Nasty bullying taxi drivers

foggy_lad

oisindoyle wrote: »

Are you begrudgeing a driver getting a lucrative fare?..
For your information they are few and far between.You would rarely hear a driver say he got a long distance journey now.
No most will NOT kick up over a short journey,the word you are omitting is SOME....

Why are so many drivers trying to work the airport when they know there is a three hour wait for a €10 fare? hardly worth their while unless they get some poor tourist they can bring on a tour of Meath and Louth on the way to the city centre.

Bigcheeze

foggy_lad wrote: »

Why are so many drivers trying to work the airport when they know there is a three hour wait for a €10 fare? hardly worth their while unless they get some poor tourist they can bring on a tour of Meath and Louth on the way to the city centre.

There's a whole social scene attached to the airport. Half of them are there for the tea and card games.

The airport taxi drivers tend to be a special breed with the worst attitude. I got tired of getting abuse at 5am after a transatlantic flight so phone my local taxi company from the baggage hall.

mikemac1

Lots of fixed fare discount firms around
Probably one local to you

Give them the business

However I've never done this so I'm not entirely sure how it works for a taxi to meet you at the airport.
Would the rank and the marshal have an issue with this? How do you ignore a rank and met a taximan right beside them

I don't realy know how it's done but since lots use fixed fare to the airport just seems obvious to use it from the airport. I don't know Dublin which ye are all talking about

Used to do this in Galway which was tiny, fare to the airport was fixed, only tourists paid the meter

Anyway, if it's a local firm they probably already know you and have no bother doing the local runs.
And if it's a bit longer then the fixed fare saves you money

foggy_lad

mikemac1 wrote: »

Lots of fixed fare discount firms around
Probably one local to you

Give them the business

However I've never done this so I'm not entirely sure how it works for a taxi to meet you at the airport.
Would the rank and the marshal have an issue with this? How do you ignore a rank and met a taximan right beside them

I don't realy know how it's done but since lots use fixed fare to the airport just seems obvious to use it from the airport. I don't know Dublin which ye are all talking about

Used to do this in Galway which was tiny, fare to the airport was fixed, only tourists paid the meter

Anyway, if it's a local firm they probably already know you and have no bother doing the local runs.
And if it's a bit longer then the fixed fare saves you money

Afaik pre-booked hackneys go into a special car park to wait for their passengers, this is on the way to the coach park iirc. so you ring to be picked up at the airport and when the cab arrives they go into this short term car park and most will ring you to see if you are ready and collect you from arrivals.

oisindoyle

foggy_lad wrote: »

Why are so many drivers trying to work the airport when they know there is a three hour wait for a €10 fare? hardly worth their while unless they get some poor tourist they can bring on a tour of Meath and Louth on the way to the city centre.

So where do you suggest these drivers go then ? and not all fares are 10euro ..SOME are,SOME are not.
Why would a driver go to Meath or Louth on the way to the city centre?

foggy_lad

oisindoyle wrote: »

So where do you suggest these drivers go then ? and not all fares are 10euro ..SOME are,SOME are not.
Why would a driver go to Meath or Louth on the way to the city centre?

They should boycott the airport until DAA allow them free unrestricted access to the airport and provide a proper rank with space for maybe 50 cars. Normal rules apply and if no taxis are there for passengers they could have a local free phone number to ring for a taxi. Any messing over not taking short fares or directing people to the first taxi at the rank and drivers could be barred from the rank forever.

wexford12

Sultan of Bling wrote: »

Why don't you take the handbrake off and push the car up the rank?

Because not all ranks are on flat tarmac. We have a up hill rank and then drive a 100yards from a holding rank to the main one. I have seen guys doing this iv also seen them trying to stop the rolling car before it hits the one in front.
Far to much hassle for me and I don't fancy a heart attack

oisindoyle

foggy_lad wrote: »

They should boycott the airport until DAA allow them free unrestricted access to the airport and provide a proper rank with space for maybe 50 cars. Normal rules apply and if no taxis are there for passengers they could have a local free phone number to ring for a taxi. Any messing over not taking short fares or directing people to the first taxi at the rank and drivers could be barred from the rank forever.

So you are advocating Industrial action ,interesting that! I would hazzard a guess if it came to pass, you would be the first on here complaining .

Rather than critise and complain from the comfort of your armchair with all the solutions,I shall enlighten you as best I can,shall I

Firstly ,drivers who work the airport (Dublin) need a permit.This permit costs the driver over 400euro a year,the money goes to the DAA for what ? God knows????

