Why is it so hard to bargain with Taxi Drivers?

Blisterman

Was out in Dublin last night. Hundreds of vacant taxis lined the streets without fares.
I only had a tenner on me (the fare to where I usually go is about €12.)

I spoke to about 15 taxi drivers, and not one of them would accept €10 for a journey. They were content to continue driving along without a fare. Only about 2 would agree to a set price, but they quoted €15 and €25 respectively!

It's common practice in many other cities to agree on a price for the journey beforehand. And it's a simple case of supply and demand. At peak times you pay more, and off peak times, when, like last night there are hundreds of taxis around, you pay less.

In these hard times, when businesses, restaurants and virtually everyone else are cutting prices across the board, why are taxi drivers so reluctant to lower their prices even slightly?

biko

A guess is that they are unionised and have agreed not to undercut each other?

28064212

It's not worth it for a €10 fare. If you were going for a trip that was €20+, then you would have been a lot more likely to get one. A €10 fare is most likely the minimum they'd get, and it means they lose their place in the queue and have to start from the back after they've dropped you off. They're better off just waiting in the queue and hoping they get someone looking for a trip to Swords

Friend of mine got a 60 euro journey for 30 recently so I'd say they are

mikemac

10 euro trip is too low, not worth losing your place in the rank over it

If the fare is 30 euro plus you realy should see if you can haggle it down
The regulator encourages it

Another example is for me to get to the airport is 36 euro on the meter and there are companies who will do it for 25 euro
And if I can't book one of them, somebody on the local rank will do it for 25 euro.
Just work your way down the rank, skipping the battered Toyota Carinas of course!

loyatemu

I got out to Greystones for 35 a while back (meter fare is 60) - if you ask a few guys you'll sometimes get a result, there's not much point in them sitting around doing nothing after all.

scheister

i work in tallaght and live in celbridge. the normal fare is 35-40. i have always flagged down taxi on the road and asked wud they do it for 30 never had one refuse some have even turned around and said they do it for less. got it for 15 one day. i think going to the rank is your problem flag one off the road ya may have some hope of a haggle

JohnK

scheister wrote: »

i think going to the rank is your problem flag one off the road ya may have some hope of a haggle

I wouldnt be surprised if part of the reason they'd say no at the rank is they dont want to be seen taking cheap fares by the other drivers as they could get a bit of hastle over it. If flagged down on the street the whos going to know?

thomasj

There was a story on the radio a couple of months ago where a taxi driver offered a cheaper .rate (ie 10.80 on the meter , leave it at a tenner ) and an inspector for the regulator was the passenger and the driver was fined.

Apparently if a cheaper rate is Offered but not receipted/written/advertised it's against the rules.

veryangryman

thomasj wrote: »

There was a story on the radio a couple of months ago where a taxi driver offered a cheaper .rate (ie 10.80 on the meter , leave it at a tenner ) and an inspector for the regulator was the passenger and the driver was fined.

Apparently if a cheaper rate is Offered but not receipted/written/advertised it's against the rules.

What a load of balls. As usual its the customer who suffers via the regulator

the boss of me

thomasj wrote: »

There was a story on the radio a couple of months ago where a taxi driver offered a cheaper .rate (ie 10.80 on the meter , leave it at a tenner ) and an inspector for the regulator was the passenger and the driver was fined.

Apparently if a cheaper rate is Offered but not receipted/written/advertised it's against the rules.

It's perfectly legal to discount a fare once the driver uses the meter and provides a printed receipt.

highlydebased

thomasj wrote: »

There was a story on the radio a couple of months ago where a taxi driver offered a cheaper .rate (ie 10.80 on the meter , leave it at a tenner ) and an inspector for the regulator was the passenger and the driver was fined.

Apparently if a cheaper rate is Offered but not receipted/written/advertised it's against the rules.

I've regularly been left off the few cent on a fare- probably because its easier for the driver to give a fiver change instead of 4.45 change.

the boss of me

Blisterman wrote: »

Was out in Dublin last night. Hundreds of vacant taxis lined the streets without fares.
I only had a tenner on me (the fare to where I usually go is about €12.)

