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Do you tip taxi drivers in Ireland?

Koptain Liverpool

Following on from a discussion on another thread - do you tip taxi drivers in Ireland?

I don't and neither do most people I know but apparently a lot of other folk do.

In Ireland the only place I generally tip is in a restaurant.
I'd hate it if Ireland became like the states where you're expected to tip everyone from barbers to delivery men and so on. Whatever about throwing someone a few quid for providing service above and beyond the usual but I hate the idea of an institutionalized system of tipping where it essentially becomes socially compulsory.

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uck51js9zml2yt

The best driver I've ever had was a Romanian guy a few weeks ago from James hospital.
The car was spotless and he was pleasant to talk with.
I was almost disappointed getting out of the car.

I rounded up to the fare.

lertsnim

I wouldn't give them a cent more than I have to. That whole rooting for change thing in the hope that I get bored and say "keep it" is humourous. Nearly always they find it in the first pocket they checked. If they want to waste their own time then who am I to argue.

salamanca22

I tend to tip because I know these taxi drivers can go an hour or more without a fare some days. Only though if the driver is not a racist and the cab is clean.

My father was a taxi driver for years and you could see how over the years he earned less and less money due to people not taking taxi's as much and the growing number of taxis on the road. He really appreciated the odd tip he got from a customer.

looking_around

salamanca22 wrote: »

I tend to tip because I know these taxi drivers can go an hour or more without a fare some days. Only though if the driver is not a racist and the cab is clean.

My father was a taxi driver for years and you could see how over the years he earned less and less money due to people not taking taxi's as much and the growing number of taxis on the road. He really appreciated the odd tip he got from a customer.

people might take more taxis if they weren't so expensive. I would.
I was quoted 10€ for 2km. That's fecking insane! I'd have been willing to pay fiver.
Instead, I'll just cycle.

(and if they are forced to charge a certain amount, perhaps they should complain/stand up against that)

Drummer1967

I never expect tips from anyone and I don't root for change.people that sit in the back counting out 10cent pieces 10 minutes after the meter has stopped really piss me off.One clown knocked out a seat belt when he was getting in..then he wanted a discount because I stopped for 10 seconds when I heard my seat belt dragging on the ground...

Hooked

The odd time I take a cab, it's usually 7 or 8 quid to town. Most often, the drivers are chatty, local lads and I throw them a tenner and let them have the 2/3 euro. Same if I'm out till the wee hours.

Once had this lad drive me home, fare was 7/8 quid and I handed him 20.

He started with this whole 'I have no change' - foreign lad. I proper lost it. He suggested driving me back down the road to a 24 hour petrol station to get change. I told him not a hope.

Sat there while he (big African lad) intimidated me by turning up and down the radio while arguing.

I snapped his pic and id on the dash with my phone and told him this **** might scare some girls being dropped off in the county... But not me.

He told me I could have the fare for free. To which I replied, well you don't have a choice. You've no change. You're a ****ing taxi driver FFS!!!

What a tosser

salamanca22

looking_around wrote: »

people might take more taxis if they weren't so expensive. I would.
I was quoted 10€ for 2km. That's fecking insane! I'd have been willing to pay fiver.
Instead, I'll just cycle.

(and if they are forced to charge a certain amount, perhaps they should complain/stand up against that)

It wasn't so much the price but the fact there is multiple the amount of taxi's on the road now as there was before. Deregulation was one of the worst things to happen to the taxi trade.

looking_around

salamanca22 wrote: »

It wasn't so much the price but the fact there is multiple the amount of taxi's on the road now as there was before. Deregulation was one of the worst things to happen to the taxi trade.

that's only a problem, because there isn't enough people using taxis.

and taxi's don't seem to be interested in competing with eachother. (in many areas doesn't matter which cab company you choose, they all charge the same.)

salamanca22

looking_around wrote: »

that's only a problem, because there isn't enough people using taxis.

and taxi's don't seem to be interested in competing with eachother. (in many areas doesn't matter which cab company you choose, they all charge the same.)

How much would you pay for a taxi then? Considering the price of petrol, the car, the upkeep of the car, car tax and insurance for the car. Remember that the income is taxed too.

looking_around

salamanca22 wrote: »

How much would you pay for a taxi then? Considering the price of petrol, the car, the upkeep of the car, car tax and insurance for the car. Remember that the income is taxed too.

