pre booked" to the awaiting passengers, and then entitled to affix €2 for a radio booking.

Adeptus Titanicus

Yeah, I was talking to another driver about this before the change, and I suggested that as they are knowingly entering a holding area for a guaranteed fare, it can hardly be called a call out fee. He actually agreed.

Having said that, I think Aer Rianta probably shouldn't be charging them for the priviledge of getting access to the rank as they are doing the Airport a service by clearing people out (but you could argue the case that the drivers there are subscribing to a nice little niche market). Either that or Aer Rianta should pay the €2 callout fee as they are the ones calling them out of "the Kesh", not the passenger (which I also suggested to the driver who over charged me)!

saobh_ie

I always take note of the Taxi number when getting a cab from the airport, if your over charged or the driver gets stroppy (usually you get one or the other) you can report him to the DAA and in cases permits to operate off the rank there will be revoked (or so I'm told).

The Taxi holding area is down by the Great Southern Hotel, hardly a mile from the airport.

HelterSkelter

I reckon the taxi drivers should totally boycott the airport. I bet Aer Rianta will rethink the €400 charge when they are getting lots of complaints from irate passengers due to no taxi service. Actually thinking about it, the fact that they are willing to pay the 400 shows how much money they must make from airport fares.

Ham'nd'egger

HelterSkelter wrote:

I reckon the taxi drivers should totally boycott the airport. I bet Aer Rianta will rethink the €400 charge when they are getting lots of complaints from irate passengers due to no taxi service. Actually thinking about it, the fact that they are willing to pay the 400 shows how much money they must make from airport fares.

That's the crux of the issue over the permits; most drivers are not willing to pay for it, especially when the subsidy to pick up a fare at the airport has been removed from the fare charges system. For payment of the Permit to the airport, it allows a cab driver to provide the airport with a service for it's customers; the air passengers; there is no absolute guarentee of a job. Granted, most fares from the airport are decent but the reality of picking up there for a driver would be a wait of at least an hour from entering the kesh and making the top of the queue, so it can be very much hit and miss.

Samson

HelterSkelter wrote:

I reckon the taxi drivers should totally boycott the airport. I bet Aer Rianta will rethink the €400 charge when they are getting lots of complaints from irate passengers due to no taxi service.

I think it's actually €500.00 to operate at the airport.

Victor

Maybe Aer Lingus should refuse to pay these rediculus pick-up charges aswell?