Are Taxi's a rip off?

sdanseo

ap1986 wrote: »

of course taxis are a rip off.....can anyone explain to me what the €4 25 is when we first get into a taxi in dublin???

I really, really hate ignorant people who refuse to read the rest of the thread before posting. See my post above.

Where To

mgmt wrote: »

Quit with the poor mouth please.

How many hours a week is that for?:cool:

Oranage2

Degag wrote: »

Nah, just as i thought. Someone "between jobs" giving out about those putting money into his pocket every week.:rolleyes:

Not on welware of any kind son or never have!

mikemac

They complain about part-timers driving after their other jobs.
And that's a good point, I don't realy want a driver who is working 60 plus hours a week with their taxiing and their PAYE job.

From working hotel night porter myself I know the dangers of almost falling asleep at the wheel when driving home

But then the full timers work these crazy hours anyway, again I don't want my driver on the point of collapse.

Are tachographs a solution? Unlikely as there is little to no enforcement of standards. But I suppose in a crash at least the tachograph would be preserved for the insurance company
I don't know the solution realy, I'm just seeing part timers and full timers work dangerously long hours

Lorry drivers and train drivers don't do it.

mgmt

where do i go from here wrote: »

How many hours a week is that for?:cool:

The average gross earnings of cab drivers is
independently estimated at €58,010 per annum;
or €40,350 after costs but before tax
http://www.nationaltransport.ie/down...v-industry.pdf

Eh average hours. Why don't you read the report and then give me 20,000euro.

OPENROAD

sdonn wrote: »

I really, really hate ignorant people who refuse to read the rest of the thread before posting. See my post above.

Re the point, would that not be the same any other city?

LighterGuy

I was the one who made this thread,
and I feel this is a perfect example of "what side of the fence you fall on" in life.

Lets look at both sides:

(average joe)
- feels taxi fares are well to over priced. At least 20+ euro to get to any central location (central being defined as dublin city centre)

(taxi man)
- over heads. petrol, tax, insurance.


But dare I be the one to say it. Peoples "views" changes when money is involved. Importantly when money is coming there way. Why sure someone could bitch and moan about taxi's but... if fate have it they BECOME a taxi driver themselves. Well, suddenly things arent "over-priced" and are "fair" :rolleyes:


Now, the problem I find with the taxi argument is that your average taxi driver has always played the 'poor mouth' - while sure I am willing to take on board with things the way they are now (more taxis on the road, less people going out etc) that the trade has suffered. Problem is, ask a taxi man 12 years ago about the trade... he'd give the same "poor mouth"

Kaneda_

Getting a taxi is like eating in a restaurant,after you finish your meal and are 20 quid down you wonder why you didnt just get a roll and drink for a fiver.

Where To

mgmt wrote: »

Eh average hours. Why don't you read the report and then give me 20,000euro.

Yep the average hours for 2008 are in that report which doesnt factor in time spent cleaning, servicing, maintaining, keeping accounts etc.

Not to mention unsocial hours and overtime which a taxi driver is not entitled too

Still want the 20,000?

you know what to do

Degag

Kaneda_ wrote: »

Getting a taxi is like eating in a restaurant,after you finish your meal and are 20 quid down you wonder why you didnt just get a roll and drink for a fiver.

You're eating in the wrong restaurants.

LighterGuy

where do i go from here wrote: »

Yep the average hours for 2008 are in that report which doesnt factor in time spent cleaning, servicing, maintaining, keeping accounts etc.

Not to mention unsocial hours and overtime which a taxi driver is not entitled too

Still want the 20,000?

you know what to do

Thats BS and you know it.

- cleaning the car.
your average joe blow does that. from getting it washed to cleaning the inside. Can that really be added to what taxi drivers have to do?

- keeping accounts.
nothing any trademens or anyone with a small business doesnt do. In fairness comes with being your own boss.

- unsocialable hours
On one hand its personal choice and in the other you gotta do what you gotta do. if i wanted to work nights. Its my deal. If I have to work nights (to survive) then its what I gotta do right? ... again, that doesnt add to.

- overtime
you are your own boss. you reap what you sow.