I already answered this.
__

I would also be willing to share taxis, if this was something they offered themselves. (ie half price if willing to share journey etc. not something I had to organise myself.)
In this case they could charge 5€ x 2, for the 2km to end up with their 10 over the same distance.

Most don't offer something like this. They're not interested in making the rates more affordable.

Son Of A Vidic

Koptain Liverpool wrote: »

Do you tip taxi drivers in Ireland?

I don't tip anybody when I'm being overcharged for a service.

stimpson

salamanca22 wrote: »

It wasn't so much the price but the fact there is multiple the amount of taxi's on the road now as there was before. Deregulation was one of the worst things to happen to the taxi trade.

Worse for the taxi driver but not for the customer. I remember having to queue for 3 hours in sub zero temperatures for a taxi. Or empty taxis passing you on the way back into town and refusing to stop. Not anymore.

Simonigs1.0

I tip if they don't bring up the water charges.

salamanca22

looking_around wrote: »

I already answered this.
__

I would also be willing to share taxis, if this was something they offered themselves. (ie half price if willing to share journey etc. not something I had to organise myself.)
In this case they could charge 5€ x 2, for the 2km to end up with their 10 over the same distance.

Most don't offer something like this. They're not interested in making the rates more affordable.

In fact if you were to suggest this yourself there would usually be no problem. I know my father done this a few times. Though the fares would have to be within a very short distance to each other.

Anyway that is a 1/20 situation. Realistically you are not going to find someone that near to each other.

So, how much would you be willing to pay for a taxi on your own?

markobucko

Tips...are you joking??
Rather walk if I can anyhow!!
No doubt there will be more whinging for upping the rates before Christmas

Billy86

lertsnim wrote: »

I wouldn't give them a cent more than I have to. That whole rooting for change thing in the hope that I get bored and say "keep it" is humourous. Nearly always they find it in the first pocket they checked. If they want to waste their own time then who am I to argue.

To be honest, I find 90% of taxi drivers will round down without thinking if it 20c or less over a round number. I'm far from one to hammer on about "everything is better in Ireland" but taxi drivers are typically a lot quicker with change (and more willing to round down) over here than most other countries I've been to. If you find rummaging for change funny here, you'd be in stitches in Sydney, where I once sat in the back of a taxi for over 4 minutes waiting for him to get the change out - and it was $18! This was pretty much standard over there.

Anyway, if I've got on well with the taxi driver I'll round up, but I live close to a rank and used to work in a local petrol station to I know some of them to see type thing - but to each their own, really.

Billy86

markobucko wrote: »

Tips...are you joking??
Rather walk if I can anyhow!!
No doubt there will be more whinging for upping the rates before Christmas

I worked in a petrol station about five years ago and believe me, a lot of taxi drivers hate when the rates go up because it scares people off getting one at all.

shanec1928

Mesrine65 wrote: »

Hailo 10% tip

Which works out at 2 or 3% after hails take their cut for the fare.

stimpson

shanec1928 wrote: »

Which works out at 2 or 3% after hails take their cut for the fare.

Don't be spoofing. Hailo cut is 10%

looking_around

salamanca22 wrote: »

In fact if you were to suggest this yourself there would usually be no problem. I know my father done this a few times. Though the fares would have to be within a very short distance to each other.

Anyway that is a 1/20 situation. Realistically you are not going to find someone that near to each other.

So, how much would you be willing to pay for a taxi on your own?

I answered that............. 5€. but IF that was an issue for them, I would be willing to share...........

and I imagine from town to mallow business park in morning, would have a few taxi runs.

There's no good suggesting, unless someone else is willing to share too. It's not the done thing, and unless taxi's themselves start offering it, it's not going to change.

Arbiter of Good Taste

Billy86 wrote: »

To be honest, I find 90% of taxi drivers will round down without thinking if it 20c or less over a round number. I'm far from one to hammer on about "everything is better in Ireland" but taxi drivers are typically a lot quicker with change (and more willing to round down) over here than most other countries I've been to. If you find rummaging for change funny here, you'd be in stitches in Sydney, where I once sat in the back of a taxi for over 4 minutes waiting for him to get the change out - and it was $18! This was pretty much standard over there.

Anyway, if I've got on well with the taxi driver I'll round up, but I live close to a rank and used to work in a local petrol station to I know some of them to see type thing - but to each their own, really.