I spoke to about 15 taxi drivers, and not one of them would accept €10 for a journey. They were content to continue driving along without a fare. Only about 2 would agree to a set price, but they quoted €15 and €25 respectively!

It's common practice in many other cities to agree on a price for the journey beforehand. And it's a simple case of supply and demand. At peak times you pay more, and off peak times, when, like last night there are hundreds of taxis around, you pay less.

In these hard times, when businesses, restaurants and virtually everyone else are cutting prices across the board, why are taxi drivers so reluctant to lower their prices even slightly?

Could you be a bit more specific about the journey you wanted to take ?

Give exact details of pick up, drop off , amount of pax and time of night.As you say it doesn't make sense for drivers to turn down work unless the price you're offering was ridiculously low.

Is it possible that you're demeanor was threatening/aggressive and drivers didn't want you in their car at any price ?

Just wondering ,but did you try negotiating a discount anywhere else on your night out ,like the pub, restauraunt ,takeaway or Spar shop? If not why expect a discount on your taxi fare ?

-Chris-

I'd expect the other answers have it covered, and have also given instances of discounts depending on the situation.

Blisterman

Well obviously places like Spars are different, as I'd be dealing with employees, who don't have the authority to offer discounts. It was about 2AM, Journey was from Dame street to Ranelagh. I was trying my best to be polite, and was relatively sober and definitely not aggressive or threatening.

bmaxi

the boss of me wrote: »

It's perfectly legal to discount a fare once the driver uses the meter and provides a printed receipt.

Just out of curiosity. If he were to do it on a regular basis, how would a taxi driver reconcile this, say for Revenue, if his meter readings are more than he takes in fares. I don't mean the few odd cents, I mean half price or whatever arrangement is arrived at. Is it not illegal to have a fare in the cab without the meter running?

Bob the Builder

thomasj wrote: »

There was a story on the radio a couple of months ago where a taxi driver offered a cheaper .rate (ie 10.80 on the meter , leave it at a tenner ) and an inspector for the regulator was the passenger and the driver was fined.

Apparently if a cheaper rate is Offered but not receipted/written/advertised it's against the rules.

bmaxi wrote: »

Just out of curiosity. If he were to do it on a regular basis, how would a taxi driver reconcile this, say for Revenue, if his meter readings are more than he takes in fares. I don't mean the few odd cents, I mean half price or whatever arrangement is arrived at. Is it not illegal to have a fare in the cab without the meter running?

If this is the sort of shíte that the regulator is going on with, then the regulator shouldn't exist. If they are preventing the taxi driver from working in the consumer's best ineterests, then they should be abolished. My dad has a hackney's license, one he has never used, but every three months he gets newsletters and other stuff that goes straight into the fire because it's all a load of nonsense.

Taxi's/Hacknies in Westport would be an awful lot more expensive but they're always willing to negotiate on price and they'll never see anyone stuck for a lift home because they were a euro or two short.

the boss of me

Blisterman wrote: »

It was about 2AM, Journey was from Dame street to Ranelagh. I was trying my best to be polite, and was relatively sober and definitely not aggressive or threatening.

In that case I'm very surprised that you had difficulty finding a driver. I would have taken you in a flash..

At peak times you pay more,

That the difference,in Ireland at peak times you don't pay more. The maximum fare is exactly that ,the maximum a driver can charge regardless.

the boss of me

-Chris- wrote: »

I'd expect the other answers have it covered, and have also given instances of discounts depending on the situation.

Overmod much? :rolleyes:

-Chris-

the boss of me wrote: »

Overmod much? :rolleyes:

I wasn't speaking as a mod, I was speaking as a regular poster. That was my personal opinion.

When I'm speaking as a mod, I type in bold.


Kind of like this, really...

If you have an issue with the way I moderate, or a decision I've made, please PM me about it. It's not fair to drag someone else's thread off-topic.

