Since when do taxi drivers get to pick and choose their fares?

riveratom

The answer is probably 'since forever'.

Got into a taxi on the rank half way up Dawson Street earlier. Specifically didn't hail one passing on the street or further up the rank since I figured it was the one to go for (I know you can choose any technically).

Get in and once the driver hears I only want to go to Pearse St station, he tells me (barely made out his unbelievably thick accent), that it is too close and that he has been waiting to get to the front of the queue (the usual rubbish you hear about).

When I tell him he has to bring me to where I want to go and that I am in a rush to make the train, he's like 'no, no'. Tell him I am making a complaint and the a*rsehole is like 'feel free, feel free'. Get out, call out his plate number to him and walk off. Pretty sure I see him grinning back at me when I look back.

End up sprinting to the station and making it with two minutes to spare.

So, has anyone ever made a complaint to the regulator and what happened when you did?

'Public service vehicle' - good one!!

wazky

Think that's bad?, the fcuking bus driver wouldn't drop me up to the pub today.

Country's gone to the dogs.

Sir Arthur Daley

Are you going to complain to the regulator OP?

jamo2oo9

It happened to me before when I was getting a taxi from DLBP beside the airport and needed a quick hop to the airport for the bus home. Asked the taxi man how much, he said fiver on the old airport road and 15 for the other road. Told him I'd get in via old airport road so I hopped in and what does he do? He goes the long way and he refused to go by the old airport road so he pulled in before the roundabout and kicked me out. Couldn't get his registration details but if I was given a list of people, I could identify him. Doesn't work that way in taxi complaints.

tomwaterford

its not a public service vechicle...private owned

The_Pretender

To be honest I'm not sure how I'd feel if Taxi drivers are NOT allowed to choose the fares they want. I understand that it could lead to discrimination, but at the same time in most cases a Taxi driver is a self employed private business, and so should be able to do what he/she feels will make the most profit.

Duiske

That sprint probably added a few weeks to your lazy ass life. You should be thanking the guy.

SEPT 23 1989

jump into a taxi at the airport and demand they take you to Swords

they love that

The Backwards Man

tomwaterford wrote: »

its not a public service vechicle...private owned

It is a public service vehicle, hence the name Small Public Service Vehicle.

Driver can't unreasonably refuse journey under 30km.

the groutch

I'm think I read before that if a taxi in a rank refuses you, then he is legally off-hire and has to leave the rank.
Iirc it was happening alot with people getting taxis from the airport to Swords/Santry.

kenmc

tomwaterford wrote: »

its not a public service vechicle...private owned

so why is Psv.ie dedicated to taxis, limos and hackneys? http://www.psv.ie/driverslicence.html

The Backwards Man

the groutch wrote: »

I'm think I read before that if a taxi in a rank refuses you, then he is legally off-hire and has to leave the rank.
Iirc it was happening alot with people getting taxis from the airport to Swords.

It's not that's he's off hire, he can't be on the rank unless he's plying for hire and he can't refuse a fare to Swords whether he likes it or not.

Sir Arthur Daley

riveratom wrote: »

Specifically didn't hail one passing on the street or further up the rank since I figured it was the one to go for (I know you can choose any technically).

Does one not have to go to the taxi first in line at rank no?

happypants

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

jump into a taxi at the airport and demand they take you to Swords

they love that

I had to do that before and I genuinely felt bad for taking the taxi from the rank until I saw the carry on of the driver. I work with people with disabilities, myself and another staff returned from bringing some service users away for a weekend.

The house we were returning to is in swords, physically the only way to get the 6 of us with luggage back to the unit was by taxi (it was after last bus). The attitude of the taxi driver was appalling, he drove like a maniac around to the house and grunted the price at us when we arrived and practically threw the bags out.

riveratom

Duiske wrote: »

That sprint probably added a few weeks to your lazy ass life. You should be thanking the guy.

How's that then?

riveratom

WikiHow wrote: »

Does one not have to go to the taxi first in line at rank no?

I mean further back up the rank, this guy was first in line to leave.

The Backwards Man

WikiHow wrote: »

Does one not have to go to the taxi first in line at rank no?

Nope. Despite what the bullies outside the Gresham would have you believe.

kenmc

WikiHow wrote: »

Does one not have to go to the taxi first in line at rank no?

no, but they like to make you think you do. why should you settle for a clapped out 03 corrola when there's a 141 7 series right behind it....

tomwaterford

The Backwards Man wrote: »

It is a public service vehicle, hence the name Small Public Service Vehicle.