There is a holding area for taxis just behind the Radisson hotel that holds approx 120 cars .

Plus there is an overflow holding area that holds approx another 100 plus lines of cars queing to acccess the holding area and the overflow area approx another 50-60 cars ,plus 30 cars at T1 and 30 at T2.

If there are no taxis at the arrivals at any stage(which is seldom),it is not the drivers fault .

The green caps maning the ranks are the ones who notify drivers in the holding area that people have arrived there .
If they do their job correctly then there should always be ample amount of cars there to meet demand.

Only drivers holding a valid permit are allowed pick up at the rank and they must go through the holding area.

NO driver is allowed to refuse a job,if he/she attempts to they are reported,simple as that.

SOME drivers moan at passengers when they get a short job and it is never condoned ,but the vast majority take fares without moaning.

You failed to answer my question in relation to you saying that dublin airport drivers take passengers through Meath and Louth on the way to the city centre,??
Was it a statement of fact from you or just a comment to berate critise and put out false misinformation about taxi drivers ,just because you felt like it?

Since this thread has (as usual) gone waaaay off topic and descended into a taxi driver bashing ,I think we should leave well enough alone ,,,,for now !

Terrontress

I'm not sure if it is to do with my flight times being at peak demand times, but I always have to enter a queue at the taxi rank at the airport, sometimes quite long. It's a trip to Donabate they get and there is never a complaint but I thought they'd be glad not to go too far as they can whip straight back and pick someone else up off the queue with a minimum of fuss.

SteppingStone

I had a similar experience with a Taxi man I pulled on the road two weeks ago. I had been on a night out and my feet ached. I was in the City Centre and was going to Harcourt street.. It's in walking distance but feels like a life time of a walk when your feet hurt, so I decided to hail in a Taxi on the road. Taxi pulled in and the first thing the driver asked was where was I going before getting in the car. I told him Harcourt Street and he just pfffft. I replied I know it's in short distance but it's a fare right? Not good enough he said and told me he wasn't taking me. This really bugged me any other night in that area they would pull in and ask if you wanted a cab but on this night it wasn't good enough because there was a lot of people around the City Centre. He just wanted a higher fare. So off he went and I puled in another. No problem at all the second driver said. He left me to Harcourt Street and the fare was €8 and I gave him the change of a €10. So €10 for less than a ten minute drive. Not bad at all i reckon and he got another fare as I got out of the Taxi. Some of them are just complete and utter mean ignorant B******S :rolleyes:

wexford12

I really don't get why if been hailed and you get a short fare why you would be peed off going about a km or so is pure profit if you havent been sitting on a rank for an hour or so.

Bigcheeze

Terrontress wrote: »

I'm not sure if it is to do with my flight times being at peak demand times, but I always have to enter a queue at the taxi rank at the airport, sometimes quite long. It's a trip to Donabate they get and there is never a complaint but I thought they'd be glad not to go too far as they can whip straight back and pick someone else up off the queue with a minimum of fuss.

You're queuing because the loading system is so crap there that it takes ages to get people and their baggage into taxis. There are hundreds of taxis waiting.

Most of them are lazy bastards who think you should compensate them for the inconvinience of doing their job!!
Sorry to hear that OP, you should ignore them and if they say anything just tell them the carriage office number is in your phone, then say nothing for the rest of the journey.

Jaysoose

oisindoyle wrote: »

So you are advocating Industrial action ,interesting that! I would hazzard a guess if it came to pass, you would be the first on here complaining .

Rather than critise and complain from the comfort of your armchair with all the solutions,I shall enlighten you as best I can,shall I

Firstly ,drivers who work the airport (Dublin) need a permit.This permit costs the driver over 400euro a year,the money goes to the DAA for what ? God knows????

There is a holding area for taxis just behind the Radisson hotel that holds approx 120 cars .

Plus there is an overflow holding area that holds approx another 100 plus lines of cars queing to acccess the holding area and the overflow area approx another 50-60 cars ,plus 30 cars at T1 and 30 at T2.

If there are no taxis at the arrivals at any stage(which is seldom),it is not the drivers fault .

The green caps maning the ranks are the ones who notify drivers in the holding area that people have arrived there .
If they do their job correctly then there should always be ample amount of cars there to meet demand.

Only drivers holding a valid permit are allowed pick up at the rank and they must go through the holding area.

NO driver is allowed to refuse a job,if he/she attempts to they are reported,simple as that.