Thanks


Maybe I'll update my sig Sig updated. Thanks for the inspiration

bmaxi

Bob the Builder wrote: »

If this is the sort of shíte that the regulator is going on with, then the regulator shouldn't exist. If they are preventing the taxi driver from working in the consumer's best ineterests, then they should be abolished. My dad has a hackney's license, one he has never used, but every three months he gets newsletters and other stuff that goes straight into the fire because it's all a load of nonsense.

Taxi's/Hacknies in Westport would be an awful lot more expensive but they're always willing to negotiate on price and they'll never see anyone stuck for a lift home because they were a euro or two short.

Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure I see the relevance to the question I asked though.

-Chris-

thomasj wrote: »

There was a story on the radio a couple of months ago where a taxi driver offered a cheaper .rate (ie 10.80 on the meter , leave it at a tenner ) and an inspector for the regulator was the passenger and the driver was fined.

Apparently if a cheaper rate is Offered but not receipted/written/advertised it's against the rules.

Can someone confirm something for me?

If a fare should be €20 (going strictly by the meter) and the taxi driver gives it to you for €15, as long as the meter is adjusted to show €15, and the receipt says €15, there's no issue here?

My reading of this is that the issue is not that taxi drivers can't charge below the standard fare, it's just that their meter & receipt must match the amount accepted for the journey.

Correct or incorrect?

thomasj

According to the taxi regulator website faqs
http://http://www.taxiregulator.ie/consumer/consumer-FAQs/consumer-FAQs.html#meter

Should all fares be priced on the meter/ can the meter be turned off?
When a journey is pre-booked, customers may waive their right to have a particular journey charged on the meter. In this situation both the driver and the passenger must sign a prior written (waiver) agreement.

thomasj

-Chris- wrote: »

Can someone confirm something for me?

If a fare should be €20 (going strictly by the meter) and the taxi driver gives it to you for €15, as long as the meter is adjusted to show €15, and the receipt says €15, there's no issue here?

My reading of this is that the issue is not that taxi drivers can't charge below the standard fare, it's just that their meter & receipt must match the amount accepted for the journey.

Correct or incorrect?

Actually that's a good question.

If on your way to work, you have to take a Taxi to work and can claim back the taxi fare but the driver gives a discount and gives you a receipt for the full amount, thats not right surely?

I Was VB

Nah dont do it, i can understand people dont have enough money these days, but surely they didnt put the poor mouth on when paying into a club, and paying for thier drinks at the bar, and when buying late nite food.

So why should us taxi drivers do ourself out of money. If ya dont have enough money for the fare get the nitelink home, as im running a business not a charity.

I have done discount rates in the past, and they alway end up in fight with the customers, or me not getting paid.

mikemac

I Was VB wrote: »

So why should us taxi drivers do ourself out of money.

The regulator or should I say your regulator encourages customers to bargain for fares.

When can a discount be applied?
A discount can be given at the discretion of the driver. Can I ask for a discount? Yes but a driver is not obliged to give a discount.
http://www.taxiregulator.ie/consumer/fare-information/faqs-on-fares.html

You haggle for your insurance and when you bought your car.
So customers with a good fare, maybe 30 euro plus are dead right to haggle around for a better fare, the rate on the meter is the maximum.

And anyway, a lot of times you don't have to haggle, there are companies offering 20% off.
All customers can call them, even when standing up the street from a rank

I Was VB wrote: »

So why should us taxi drivers do ourself out of money. If ya dont have enough money for the fare get the nitelink home,

Ah, boards.ie and its Dublin focus. :rolleyes:
One city in Ireland has a nitelink. For the rest of us, over three million or so, there is no nitelink

I Was VB

feelingstressed wrote: »

The regulator or should I say your regulator encourages customers to bargain for fares.

You haggle for your insurance and when you bought your car.
So customers with a good fare, maybe 30 euro plus are dead right to haggle around for a better fare, the rate on the meter is the maximum.

And anyway, a lot of times you don't have to haggle, there are companies offering 20% off.
All customers can call them, even when standing up the street from a rank




Ah, boards.ie and its Dublin focus. :rolleyes:
One city in Ireland has a nitelink. For the rest of us, over three million or so, there is no nitelink

Yes i do haggle insurance and buying a car on things that cost thousands of euros, but not a €10 fare FFS. I fully support the usage of these companys offering 20% off, as they keep the muppets away from me asking me to do a fare that costs €20 for €10 or whatever they have in thier pockets at the end of the night.