Driver can't unreasonably refuse journey under 30km.

The Backwards Man wrote: »

It's not that's he's off hire, he can't be on the rank unless he's plying for hire and he can't refuse a fare to Swords whether he likes it or not.

fukk it anyway...I in town (Waterford) yesterday,and your told me...he didn't have to bring me to train station as it was his vechicle,and I ended up having to walk:mad:

your 100% right here:)

Strumms

Lots of stories about taxi drivers operating out of the airport and giving customers grief.. Me included... I'm in Glasnevin and I've been given the passive aggressive silent treatment to down right abusive. Now I just politely state my destination and keep quiet... If they turn out to be nice guys and want a chat great I will also tip... If they get mouthy so do I.. STFU and drive...

riveratom

WikiHow wrote: »

Are you going to complain to the regulator OP?

That's the plan, have his plate number. Just wondering if anyone had any response back from the regulator.

Kaizersoze81

In fairness it's about 300 metres from middle of Dawson st to Pearse st station. I'd refuse to take you too. Ridiculous distance to expect a taxi to take you.

The Backwards Man

tomwaterford wrote: »

fukk it anyway...I in town (Waterford) yesterday,and your told me...he didn't have to bring me to train station as it was his vechicle,and I ended up having to walk:mad:

your 100% right here:)

Usually does fcuk all good but the next time it happens get their details and complain here.

The Backwards Man

riveratom wrote: »

That's the plan, have his plate number. Just wondering if anyone had any response back from the regulator.

They are usually very good at responding (I'm even on the Christmas card list:pac:), taking action not so much.

One thing though, there's more chance of them taking action if they know about it than if they don't.

riveratom

Kaizersoze81 wrote: »

In fairness it's about 300 metres from middle of Dawson st to Pearse st station. I'd refuse to take you too. Ridiculous distance to expect a taxi to take you.

You're either available for hire or you're not so who cares whether you or this driver thinks it's a ridiculous distance.

tomwaterford

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Usually does fcuk all good but the next time it happens get their details and complain here.

I will...it could be months before ill get a taxi again....usually its out home to the backend of nowhere (25+ miles)...they ask for payment beforehand...is this allowed??

The Backwards Man

tomwaterford wrote: »

I will...it could be months before ill get a taxi again....usually its out home to the backend of nowhere (25+ miles)...they ask for payment beforehand...is this allowed??

Yeah, technically it has to be by way of a waiver signed by the customer that they have agreed to a set fare beforehand.

Journey of that distance I would say it's fair enough the driver looked for the money up front.

Stavros Murphy

I applied for a PSV licence, got it, got the car, the whole nine yards. It then dawned on me that I'd have to drive fcukers around, wherever they wanted to go. Fcuk that.

tomwaterford

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Yeah, technically it has to be by way of a waiver signed by the customer that they have agreed to a set fare beforehand.

Journey of that distance I would say it's fair enough the driver looked for the money up front.

TBF anything id sign in them states of drunkness definetly wouldnt stand up to attention
I wasn't complaining....I suppose it fair enough though...the town would be empty by the time he'd get back

The Backwards Man

Stavros Murphy wrote: »

I applied for a PSV licence, got it, got the car, the whole nine yards. It then dawned on me that I'd have to drive fcukers around, wherever they wanted to go. Fcuk that.

So you decided to drive us around the bend instead?:P

Tasden

I went to the first taxi at a rank once and was only looking to go about ten/fifteen minutes drive away, so I asked him was that ok before I got in because I assumed they wouldn't want to, and he laughed at me for asking said a fares a fare in these times so get in.
On many nights out we've used the "will 20 get us wherever?" and 99% of drivers will say yeah ok.
Taxi drivers get a lot of bad things said about them but the majority I've encountered have been lovely.

Stavros Murphy

The Backwards Man wrote: »

So you decided to drive us around the bend instead?:P

I did the first night - lad hopped into the Xantia, said "drive me home ya fcuker", so I did. Into the boot. Fcuker? Me? How very dare you. Poor career choice, in retrospect.

The Backwards Man

Stavros Murphy wrote: »

I did the first night - lad hopped into the Xantia, said "drive me home ya fcuker", so I did. Into the boot. Fcuker? Me? How very dare you. Poor career choice, in retrospect.