SOME drivers moan at passengers when they get a short job and it is never condoned ,but the vast majority take fares without moaning.

You failed to answer my question in relation to you saying that dublin airport drivers take passengers through Meath and Louth on the way to the city centre,??
Was it a statement of fact from you or just a comment to berate critise and put out false misinformation about taxi drivers ,just because you felt like it?

Since this thread has (as usual) gone waaaay off topic and descended into a taxi driver bashing ,I think we should leave well enough alone ,,,,for now !

This is nonsense people are posting about their personal experiences with taxi drivers and the majority are negative. How is it taxi driver bashing to recount a real experience about something. I think if anybody should leave well enough alone in this thread its you.

foggy_lad

oisindoyle wrote: »

So you are advocating Industrial action ,interesting that! I would hazzard a guess if it came to pass, you would be the first on here complaining .

Rather than critise and complain from the comfort of your armchair with all the solutions,I shall enlighten you as best I can,shall I

Firstly ,drivers who work the airport (Dublin) need a permit.This permit costs the driver over 400euro a year,the money goes to the DAA for what ? God knows????

The action I am advocating is because the drivers are not being treated very fairly by DAA who now it seems want to reduce the number of permits for using the airport.

There is a holding area for taxis just behind the Radisson hotel that holds approx 120 cars .

Plus there is an overflow holding area that holds approx another 100 plus lines of cars queing to acccess the holding area and the overflow area approx another 50-60 cars ,plus 30 cars at T1 and 30 at T2.

If I want a taxi at the airport I don't care how long it has been waiting or where it has to come from as long as it is legal and clean and the driver is not some criminal figure and the car doesn't stink of stale smoke because he has been smoking out the window.

If there are no taxis at the arrivals at any stage(which is seldom),it is not the drivers fault .

The green caps maning the ranks are the ones who notify drivers in the holding area that people have arrived there .
If they do their job correctly then there should always be ample amount of cars there to meet demand.

Only drivers holding a valid permit are allowed pick up at the rank and they must go through the holding area.

Again all irrelevant to the passenger. but if there are no taxis at the airport rank there is nothing stopping passengers ringing up a local cab company to collect them, why should it always be the taxi at the rank that gets priority?

NO driver is allowed to refuse a job,if he/she attempts to they are reported,simple as that.

In an earlier post you belittle the reporting of bad behaviour and illegal actions by taxi drivers claiming http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=77793806&postcount=46
"Report a driver if you must ,but to be honest reporting an incident to the taxi regulator can be full of red tape, its long and winded and time consumeing .Ive yet to hear of anyone getting a satisfactory outcome from them ,,but thats another days work."

SOME drivers moan at passengers when they get a short job and it is never condoned ,but the vast majority take fares without moaning.

You failed to answer my question in relation to you saying that dublin airport drivers take passengers through Meath and Louth on the way to the city centre,??
Was it a statement of fact from you or just a comment to berate critise and put out false misinformation about taxi drivers ,just because you felt like it?

It was to highlight how some people especially tourists can be taken advantage by taxi drivers when they think the passengers don't know the area and will not know when several km are added to the journey unnecessarily.

RadioClash

mickoneill30 wrote: »

I work in a company in Swords. We had 11 guys coming over from France a couple of weeks ago. They asked us to drive up and pick them up because the last time a couple of them were over and got taxis from the airport they got shouted at by the taxi drivers. That was a nice "Cead Mile Failte" for them.

For me, I'd use the airport a fair bit and used to get taxis from it down to Swords. I know I'm taking them from a long wait so I'd tip decently. After a couple of whingebags (who obviously didn't get tipped after the moaning), now I just go out to the bus and pay less than 2 quid and get there without the moaning. The tourists won't know to do that though.

Had the same experience at Dublin airport a few years back, flight from London was delayed so had to take a cab to Swords for a meeting I was late for. Got into a taxi and the guy told me to walk up to the road and get a cab there 'there's loads of them there' he says to me. After exchanging a few words with him I got out, and a guy from the DAA policing the the rank stuck his head in the window and told him he was a liscenced taxi driver and couldn't refuse the fair.