Gas thing is they dont even save that much as if you phone a taxi they add a €2 call outcharge so you have the fare plus your callout charge totaled.

Oh no nite link? Walk!!

mikemac

I Was VB wrote: »

Yes i do haggle insurance and buying a car on things that cost thousands of euros, but not a €10 fare FFS. I fully support the usage of these companys offering 20% off, as they keep the muppets away from me asking me to do a fare that costs €20 for €10 or whatever they have in thier pockets at the end of the night.

And where did I disagree with haggling over a 10 euro fare?
In fact I agreed with you but did you even read the entire thread?
Or you skip to the end?

The relevant quotes:

Blisterman wrote: »

Was out in Dublin last night. Hundreds of vacant taxis lined the streets without fares.
I only had a tenner on me (the fare to where I usually go is about €12.)

I spoke to about 15 taxi drivers, and not one of them would accept €10 for a journey. They were content to continue driving along without a fare. Only about 2 would agree to a set price, but they quoted €15 and €25 respectively!

feelingstressed wrote: »

10 euro trip is too low, not worth losing your place in the rank over it

I wasn't disagreeing with you, onto the next point

I Was VB wrote: »

Gas thing is they dont even save that much as if you phone a taxi they add a €2 call outcharge so you have the fare plus your callout charge totaled.

Maybe but on a long fare like Dublin to Naas you'll pay the callout fee but save the 20%.
So well worth it and I've called taxi's from these firms just up from Connolly Station rank. They seem to appreciate the business so they get it, another smiley

I Was VB wrote: »

Oh no nite link? Walk!!

Boards.ie is not Dublin.ie
The people in Sligo, Galway, Waterford, Cork and Kilkenny seem to manage though they'd welcome a nitelink

I Was VB

feelingstressed wrote: »

And where did I disagree with haggling over a 10 euro fare?
In fact I agreed with you but did you even read the entire thread?
Or you skip to the end?
Maybe but on a long fare like Dublin to Naas you'll pay the callout fee but save the 20%.
So well worth it and I've called taxi's from these firms just up from Connolly Station rank. They seem to appreciate the business so they get it, another smiley
Boards.ie is not Dublin.ie
The people in Sligo, Galway, Waterford, Cork and Kilkenny seem to manage though they'd welcome a nitelink

I know Boards.ie isnt a Dublin.ie, i'm sure they would benifit from a nite link service, the people doing 20% off are doing a great service for those who need them, but were talking about drivers who are not affilated with these radio companys being asked to do discount fares.

I was using the €10 fare as a example.

mikemac

The fare on the meter is the maximum fare.
And it was increased in late 2008 just as the economy was hitting a downturn, wow, business goes down and fares goes up

I recognize it was the regulator who sets the fares and many drivers opposed the increase

Yes, this thread is on drivers who are not with companies being asked to haggle.
In the end, your regulator encourages it so it's no wonder customers will try.

I Was VB

feelingstressed wrote: »

The fare on the meter is the maximum fare.
And it was increased in late 2008 just as the economy was hitting a downturn, wow, business goes down and fares goes up

I recognize it was the regulator who sets the fares and many drivers opposed the increase

Yes, this thread is on drivers who are not with companies being asked to haggle.
In the end, your regulator encourages it so it's no wonder customers will try.

The fares are reviewed every 2 years, this year she decided not to increase them but to let them stay the same as they've been for the last 2 years, partly because there are companys doing fares lower than whats on the meter.