Where To

LighterGuy wrote: »

Thats BS and you know it.

- cleaning the car.
your average joe blow does that. from getting it washed to cleaning the inside. Can that really be added to what taxi drivers have to do?

- keeping accounts.
nothing any trademens or anyone with a small business doesnt do. In fairness comes with being your own boss.

- unsocialable hours
On one hand its personal choice and in the other you gotta do what you gotta do. if i wanted to work nights. Its my deal. If I have to work nights (to survive) then its what I gotta do right? ... again, that doesnt add to.

- overtime
you are your own boss. you reap what you sow.

so in other words you are saying that a taxi man/hack isn't entitled to a fair wage for the time and effort he puts into his job?

Noble:)

LighterGuy

where do i go from here wrote: »

so in other words you are saying that a taxi man/hack isn't entitled to a fair wage for the time and effort he puts into his job?

Noble:)

is that your counter-argument?
seriously is that it?
.. you say "oh so someone isnt allowed to earn a living" - while my above post said nothing like that?

Re-read my post again. I point out how your average taxi man loves to blow out his job but hey, they're not alone. Everyone loves to do that. Especially when the question "is that over-priced?" pops up


*edit*
I really shoud of called your post the "begrudary counter argument" - ah a classic counter.

Where To

LighterGuy wrote: »

is that your counter-argument?
seriously is that it?
.. you say "oh so someone isnt allowed to earn a living" - while my above post said nothing like that?

Re-read my post again. I point out how your average taxi man loves to blow out his job but hey, they're not alone. Everyone loves to do that. Especially when the question "is that over-priced?" pops up

OK you win, i'm making a mint

anyways gotta go, the villa in portugal awaits

:rolleyes:

LighterGuy

where do i go from here wrote: »

OK you win, i'm making a mint

anyways gotta go, the villa in portugal awaits

:rolleyes:

haha. good one.
Now you see man, this is the way the world works: (as im sure you know)

if you can over price (albeit rip some one off) and get away with it. Why not. sure the world aint fair. But by the same token that does not mean your Average Joe cant see through the BS and say its a rip off

Taxi trade has always been a ruthless and greedy trade. Let history prove my point:

- before deregulation plates were going for £90,000 punt. Altho, they were always officially 5-6k. But price tag goes up when no more are issued.
- the term "cozy'in" - you know what that means.
- taxi's disputing the allowance of hackneys to pick people up on the street at weekends. The irony that lead to deregulation.
- even back in the day there was always poor mouths.

DUBACC

Interesting argument that pops up now and again. I have a mate who is a taxi driver and he is really struggling to make ends meet. Unfortunately, most people when they go to Spain on hols and 'get a taxi for 3 quid to the next town', then come home and cant believe what we pay here, ignore the massively high cost of actually owning a car in this country, as most of us will testify.

The amount of taxis on the road now is bordering on comedy when you look at the lines of taxis around Dublin City Centre on any night out.

One solution, albeit lighthearted, would be to get every taxi driver in Dublin to re-sit their driving test. This should clear about 75% of them off the road immediately. Their driving is absolutely appalling in the main, but that is for another thread!

tan11ie

What a load of B*LL*hit i've just read!!!!

Just get a bus if you have a problem with the fares and get over it!

cosmicfart

fooking hate taxi drivers dont know what it is but i cant standz them maybe it cus that they drive all day on the road that they think they own the bítch, maybe its the price they charge for a 20 minute trip that costs 20 euro yet only 2 on the bus, maybe its the smell, ya its the fooking smell of them unwashed barbarians ********

the_antagonist

Everything in Ireland is a rip off. Taxis are but so are the costs of running a car, so is insurance, so is petrol, tax etc etc etc.

I've spent years working abroad and every time I visit home I get caught off guard by the prices. Came home last year for the winter holidays for the first time in years, ordered a pack of smokes and a lighter in a shop and handed in a fiver without thinking.

The difference between Ireland and just about anywhere else in the world is that there are no options for people. Everywhere I've lived I have a choice between going to a really cheap restaurant where they serve decent local food, a pretty cheap restaurant for a decent meal similar to pub grub in Ireland or a medium priced place for higher quality again and a higher priced place for higher quality and so on.

