Taxis overcharging on meters via remote fobs

TuringBot47 · 29-10-2019 10:13am #1

Anyone see yesterdays Sunday World on taxi overcharging?

Taxi drivers now have remote control fobs that they can click to increase the fare, e.g. add another €2 - €10 on the fare without touching the meter.

https://www.facebook.com/sundayworld1/photos/a.10152033389006600/10157907319931600/?type=3

The NTA caught one of them but reckon there's 400 on the road?

Something to be wary off.

I've messed around with a 433Mhz wifi bridge and a raspberry pi once to scan and control simple home appliances like a wireless doorbell and remote controlled power sockets.

If I could record the remote control signal they used, I could drive around constantly emitting that signal and messing up their fares and making it obvious what they were doing.... hmmm...

Ubbquittious · 30-10-2019 10:18pm

If you're drunk on a night out or they think you're drunk they'll add things on as well. Snakey bastids so they are

Eric Cartman · 30-10-2019 10:24pm

more likely a cheap car keyless entry system (radio relay) hooked up to a timer doing an analog speed pulse emulation to make the taxi think its travelling faster and thus run the meter up quicker that way. doubt youd add more than a few cents driving round.

iamtony · 30-10-2019 10:30pm

I was wondering when this would come up here. As a taxi driver myself I'm pissed because this further tarnishes our reputation. I never even heard of it till the Sunday world story.
I hope he looses his psv licence for ever to make the other drivers who have it think twice.
My guess is this is confined to drivers with an airport permit and used on tourists. Sneaky bastards they are:(

magicbastarder · 30-10-2019 10:33pm

iamtony wrote: »

I hope he looses his psv licence for ever to make the other drivers who have it think twice.

bollocks to that. it's pure theft, a custodial sentence would be warranted.

Mr.Frame · 01-11-2019 3:53pm

Eric Cartman wrote: »

more likely a cheap car keyless entry system (radio relay) hooked up to a timer doing an analog speed pulse emulation to make the taxi think its travelling faster and thus run the meter up quicker that way. doubt youd add more than a few cents driving round.

So are you saying if a taxi is doing 100km the price of a fare is going to be more than if the taxi was doing 60km?

L1011 · 01-11-2019 5:28pm

Mr.Frame wrote: »

So are you saying if a taxi is doing 100km the price of a fare is going to be more than if the taxi was doing 60km?

No, he's hypothesing that a unit which is being told it is going faster than the actual vehicle is will think it has gone a further distance.

TuringBot47 · 01-11-2019 6:32pm

Eric Cartman wrote: »

more likely a cheap car keyless entry system (radio relay) hooked up to a timer doing an analog speed pulse emulation to make the taxi think its travelling faster and thus run the meter up quicker that way. doubt youd add more than a few cents driving round.

I actually did a little research, on a taxi forum.

I "think" it's the Digitax meters and they have an optional bluetooth fob.
So it's harder to broadcast a signal, it would need bluetooth pairing.

I think they were able to change the tariffs somehow, maybe through some button combination or change the date/time to emulate a change in tariffs.

Those meters were issued a recall to reflash their firmware I think, to counteract this.

Although really, they shouldn't "need" a bluetooth fob at all.
Everything should be transparent and require manual pushing of buttons on the meter itself.

I wonder if a bluetooth enabled meter would show up on a bluetooth scan...
I could rig a Raspberry Pi W Zero to scan for bluetooth devices as I drive past a taxi rank/heavy traffic/bus lanes.

Each bluetooth device has a unique id including the manufacturers code.
So might be able to rig a "scam meter"...
So much nerdiness, so little time.

L1011 · 11-11-2019 7:13pm

Succesful prosecution:

https://www.thejournal.ie/taxi-driver-remote-control-fares-court-4887210-Nov2019/

Doesn't give the details of precisely what it did, probably for obvious reasons!

magicbastarder · 11-11-2019 7:28pm

"A TAXI DRIVER ripped off passengers 280 times by secretly using a remote control to add €9 to fares without their knowledge"
"Robert Griffin, 66, of Maplewood Park, Springfield in Tallaght, was fined €750"

steal over €2,500, get fined €750, that's a good day in court for that taxi driver.

Hardtochoose · 11-11-2019 9:01pm

Utter scum. Incidents like these are why I go out of my way to avoid using taxis in Dublin.if I were a decent hardworking taxi driver I’d be seriously pissed off at these prícks ruining their reputation.

dhaughton99 · 12-11-2019 9:13am

Does he still have his license?

SeeMoreBut · 12-11-2019 9:37am

dhaughton99 wrote: »

Does he still have his license?

Of course he does. Saying he has a heart condition so stopped working. Don't worry he'll be back in his taxi soon. If he has a heart condition how has he a license to drive professional.

Should all professional drivers not have to do some medical to prove they are fit to drive

dhaughton99 · 12-11-2019 10:08am

I’m sure Minister Ross will come up with a great solution. Like banning Bluetooth or a €9 fine if a driver is caught. But he probably doesn’t give a flying duck.