The regulator has no clue about the current state of the taxi business, she has never driven a taxi and has no prior exprence in the business. I can understand people trying as i've stated in my 1st post, but dont be supprised when drivers refuse to take the discounted fare.

foggy_lad

They may well lose business but drivers like you are so well off anyway ye can afford to pick and choose your customers. You don't want the people only going out to cork st or ballybough but don't want to discount those going further like bray or balbriggan

Spook_ie

I'll give anyone triple the discount that they can get me from a garage for my fuel, you get me 10% off I'll give you 30% off the fare, but if you can't get me a discount then no discount for you, can't be any fairer than that

-Chris-

Spook_ie wrote: »

I'll give anyone triple the discount that they can get me from a garage for my fuel, you get me 10% off I'll give you 30% off the fare, but if you can't get me a discount then no discount for you, can't be any fairer than that

Contact Topaz.ie

http://topaz.ie/en/business/fuel-cards/

If you get a fuel card through them you'll be able to qualify for a rebate. If you order fuel cards as a group (maybe the NTDU should approach them) you'll probably get a rebate in the region of €0.15 per liter.

I'd guess that that's a saving in excess of 10% on your fuel costs.


Now... do you want to PM me your contact details and plate number so I can avail of my 30% discount, or will my discount apply to every journey I take with a driver who avails of the rebate scheme?

Cookie_Monster

hmmm 3 pages and no-one has yet said:

"cos they're tight ****ers"

But seriously though as many have said on such small fairs <10-12 it's not really worth their time, losing a rank space etc.

That said nearly all of my few taxi journeys are in the 8-12 quid range and nearly always they round it down at least to the nearest 50c. I think that's fair enough tbh.

seanw7

i know a guy that his taxi is €40 from city, and he walks down as far as the river and hails a taxi that is heading that way and asks if he will leave him home for €20 (as thats all he has) works everytime as the tazi driver is not loosing out to much as he was heading that way anyway...

foggy_lad

Are there still people employed in the airport moving taxis off the rank if they refused a local or other small paying fare?

Blisterman

I would have thought that small fares would suit the taxi driver at night, since I'd imagine most fares run from the city centre outwards, and with small fares they're not left off in the middle of nowhere. You could quite easily pick up another fare in Ranelagh.

Yourwellcum

Spook_ie wrote: »

I'll give anyone triple the discount that they can get me from a garage for my fuel, you get me 10% off I'll give you 30% off the fare, but if you can't get me a discount then no discount for you, can't be any fairer than that

Big difference. Fuel is still in major demand and there is not an oversupply. Taxis are everywhere with very little demand. Its your choice not to discount, but with so many cheaper fares on offer you will lose out in the long run

L1011

-Chris- wrote: »

Contact Topaz.ie

http://topaz.ie/en/business/fuel-cards/

If you get a fuel card through them you'll be able to qualify for a rebate. If you order fuel cards as a group (maybe the NTDU should approach them) you'll probably get a rebate in the region of €0.15 per liter.

I'd guess that that's a saving in excess of 10% on your fuel costs.


Now... do you want to PM me your contact details and plate number so I can avail of my 30% discount, or will my discount apply to every journey I take with a driver who avails of the rebate scheme?

Even for a fleet the size of the entire NTDU you'd get closer to 0.015 a litre off not 0.15 Chris. The margin does not exist to give 0.15, they'd be losing money on the raw fuel let alone other costs.

-Chris-

We'll have to agree to disagree.

L1011

-Chris- wrote: »

We'll have to agree to disagree.

I know what we're getting as a bulk discount off Topaz a middling size, high usage fleet by Irish standards (work) and what the profit margins are in the fuel business (uncle's station).

I *know* there isn't 15c a litre to give. Taxi drivers are not VAT registered, which is where the massive cost savings of corporate fleet cards come in.

Spook_ie

-Chris- wrote: »

Contact Topaz.ie

http://topaz.ie/en/business/fuel-cards/

If you get a fuel card through them you'll be able to qualify for a rebate. If you order fuel cards as a group (maybe the NTDU should approach them) you'll probably get a rebate in the region of €0.15 per liter.

I'd guess that that's a saving in excess of 10% on your fuel costs.


Now... do you want to PM me your contact details and plate number so I can avail of my 30% discount, or will my discount apply to every journey I take with a driver who avails of the rebate scheme?

You're not saving me anything as I already have a fuel card, no discount for you this time but nice try

-Chris-

Fair nuff... I'll keep thinking! :D