I can pay less than 30 euro for a good dinner and drinks for 5 people. If I go to an upmarket restaurant I could pay 30 euro each and more.

You don't have this choice in Ireland.

Similarly I can walk into a bar here and pay as little as $2 for a pint of beer or I can walk into a higher class bar and pay $3 or a higher again class and pay $4 to $7 for the exact same beer. The difference is the quality of the establishment, the area it's located in etc. Again, no choice in Ireland.

The same system works with taxis. I can get a cheap type of taxi where it's relatively easy to get the license or I can fork out twice the price for a high quality taxi where it's very difficult to get the license.

And it's the same with every other service too. Hair dressers, clothes shops, groceries etc.

It's Ireland's system and culture that needs to change fundamentally.

u140acro3xs7dm

Do taxi drivers not claim the petrol, servicing costs etc. back off their tax? I know most people who are self employed do this so i presume a taxi driver who spends all his working day in the car would be doing this.

Cupcake_Crisis

I generally dont have a bad word to say about taxi drivers, they put up with an awful lot in their line of work. But I got a taxi home from town on Saturday night and yer man took the absolute mick. I was going to tallaght, with one stop along the way to drop someone off, and he went the longest way possible because he knew I was a bit pissed.

In the end I didnt even have enough for the full fare (a taxi from Town to Tallaght is normally between €20-25, this was €32 something). I gave him €30 quid and told him that other people wont take as kindly to him taking them on a trip around the world for the sake of a few quid. That was definitely a rip off. I was not impressed.

TheAnswer

Roland Creamy Slugger wrote: »

Do taxi drivers not claim the petrol, servicing costs etc. back off their tax? I know most people who are self employed do this so i presume a taxi driver who spends all his working day in the car would be doing this.

No. Common misconception. A taxiperson does not claim anything "back" from their tax regarding fuel etc.

If a person spent €5000 in a year on fuel, that €5k comes away from the gross earnings so they'd pay less tax on a lower gross figure. Probably in the region of 900-1000 less in tax but then they've already given the State 70% (?) of that €5k in tax and duty anyway.

For anyone interested in listening, Insurance for most taxi drivers has gone up by 50% (yes, you read that correctly) since 2008/9 and fuel ain't getting any cheaper either.
Taxi drivers don't set the fares, the Taxi Regulator (Kathleen Doyle) does.
This is just another "let's kick the good ole taxi drivers again" thread and should be closed.

Caliden

Was in England recently and we couldnt get over how insanely cheap taxis were.
What would normally be an 8 euro journey (about 2-3 miles into town) cost just 2.70 over there.

When I see taxi drivers fiddling with the buttons and 4 euro appearing before we go 5 metres, I cant help feel a small bit paranoid

cosmicfart

taxi drivers are worse than clampers hate them

weldoninhio

TheAnswer wrote: »

No. Common misconception. A taxiperson does not claim anything "back" from their tax regarding fuel etc.

If a person spent €5000 in a year on fuel, that €5k comes away from the gross earnings so they'd pay less tax on a lower gross figure. Probably in the region of 900-1000 less in tax but then they've already given the State 70% (?) of that €5k in tax and duty anyway.

For anyone interested in listening, Insurance for most taxi drivers has gone up by 50% (yes, you read that correctly) since 2008/9 and fuel ain't getting any cheaper either.
Taxi drivers don't set the fares, the Taxi Regulator (Kathleen Doyle) does.
This is just another "let's kick the good ole taxi drivers again" thread and should be closed.

Taxi drivers LOVE using this!!! Kathleen Doyle sets the maximum fare, there is absolutely nothing stopping any taxi driver from agreeing a lower fare with a customer. Its things like this misrepresentation from workers in that industry that annoys people.

DUBACC

Roland Creamy Slugger wrote: »

Do taxi drivers not claim the petrol, servicing costs etc. back off their tax? I know most people who are self employed do this so i presume a taxi driver who spends all his working day in the car would be doing this.