Patrick2010 · 12-11-2019 10:10am

Is there a way of checking what the fare for a particular journey should be?, was charged 18 euro for a 15/20 minute trip Baggot street to Rathfarnham last Sunday

Johnny Sausage · 12-11-2019 10:18am

Patrick2010 wrote: »

Is there a way of checking what the fare for a particular journey should be?, was charged 18 euro for a 15/20 minute trip Baggot street to Rathfarnham last Sunday

there is a n estimator Here

Patrick2010 · 12-11-2019 10:31am

Johnny Sausage wrote: »

there is a n estimator Here

Cheers for that, looks like I was charged an average fare

€16.60 - €22.20, according to the estimator. Obviously a while since I last got a taxi from town!

jimmycrackcorm · 12-11-2019 11:02am

Johnny Sausage wrote: »

there is a n estimator Here

There's an actual app to track what your fare should be. I'll certainly be using it from now on.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hainva.calltaxi

12-11-2019 11:24am

iamtony wrote: »

My guess is this is confined to drivers with an airport permit and used on tourists. Sneaky bastards they are:(

What's so sneaky about the airport drivers that the rest of you are innocent of?

MayoSalmon · 12-11-2019 11:28am

Just bring in Uber already...bloody hell when will the rip off republic run its course!

Del2005 · 12-11-2019 11:55am

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Just bring in Uber already...bloody hell when will the rip off republic run its course!

We already have Uber.

Good jib! · 12-11-2019 12:01pm

Yeah, Uber's brilliant, as long as you don't give a sh1te about driver welfare.

MayoSalmon · 12-11-2019 12:36pm

Good jib! wrote: »

Yeah, Uber's brilliant, as long as you don't give a sh1te about driver welfare.

Or.............. because of lobbying by the Irish Taxi Drivers' Federation. Ireland is almost opposed to any form of innovation that disrupts the status quo and thus as consumer we continue to be ripped off in this little republic of ours.

Reati · 12-11-2019 12:51pm

I'm more bother by the fact he got a fine of only 750 given he overcharged about 2 grand or more.

I think he has done well out of it.

Good jib! · 12-11-2019 1:32pm

@MayoSalmon

In my experience, taxis in Ireland are cheaper than mainland Europe. In France for example no-one would ever dream of getting a taxi home from the pub/bar, prefering other solutions.

Found this price comparison:

https://www.priceoftravel.com/555/world-taxi-prices-what-a-3-kilometer-ride-costs-in-72-big-cities/

I've nothing against Uber per se, and some competition would be a welcome thing, but only if it's properly regulated and the drivers are paid properly. Just because the Irish Taxi Drivers' Federation is against something doesn't necessarily make it automatically a good thing, even if the ITDF is doing it out of self interest.

12-11-2019 2:37pm

Good jib! wrote: »

In my experience, taxis in Ireland are cheaper than mainland Europe. In France for example no-one would ever dream of getting a taxi home from the pub/bar, prefering other solutions.

"Other solutions".............bahhhahahahahahahaha!

Last DART - Midnight
Last Bus - 11:30pm

So, your other solutions are to either get a hotel or walk.

"other solutions"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7acD4q0lp0

12-11-2019 2:41pm

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Or.............. because of lobbying by the Irish Taxi Drivers' Federation. Ireland is almost opposed to any form of innovation that disrupts the status quo and thus as consumer we continue to be ripped off in this little republic of ours.

No, the gig economy and the companies making billion by screwing (non)employees needs to die a fast death.

I say this as an IT office bound worker with no skin in the game. Just absolute horrid exploitation of people trying to get by

12-11-2019 2:43pm

Deleted User wrote: »

"Other solutions".............bahhhahahahahahahaha!

Last DART - Midnight
Last Bus - 11:30pm

So, your other solutions are to either get a hotel or walk.

Socialise locally?
You make the choice to live in one area and socialise in another.

Luas/Drive in, hotel, Luas/Drive home next day is often a great option for (say 3) people.

12-11-2019 2:45pm

On topic:

I cannot, for the life of me, fathom how his fine is lower than the charges he made.
As is a cash business (generally) there is no way to get people's money back but surely he should be hit for more than the takings and have his licence revokes (at a minimum)

The only thing which I can think of is that he has provided evidence on the suppliers of the radio remote and other drivers using.

antix80 · 12-11-2019 2:46pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

"A TAXI DRIVER ripped off passengers 280 times by secretly using a remote control to add €9 to fares without their knowledge"
"Robert Griffin, 66, of Maplewood Park, Springfield in Tallaght, was fined €750"

steal over €2,500, get fined €750, that's a good day in court for that taxi driver.

Should be fined €10,000, car crushed into a cube, a criminal record and a 12-month driving ban.

LillySV · 12-11-2019 2:48pm

TuringBot47 wrote: »

Anyone see yesterdays Sunday World on taxi overcharging?

Taxi drivers now have remote control fobs that they can click to increase the fare, e.g. add another €2 - €10 on the fare without touching the meter.

https://www.facebook.com/sundayworld1/photos/a.10152033389006600/10157907319931600/?type=3

The NTA caught one of them but reckon there's 400 on the road?

Something to be wary off.

I've messed around with a 433Mhz wifi bridge and a raspberry pi once to scan and control simple home appliances like a wireless doorbell and remote controlled power sockets.

If I could record the remote control signal they used, I could drive around constantly emitting that signal and messing up their fares and making it obvious what they were doing.... hmmm...

He was fined €750 if I remember right.... he made way more money out of it than the paltry fine.... should be fined heavily or lose taxi license for a month

Taxis overcharging on meters via remote fobs

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