Taxi Fare Free-For-All (except for the paying customer!)

TristanPeter

Do taxi drivers in Galway just pull taxi fare rates out of their a*ses or am I just imagining it I have lived in the same house in Galway for four years now and every time I get a taxi into or out from town, which is most weekends, I'm charged a different fare. Last night was the final straw. I'm so pissed off with them that...I'm writing this :mad:. This is a matter of principle, not just money!

At approx 9:30pm I phoned Big-O-Taxis to get a cab for 4 people going to Cross Street. I live right next to Rahoon Cemetery. This journey, via Cooke's Corner is about 2.5 kms. They charged €12:90 :eek: Ok, there were four of us, and it was a Saturday night but still, if I got a minibus, which I often have even without requesting one specifically, it isn't normally any more expensive that a regular taxi, my point being that I would doubt if the fare relates to 4 people being in the car as opposed to 1, 2 or 3 people. Is it to do with call-out charges? I know that Claddagh Cabs say they don't have a call-out charge and that a lot of cab companies station some cars in large housing areas such as Knocknacarra, Newcastle etc. so that they are already in the area when they get calls and don't have to come from their base in town.

On the way back from town the fare with a taxi from the rank at Cross Street came to around €9.

Personally, I don't think there is any accountability when it comes to taxi fares in Galway City. I have gotten a taxi from my house for as little as €7 in the recent past, and in the evening time too. That's a big difference from €12:90! What's the story with the meters? It seems to me that driver's at the end of the journey push their magic-fare button and more money just appears on the already high price. How much should this "add-on" fee be legally? Is it even legal? Do taxi companies in Galway have any fare guidelines for different pick-ups or destinations? That Fixed-Fare taxi crowd were no different to any other company in Galway in my own experience with them. If anything, they were one of the more expensive taxi services.

Is a "name and shame" campaign for carte blanche taxi fare magicians a bit heavy-handed? I don't think so myself. Good taxi companies should be rewarded with good press and customer's business in my opinion. What do you think?

What I would like to have is some consistency when it comes to taxi fares, for example from one's house to town on a Saturday night for 3 people, and not a random figure plucked from thin air. Is that too much to ask or would that upset the present cash-cow ambiguity system that seems to be the basis for taxi company operations in Galway

biko

On the meter is two prices, when they are added up (driver presses button) you get the total.

If you think something is wrong with a driver, take the taxi car number and bring it up with the taxi company and/or the taxi regulator.

With hackneys you can get the price before the journey starts. They should have a card with prices to different zones stated.
Easiest to get the right price is to ask for a receipt with journey details.

Samson

When your taxi arrived to take you out last night you would have been charged €5.00 in extras (€2.00 booking fee + €1.00 for each additional passenger). Plus at the time you were collected, your fare would be on the "unsocial hours" rate.

Always ask for a receipt.

By the way, I am not a taxi driver.

Zzippy

Find a hackney firm you like and stick with them - their fares are almost always exactly the same. I've used taxis before from town to where I live and the fare has varied between €13 and €18, and thats with either one or two people, so it wasnt extras for a bunch of people. Started using a hackney firm in Eyre Sq and they are very reliable, always have cars available, and its a standard €12 fare, no matter if its one or four people.

Malice

As others have said, ask for a receipt if it's a taxi and ask the driver before you get into the car how much it will be to your destination.

chrussell

get them to pick you up down the road from your house, then when you get into eyre square do a legger....fu*k them

DRakE

pro cabs, 9 bucks from town to knocknacarra.

best your gonna get

sheepeyes

DRakE wrote: »

pro cabs, 9 bucks from town to knocknacarra.

best your gonna get

I live beside the Clybaun hotel and usually get Claddagh Cabs into town. Never more than €8. That's their standard fare from Knocknacarra. The drivers are friendly and the cabs are usually on time.

tinofapples

Fixed-Fare taxi

Soon to be finito !!

kraggy

OP, in the case you cited, the breakdown would have been as follows:

Min. charge after 8pm - 4.10
Call out charge - 2.00
3 additional passengers- 3.00

So, before the car left your front gate, the fare was 9.10. Therefore, the meter ran up 3.60 for the actual journey.

It depends on whether or not you flag the taxi down or call it out to a particular place, and whether or not there's just yourself or 3 others.

If you had got that taxi on your own, the fare would have been 9.90. If you had flagged it down from outside your house as opposed to ring it from your house, the fare would have decreased further to 7.90.

This is why you are getting charged different fares for different taxis. Different circumstances mean different prices.