I hopped back in and he started swearing at me, needless to say I gave it back to him for the whole trip. And oh, no tip either.

meanmachine3

Jaysoose wrote: »

[/B]QUOTE]This is nonsense people are posting about their personal experiences with taxi drivers and the majority are negative. How is it taxi driver bashing to recount a real experience about something. I think if anybody should leave well enough alone in this thread its you.

for once i have to agree with you jaysoose. it seems that anyone makes a thread about taxi drivers behavior you get those coming on here saying it's taxi bashing and it's always the same few doing this. oisindoyle i suggest you get on to the mods to modify the charter in here so no one can post about taxi drivers. thats the way your coming across. or even better ban any thread to do with taxi drivers as they all seem to be bashing according to you.
as for the O.P. next time if you getting a taxi get it from the back of the Q. last in first out so to speak. that'll shut up the moany ****ers at the front who are complaining about sitting at the ranks for hours for a short fare.

Jaysoose

meanmachine3 wrote: »

for once i have to agree with you jaysoose. it seems that anyone makes a thread about taxi drivers behavior you get those coming on here saying it's taxi bashing and it's always the same few doing this. oisindoyle i suggest you get on to the mods to modify the charter in here so no one can post about taxi drivers. thats the way your coming across. or even better ban any thread to do with taxi drivers as they all seem to be bashing according to you.
as for the O.P. next time if you getting a taxi get it from the back of the Q. last in first out so to speak. that'll shut up the moany ****ers at the front who are complaining about sitting at the ranks for hours for a short fare.

Wheres the catch?

Yourwellcum

SteppingStone wrote: »

I had a similar experience with a Taxi man I pulled on the road two weeks ago. I had been on a night out and my feet ached. I was in the City Centre and was going to Harcourt street.. It's in walking distance but feels like a life time of a walk when your feet hurt, so I decided to hail in a Taxi on the road. Taxi pulled in and the first thing the driver asked was where was I going before getting in the car. I told him Harcourt Street and he just pfffft. I replied I know it's in short distance but it's a fare right? Not good enough he said and told me he wasn't taking me. This really bugged me any other night in that area they would pull in and ask if you wanted a cab but on this night it wasn't good enough because there was a lot of people around the City Centre. He just wanted a higher fare. So off he went and I puled in another. No problem at all the second driver said. He left me to Harcourt Street and the fare was €8 and I gave him the change of a €10. So €10 for less than a ten minute drive. Not bad at all i reckon and he got another fare as I got out of the Taxi. Some of them are just complete and utter mean ignorant B******S :rolleyes:

I dont believe this story for one minute.

If there was alot of fares around, it makes more sense to want lots of short runs as that works out the most profitable. Especially going to Harcourt St as there would almost ceratinly be business there if it was busy around city centre

Victor

RVP 11 wrote: »

Most of them are lazy bastards who think you should compensate them for the inconvinience of doing their job!!

No need for abusive comments like this.

meanmachine3

Jaysoose wrote: »

Wheres the catch?

none, just getting soft in me old age

ardmacha

Most phones record, tape the wasters and put it on youtube.

Losty Dublin

meanmachine3 wrote: »

for once i have to agree with you jaysoose. it seems that anyone makes a thread about taxi drivers behavior you get those coming on here saying it's taxi bashing and it's always the same few doing this. oisindoyle i suggest you get on to the mods to modify the charter in here so no one can post about taxi drivers. thats the way your coming across. or even better ban any thread to do with taxi drivers as they all seem to be bashing according to you.
as for the O.P. next time if you getting a taxi get it from the back of the Q. last in first out so to speak. that'll shut up the moany ****ers at the front who are complaining about sitting at the ranks for hours for a short fare.

Meanie, the problem isn't in the threads or the content of them; it's the tone which they inevitably take by the time page 2 comes around. Between that and the misinformation which follows around, they never end up being discussed in a halfway civil tone which, dare I say, never starts from the taxi driver posters that visit here the odd time.

GTE

Taxis in Belfast are much better as there are 2 main companies who work the city centre and at least the student areas.

Reason I say this:
- Cars are usually no more than 5 years old (I do not necessarily agree with an age limit for taxis). Drivers have to get new cars so they can keep working for the company.
- The main point about the 5 year thing is that all cars are in fantastic working order, I do believe that older cars can be kept in as high as standard. Maybe is public perception of a 00 vs a 08 for example but anyway.
- All cars have GPS trackers on them.
- All customers get texts/calls when there taxi gets close.
- You can get drivers taken off routes/fired if they do something like attempt to make you pay for a dried in soda stain on a seat when your friend feels ill and gets out of the car (on the different side of the car to the stain). Anyway, I got someone fired over that according to admin.

Point being! Belfast is a fantastic city if you stick with the two companies that operate like this.