Luggage charge has been done away with, you get nothing extra for putting him in the boot.:D

czechlin

While I have mostly great experience the very few bad ones I encountered were really bad. The attitude was just horrendous. I used to live in Docklands so the fare from town home was around a tenner and some of the drivers were so mouthy I couldn't believe it. One of them really pissed me off and got the "you get paid a tenner for 2 minutes driving, if you expect to get people going to the airport good luck" and walked off. If I'm going somewhere close I check upfront to save myself the hassle, most of them are really sound. If I get a bad vibe of a driver I don't get in.

marozz

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

jump into a taxi at the airport and demand they take you to Swords

they love that

I had that a few times. They go mad and the journey home is horrible. One time I arrived at the airport and I called a local cab company. They picked me up outside departures. It worked out cheaper than the airport taxi and the drive home was a lot more relaxed.

Stavros Murphy

czechlin wrote: »

While I have mostly great experience the very few bad ones I encountered were really bad. The attitude was just horrendous. I used to live in Docklands so the fare from town home was around a tenner and some of the drivers were so mouthy I couldn't believe it. One of them really pissed me off and got the "you get paid a tenner for 2 minutes driving, if you expect to get people going to the airport good luck" and walked off. If I'm going somewhere close I check upfront to save myself the hassle, most of them are really sound. If I get a bad vibe of a driver I don't get in.

What ju-ju do you use to pick up the vibes?

goz83

I've thankfully never had a bad experience with a taxi driver and i'm only in D13, having got taxis many times from the airport.

If they're decent and chat about something other than "the blacks at the dole office", i usually tip too.

William F

Tasden wrote: »

I went to the first taxi at a rank once and was only looking to go about ten/fifteen minutes drive away, so I asked him was that ok before I got in because I assumed they wouldn't want to, and he laughed at me for asking said a fares a fare in these times so get in.
On many nights out we've used the "will 20 get us wherever?" and 99% of drivers will say yeah ok.
Taxi drivers get a lot of bad things said about them but the majority I've encountered have been lovely.

I had a taxi driver charge me 7.50 from Dorset Street to Gardiner Street. Had it been me and not my girlfriend who had paid, I wouldn't of given to the guy.

I waited at the airport bus stop twice in one week and a taxi driver pulled up each time and solicited fairs from me and the others waiting.
I asked the second time whether or not the guy new it was illegal to do that and he said ''You had your hand up didn't you?''

Taxi drivers in the countryside are just as bad. I had a taxi driver charge me 10 euros for a 1 mile fare.
The same location, I had a taxi driver try to give me a British pound coin as change and him telling me ''I new it was in there somewhere''. :rolleyes:

The neck of some taxi drivers in this country, you'd swear it was Norway we were living in. They have a ridiculous sense entitlement.

shedweller

The Backwards Man wrote: »

It's not that's he's off hire, he can't be on the rank unless he's plying for hire and he can't refuse a fare to Swords whether he likes it or not.

So theres a page i can print off and shove in his face if he refuses, right?
I feckin hope so. Although i live in the sticks and the last taxi i took got punts as payment!
So it prob fair to say im not with "it" anymore. Yolo.

tomwaterford

goz83 wrote: »

I've thankfully never had a bad experience with a taxi driver and i'm only in D13, having got taxis many times from the airport.

If they're decent and chat about something other than "the blacks at the dole office", i usually tip too.

I find the conversation of the Africans taking all their work in s**t cars to be a fulfilling source of conversation in my drunken state

czechlin

Stavros Murphy wrote: »

What ju-ju do you use to pick up the vibes?

Wouldn't you wanna know! :P

On a serious note, there were few (thankfully rare) occasions when I was really glad to get out of the car because the drivers made me feel very uncomfortable, since then I just try to be a bit more careful. If there's the time and I can check the driver before getting in I do. I like using Hailo because I have the driver's details in advance. (I know I probably sound a bit paranoid and I'm really not, most drivers are grand - some of the funniest chats I had were with Irish taxi men - but if I can avoid being stuck in a car with a complete stranger getting the ultimate creeps then I will.)

Stavros Murphy

czechlin wrote: »

Wouldn't you wanna know! :P

On a serious note, there were few (thankfully rare) occasions when I was really glad to get out of the car because the drivers made me feel very uncomfortable, since then I just try to be a bit more careful. If there's the time and I can check the driver before getting in I do. I like using Hailo because I have the driver's details in advance. (I know I probably sound a bit paranoid and I'm really not, most drivers are grand - some of the funniest chats I had were with Irish taxi men - but if I can avoid being stuck in a car with a complete stranger getting the ultimate creeps then I will.)

I'm guessing you're female. I'm usually only interested in what they think of their cars reliability.

asteroth

riveratom wrote: »

The answer is probably 'since forever'.