I've said this before on here and I'll say it again. There is no difference between the prices of Big O, Galway Taxis, 52-52-52 or any other TAXI firm. The meters are nationally set and each firm does not set their own individual prices. There is a difference, however, between the prices of a taxi firm such as Big O and a hackney firm such as Claddagh cabs.

They are two different services, so they are two different prices.

Finally, as I've said, the prices from one taxi firm to another are NOT different. However, there's nothing to stop individual drivers sneakily putting on too many extras on the meter so the onus is on you to familiarise yourself with those charges, if you do not wish to be overcharged in the future.

The basics are:

Min charge (8am to 8pm) 3.80 (8pm to 8am) it's 4.10

That's the basic charge.

If you ring for him/her to collect you, add 2.00 regardless of how many of ye there are.

Then each additional passenger is 1.00.

Learn those and you won't get caught out.

Hope this helps.

tinofapples

I've said this before on here and I'll say it again. There is no difference between the prices of Big O, Galway Taxis, 52-52-52 or any other TAXI firm.

Not true, as some Taxi firms don't charge the €2 call out charge.

PopeBuckfastXVI

nice break down kraggy...

galwaygirleen

kraggy you got that in a nutshell there.

As regards the call out charge i think there was only one taxi company not charging this, possibly city taxis when they first started up, as a promotion, dont really know if they are still doing this.

Was talking to a girl last night she said what she looks out for is at the rank, if the roof sign is off the driver has engagaed his meter so the meter is running before u even get in, lots of people fail to notice this and end up being overcharged. So when u get in make sure the clear the meter and if u have doubt about anything ask the driver and then get a receipt at the end of your journey. You can ring the regulator and ask them to check it for u or even your local taxi firm will give you the guidelines.

Krieg

Slightly on/off topic but I have been curious as to how much taxi drivers make per week.

- Do taxi drivers have any sort of set hours?


Theoretical -
Taxi driver works 5hrs per day, 5 days per week
Lets say he works during the day and picks up 3 fares per hour at €10 each = €30p/h - €5 fuel = €25
€25 * 5hours * 5days = €625 - €100Rent on radio = €525 per (25hr) week

What am I missing? Is this realistic?

Malice

Krieg wrote: »

Slightly on/off topic but I have been curious as to how much taxi drivers make per week.

- Do taxi drivers have any sort of set hours?


Theoretical -
Taxi driver works 5hrs per day, 5 days per week
Lets say he works during the day and picks up 3 fares per hour at €10 each = €30p/h - €5 fuel = €25
€25 * 5hours * 5days = €625 - €100Rent on radio = €525 per (25hr) week

What am I missing? Is this realistic?

A friend of mine knows a couple of taxi drivers and from what he has told me they tend to make the most money at weekends (surprise, surprise). He was told around €150 per night on the weekends which drops off then during the weekdays. I'm not sure about costs though, certainly the rise in the price of petrol will have eaten into their profit margins.

s_carnage

Krieg wrote: »

Slightly on/off topic but I have been curious as to how much taxi drivers make per week.

- Do taxi drivers have any sort of set hours?


Theoretical -
Taxi driver works 5hrs per day, 5 days per week
Lets say he works during the day and picks up 3 fares per hour at €10 each = €30p/h - €5 fuel = €25
€25 * 5hours * 5days = €625 - €100Rent on radio = €525 per (25hr) week

What am I missing? Is this realistic?

There would be other charges like fees to the taxi company he/she works with. Taxes aswell but considering they would work a lot more hours than 5 a day i'd say they probably would be taking home something around that amount or maybe even more.

tinofapples

Lets say he works during the day and picks up 3 fares per hour at €10 each

You won't get 3 fares in an hour during an ordinary day shift and you won't get €10 per fare during the day either. Most people moving during the day are on their own and the fare very seldom does beyond €6/7.

You could/can be 40 mins waiting in the rank for a minimum fare job = €3.80.

The money is in the nights and particularly weekend nights. This is turning the profession into a part time job as drivers see the remainder of the week as a waste of time and better off doing something else.

The regulator doesn't want it turning into a part-time profession but she's contributing to it herself by allowing taxi after taxi to join the force. De-regulation was needed, but it's gone beyond a joke now. Even if she stopped issuing plates now there is already too many for 95% of the time

kraggy

tinofapples wrote: »

Not true, as some Taxi firms don't charge the €2 call out charge.

I can't think of any taxi firm in Galway that doesn't charge.

But my point anyway is that they are entitled to. It's the official, national fixed call out rate.

kraggy

Krieg wrote: »

Slightly on/off topic but I have been curious as to how much taxi drivers make per week.

- Do taxi drivers have any sort of set hours?