Source for a lot of this is one taxi driver who was in the process of selling his 2008 Skoda Suburb for a new model. Many chats with many different drivers over the years.

I think some of this sort of operation is opening up in Dublin but I feel we need more of it. Kill off the unprofessional, unhelpful and detrimental to the industry drivers.

Sponge Bob

Dodrill was arrested as he left the rendezvous, driving his own taxi.

From this frankly horrific article. This guy is a complete scumbag.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0424/breaking45.html

A Dublin man who extorted more than a quarter of a million euro from a fish and chip shop owner in the city by threatening him with the Real IRA was jailed for six years by the Special Criminal Court today.

David Dodrill (31), a taxi driver and father of two, of Plunkett Avenue, Finglas pleaded guilty last week to membership of an unlawful organisation within the State, namely the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Óglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA on July 13th last year.

Chief Supt Diarmuid O’Dullivan told the court today that over a period of two years Dodrill forced the chip shop owner to hand over approximately €164,000, and in addition he forced the man to pay him €2,000 a week from 2010 to 2011, making an additional €100,000.

hefferboi

Only one thing for these types of taxi drivers.

Do a runner.

foggy_lad

Sponge Bob wrote: »

From this frankly horrific article. This guy is a complete scumbag.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0424/breaking45.html

ah at least he will still have his taxi license when he gets out of prison!

mikemac1

bbk wrote: »

Taxis in Belfast are much better as there are 2 main companies who work the city centre and at least the student areas.

Point being! Belfast is a fantastic city if you stick with the two companies that operate like this.

When I lived in Belfast the taximen were constantly touting outside Central Station and just getting in the way

I am glad we don't have this with Colbert, Ceannt, Heuston, etc

And the black cabs on Great Victoria St would rob me blind and go on roundabout routes until I corrected them

Grab one in the Square on a rainy night and they'd refuse to take you out to Cregagh Rd as they want the short city fares. It's not even that far out to Cregagh Rd.

The main taxi companies were good though

Just the black cabs in Belfast are worse then anything I've put up with in Dublin, Galway or Limerick

InchicoreDude

OP, I sympathise with what happened you. I had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago.

I came out of a nightclub on Stephens Green. There was a long line of taxis outside. I approached the first taxi, he rolled down the window and asked where I was going. Me: "Rialto" Taxi man: "Sorry not going that way". I went to second taxi. again window rolled down and he asked where I was going. Me: "Rialto" Taxi man: "No, I'm going to the North side".

So then I just went down towards the end of the q and got one there. But the taxi guys attitudes really infuriated me. I am assuming the reason they refused to bring me was because of the short fare. I wasnt drunk, and taxis have carried me in the past when I had a lot of drink on me. The nightclub was closing at the time and there were many people streaming out of the club so I guess they thought they could get a better fare. I used to sympathise with taxi drivers, but any more. At the end of the day, they turned away business from me. I have been reluctant to use a taxi since that night and as petty as it may sound, I always wait to get my full change back now rather than let them have the euro!

oisindoyle

InchicoreDude wrote: »

OP, I sympathise with what happened you. I had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago.

I came out of a nightclub on Stephens Green. There was a long line of taxis outside. I approached the first taxi, he rolled down the window and asked where I was going. Me: "Rialto" Taxi man: "Sorry not going that way". I went to second taxi. again window rolled down and he asked where I was going. Me: "Rialto" Taxi man: "No, I'm going to the North side".

So then I just went down towards the end of the q and got one there. But the taxi guys attitudes really infuriated me. I am assuming the reason they refused to bring me was because of the short fare. I wasnt drunk, and taxis have carried me in the past when I had a lot of drink on me. The nightclub was closing at the time and there were many people streaming out of the club so I guess they thought they could get a better fare. I used to sympathise with taxi drivers, but any more. At the end of the day, they turned away business from me. I have been reluctant to use a taxi since that night and as petty as it may sound, I always wait to get my full change back now rather than let them have the euro!

Well you cant second guess or assume why they wouldnt take you .You may have looked drunk or dodgy to them who knows ?? Rialto wouldnt be considered a "short fare" either, but there are some parts of Rialto that are considered dodgy.As I say you cannot assume or second guess ..

Once you are in a taxi he/she HAS to take you unless it is 30km or more then he /she can refuse and/ or if you look dodgy or are drunk .

If as you say there were a line of taxis outside the club I assume it was Dandilon club ,then it wasnt a legal rank ...
The legal rank is at the corner of Stephens Green Park ,just so you know