Got into a taxi on the rank half way up Dawson Street earlier. Specifically didn't hail one passing on the street or further up the rank since I figured it was the one to go for (I know you can choose any technically).

Get in and once the driver hears I only want to go to Pearse St station, he tells me (barely made out his unbelievably thick accent), that it is too close and that he has been waiting to get to the front of the queue (the usual rubbish you hear about).

When I tell him he has to bring me to where I want to go and that I am in a rush to make the train, he's like 'no, no'. Tell him I am making a complaint and the a*rsehole is like 'feel free, feel free'. Get out, call out his plate number to him and walk off. Pretty sure I see him grinning back at me when I look back.

End up sprinting to the station and making it with two minutes to spare.

So, has anyone ever made a complaint to the regulator and what happened when you did?

'Public service vehicle' - good one!!

I had a similar episode. Pissing rain one night and the distance I had to go was too short as far as the arsehole behind the wheel was concerned. I was seated in the back. So I got out and said "I'm not selfish, I want you to enjoy the rain too.", and left the door open. Gob****e had to unbuckle himself, get out in the lashing rain and go round to close the door all the while cursing me. Have a nice day, Dickhead.

The Diabolical Monocle

You should have gone to the second guy in the queue.

+ No, he doesn't have to accept your offer.

czechlin

Stavros Murphy wrote: »

I'm guessing you're female. I'm usually only interested in what they think of their cars reliability.

Good guess
I'm quite happy being quiet but if they're the chatty type I go with it. Cars, motorbikes, gym, families, pets, funerals, politics, travelling, weather, photography, Russian submarines, music, drugs, gardening, sleeping patterns, drunk people, phobias... Some small talks were quite amusing.

riveratom

The Diabolical Monocle wrote: »

You should have gone to the second guy in the queue.

+ No, he doesn't have to accept your offer.

And have him say the same thing?

And then go to the third guy and risk having him say the same thing. Then miss my train given I had a two minute window to make it after sprinting down to catch it.

Sound like a good service to you?

What offer?

sdanseo

riveratom wrote: »

The answer is probably 'since forever'.

Got into a taxi on the rank half way up Dawson Street earlier. Specifically didn't hail one passing on the street or further up the rank since I figured it was the one to go for (I know you can choose any technically).

Get in and once the driver hears I only want to go to Pearse St station, he tells me (barely made out his unbelievably thick accent), that it is too close and that he has been waiting to get to the front of the queue (the usual rubbish you hear about).

When I tell him he has to bring me to where I want to go and that I am in a rush to make the train, he's like 'no, no'. Tell him I am making a complaint and the a*rsehole is like 'feel free, feel free'. Get out, call out his plate number to him and walk off. Pretty sure I see him grinning back at me when I look back.

End up sprinting to the station and making it with two minutes to spare.

So, has anyone ever made a complaint to the regulator and what happened when you did?

'Public service vehicle' - good one!!

Complain to the regulator and have his ability to be a dickhead in this manner to members of the public revoked. He doesn't deserve to be in charge of a tricycle if this happened as you say.

Whenever I'm in a taxi I've always found drivers generally good, only one near death experience (foreign dude who it turned out wasn't even licensed fell asleep at the wheel and nearly killed us all).

Any time I'm sharing the road with them it's blatantly obvious that they're a pile of arrogant pricks and that none of them can bloody drive, though I suppose that's a different conversation.

riveratom

asteroth wrote: »

I had a similar episode. Pissing rain one night and the distance I had to go was too short as far as the arsehole behind the wheel was concerned. I was seated in the back. So I got out and said "I'm not selfish, I want you to enjoy the rain too.", and left the door open. Gob****e had to unbuckle himself, get out in the lashing rain and go round to close the door all the while cursing me. Have a nice day, Dickhead.

Yep exactly. I just stood outside his back door reciting his plate number back to him.

riveratom

sdeire wrote: »

Complain to the regulator and have his ability to be a dickhead in this manner to members of the public revoked. He doesn't deserve to be in charge of a tricycle if this happened as you say.

Yup, it happened exactly as I described it.

riveratom

riveratom wrote: »

Yep exactly. I just stood outside his back door reciting his plate number back to him.

So you didn't have the time to ask the second driver in the queue would he take your fare but you had the time to try and annoy the driver.

errlloyd

Maybe the airport should have a short fares rank. I live in d18, so drivers love me. But I can see why it's bad for driver and consumer if you live in swords.