Theoretical -
Taxi driver works 5hrs per day, 5 days per week
Lets say he works during the day and picks up 3 fares per hour at €10 each = €30p/h - €5 fuel = €25
€25 * 5hours * 5days = €625 - €100Rent on radio = €525 per (25hr) week

What am I missing? Is this realistic?

First of all, any taxi driver who's trying to make a living from taxiing alone will put in at least 10 hours per day/night to make money. You have to.

Secondly, the overheads a driver will have will depend on the type of car, his/her age (insurance), no claims? how much fuel the car uses, and whether or not he has a loan taken out on his car.

But the main question is which company he is with. For example, if he/she is with a new company then they are proably only paying a radio fee of say for example 100/150 a week to pay for the rent of the office and the dispatch in that office and other costs.

However, you can't just go and drive for the likes of Big O or Galway Taxis. These are co-ops with a set number of shareholders. If you want to drive for them, a shareholder must be willing to sell his/her share.

Good luck with that. They're worth thousands.

But to get back to the issue of what a driver makes a week. There's no way a taxi who drives on his own (not affiliated with a company) will make 3 picks an hour steadily. Yes on a saturday night, but Mon-thurs, not a chance. They're only making a factory wage with loads of hours put in and costs taken out. Drivers with actual companies are making more obviously.

tinofapples

I can't think of any taxi firm in Galway that doesn't charge.

Try Fixed Fare Taxi's, no call out charge.

First of all, any taxi driver who's trying to make a living from taxiing alone will put in at least 10 hours per day/night to make money. You have to.

Secondly, the overheads a driver will have will depend on the type of car, his/her age (insurance), no claims? how much fuel the car uses, and whether or not he has a loan taken out on his car.

But the main question is which company he is with. For example, if he/she is with a new company then they are proably only paying a radio fee of say for example 100/150 a week to pay for the rent of the office and the dispatch in that office and other costs.

However, you can't just go and drive for the likes of Big O or Galway Taxis. These are co-ops with a set number of shareholders. If you want to drive for them, a shareholder must be willing to sell his/her share.

Good luck with that. They're worth thousands.

But to get back to the issue of what a driver makes a week. There's no way a taxi who drives on his own (not affiliated with a company) will make 3 picks an hour steadily. Yes on a saturday night, but Mon-thurs, not a chance. They're only making a factory wage with loads of hours put in and costs taken out. Drivers with actual companies are making more obviously.

kraggy,
Couldn't agree with you more.

Big o Shares are in the region of €45k then buy your car (Maybe €15k) your plate (€6300) meter, printer, fitting, calibration nct (€800-1400) then your insurance (€1200+)

On your own you'd be looking at over €20k start up, in a company you can add to that figure and all this for what pays minimum wage most of the time .

They're only making a factory wage with loads of hours put in and costs taken out

Worth it ?????

ronanphilip

a detailed description and the reason why the below fares exist can be found by clicking here

Mrs OBumble

Krieg wrote: »

Slightly on/off topic but I have been curious as to how much taxi drivers make per week.

- Do taxi drivers have any sort of set hours?


Theoretical -
Taxi driver works 5hrs per day, 5 days per week
Lets say he works during the day and picks up 3 fares per hour at €10 each = €30p/h - €5 fuel = €25
€25 * 5hours * 5days = €625 - €100Rent on radio = €525 per (25hr) week

What am I missing? Is this realistic?

Do you have any idea how much it costs to keep a car on the road? The capital cost for the car (or interest, if they had to borrow), insurance, maintenance, NCT, car-tax, cleaning, etc. Cars that do high mileage tend to need a lot more maintenance than domestic ones. And you can be certain that a taxi's insurance bill will be a lot higher than your one too.

Dunno about anyone else, but I've never met a rich taxi-driver.

Krieg

Thanks for the replys, I had no idea that shares were needed to be purchased. Theres a lot there and as tinofapples said; is it worth it?

Do you have any idea how much it costs to keep a car on the road? The capital cost for the car (or interest, if they had to borrow), insurance, maintenance, NCT, car-tax, cleaning, etc. Cars that do high mileage tend to need a lot more maintenance than domestic ones. And you can be certain that a taxi's insurance bill will be a lot higher than your one too.

Dunno about anyone else, but I've never met a rich taxi-driver.

In fairness, I don't think you can attribute the capital cost of a car/tax into this taxi equation. Majority of people owning cars for personal use and taxi drivers would use the car in the same fashion as everyone else, but I'm just nitpicking. Obviously maint. insurance would come into it. I'm well aware of how much it is to run a car, which is why I never got one.

I actually have come across a number of, what I would consider, wealthy taxi drivers (Owning more than one house etc.). But I wouldn't be able to tell how much they work