Slightly OT, but my experience with taxi drivers in Sydney is that most of them were incompetent

Billy86

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

Slightly OT, but my experience with taxi drivers in Sydney is that most of them were incompetent

That too - thankfully I lived in Kingsford so there was no bullsh*tting with directions on the way home: "up William Street to the Coca Cola sign, take a right and literally just go straight for about 10-15 minutes." I wouldn't tell them it was just straight until that turn was taken though, because then they'd try to mess about getting to the Coke sign.

Things like easy going taxi drivers and good quality butchers (and decent beer that doesn't cost an arm and a leg) you really notice you were missing when you get back! :pac:

jezzer

Koptain Liverpool wrote: »

Following on from a discussion on another thread - do you tip taxi drivers in Ireland?

I don't and neither do most people I know but apparently a lot of other folk do.

In Ireland the only place I generally tip is in a restaurant.
I'd hate it if Ireland became like the states where you're expected to tip everyone from barbers to delivery men and so on. Whatever about throwing someone a few quid for providing service above and beyond the usual but I hate the idea of an institutionalized system of tipping where it essentially becomes socially compulsory.

Damn right i dont tip the robbing shower of whinging b*stards, when i get in a taxi and the trip is not over ten miles long they do be moaning about losing their place in the que and how they work so hard bla bla bla, a more hateful shower you couldnt meet, of course they are not all like that but the majority of them are some shower, also as you mention, the tipping situation in the US, its a disgrace, the customer is expected to pay the staff wages, if a guy opens a door for you he expects a tip, everybody is just being nice so they can shake you down, horrible

Arbiter of Good Taste

I spend quite a bit of time in London and I'm always struck about how genuinely grateful taxi drivers there generally are when you tip. I had one only today say God bless you when I gave him a £1.40 tip. A lot of the time in Dublin I would barely get a thank you. It's as if a tip is expected.

Packrat

I don't like taxi drivers because as a bus driver, the shyte they pull on the roads every day which is dangerous in the extreme annoys the hell out of me.

However, I always tip a couple of euro, - it's a sh1t job, and frankly, I think the people here saying they NEVER tip anyone apart from in restaurants are the worst form of life.

So you tip in restaurants because otherwise your friends would see how truly mean you are, but won't tip another person working an equally if not lower paid job simply because you can get away with it without being seen by your mates/spouse?

'Scummy' is the term I'd apply to that behaviour.

Lau2976

The only tip I give to taxi drivers is the rounding up. Unless they've been exceptional, like I don't know my way around or they are generally very helpful. They provide a service, I pay in full for that service.

letsgetloud

OT but csn someone tell me is 25 euro fare normal for an 11 km trip ?

B.A._Baracus

letsgetloud wrote: »

OT but csn someone tell me is 25 euro fare normal for an 11 km trip ?

I took many a taxi ride from City Centre to Blanchardstown. Which is 10km and 21 euro to 23 euro was the average. So yeah it is the norm.

As for tipping taxi drivers myself? I just round it off. Used to tip an extra euro but I just think it's foolish now. Like, lets be honest because a good percentage of fares dont get declared. Hardly anyone asks for a receipt so taxi drivers can put any ol' (reasonably sounding) income down.
So with that in mind I already paid the fare, your diesel is covered, you've earned your few quid, the service has been provided and paid for... So why should I give you more?

jezzer

In fairness some taxi drivers are sound and will round the fare down if its say 23 euro they might round it to 20 but they are mainly down the country, in dublin they rip you off and then expect a tip, and did you ever notice them rooting for change and make it look as much of a hassle as possible so you might say ah go on hold on to it, they give out about everyone when your in the car with them and if your trip is not over 10k they complain about losing their place in the que, then they fight with each other and basically hate everyone, i know its not a very nice job but they must be making money or they would not be doing it and they all can keep decent cars on the road, i'd say between a friday and saturday night they would make a good weeks wage

Duck Soup

I'll round it up if they're pleasant and they've not taken the scenic route. Or tried the 2 minutes looking for change scam.

The thing is, since the recession, scenic routes have proliferated. In the Celtic Tiger days (when you'd hail a cab just to go down the shops) it was a positive rarity that a cab driver would take you the long way round. Some of the attempts at stretching the fares since the recession hit have been hilarious including - for example - going from Merrion Square into Ballsbridge to get onto Baggot Street. Fcuk me.

And it's not the furry nationals or the out-of-towners. Invariably it's the Dublin born-and-bred types, who know every back street and trick in the book to bump up the final fare. Ultimately, it's self-defeating, I'll only take a cab if absolutely necessary now and give them directions if they're wandering. It's sad. Everyone has it tough. Not everyone tries to take the pish.