I think it's been answered already but not back off tax as such. It is an expense against their income from the taxi. However, if the taxi driver was clever he could get a diesel car and the vat is reclaimable for diesel costs but not petrol.

Where To

DUBACC wrote: »

I think it's been answered already but not back off tax as such. It is an expense against their income from the taxi. However, if the taxi driver was clever he could get a diesel car and the vat is reclaimable for diesel costs but not petrol.

And how do taxi drivers who are not eligible for vat reclaim this?

TheAnswer

weldoninhio wrote: »

Taxi drivers LOVE using this!!! Kathleen Doyle sets the maximum fare, there is absolutely nothing stopping any taxi driver from agreeing a lower fare with a customer. Its things like this misrepresentation from workers in that industry that annoys people.

Haha, misrepresentation??? Pfft, doesn't even deserve an answer.

TheAnswer

DUBACC wrote: »

I think it's been answered already but not back off tax as such. It is an expense against their income from the taxi. However, if the taxi driver was clever he could get a diesel car and the vat is reclaimable for diesel costs but not petrol.

The vast majority of taxi's are diesel and it has nothing to do with being "clever". it's by no means as simple to just register for VAT and claim it back.
It doesn't work that way I'm afraid.

DUBACC

where do i go from here wrote: »

And how do taxi drivers who are not eligible for vat reclaim this?

My mistake, just checked my tax book - taxi fares are vat-exempt, i thought they were zero-rated.:o

TheAnswer

Caliden wrote: »

When I see taxi drivers fiddling with the buttons and 4 euro appearing before we go 5 metres, I cant help feel a small bit paranoid

Yep, you're being paranoid, drivers are obliged (by law) to use the meter for every journey (or else fill out a "fare waiver" form with customer before journey). Driver has to switch meter on by pressing a button on (yep, you guessed it, the meter!) minimum fare (set by the Taxi Regulator) 8am to 8pm is €4.20, from 8pm to 8am this rising to a whopping €4.45.

arybvtcw0eolkf

IMO - no they're not.

Driving a taxi is one of the many jobs I've done over the years, and in fact I'd planned on retiring from the Defence Forces to go full time - not a snowballs chance in hell!.

Wouldn't even recommend it as a part time job, the low wage, high running costs and the sheer amount of taxi's on the road mean's almost without exception you'll be running at a loss at years end.

I think Kathleen Doyle has done irrepairable damage to the taxi industry, I genuinely feel sorry for the guys (and girls) out there driving a taxi and trying to provide for a family.

So to answer the question again "Are Taxi's a rip off?" - IMO they're not.

problemchimp

cosmicfart wrote: »

fooking hate taxi drivers dont know what it is but i cant standz them maybe it cus that they drive all day on the road that they think they own the bítch, maybe its the price they charge for a 20 minute trip that costs 20 euro yet only 2 on the bus, maybe its the smell, ya its the fooking smell of them unwashed barbarians ********

Nice bit of sensible debate, in text speak, no less. There is no limit to your wisdom. Good luck in the junior cert!

Tar.Aldarion

Are costs so much greater here than in the uk that they get to charge way less? And start off on a far smaller amount?

DUBACC

Actually, the more i think of it, i think the fares are not too bad. I can get from city centre to shankill for about €25. I often get into conversations with the driver and you can sense the frustration in them. It's not a job i'd ever consider, especially when you read of all the gangsters making inroads into the area.

Where To

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Are costs so much greater here than in the uk that they get to charge way less? And start off on a far smaller amount?

Taxis in general in the UK are more expensive than in Ireland.

Private hire firms across the water can also use meters (hackneys here cannot) and these are cheaper than taxis though imo still work out more expensive than here when exchange rate is considered

problemchimp

I don't like the price of Rolex watches so I won't buy one. I won't resort to hurling abuse at the man who sells them by calling him a smelly babarian or robbing basstard, I just won't buy a watch from him. Sometimes the begrudgery here when it comes to other peoples income is frightening. If you can't afford a taxi, get a bus. Simple.

mcw92

One of my mates and his friend came down one night in college to head out.
They were telling me a story where they went out one college night, and after the nightclub they decided to get a taxi between the two.
They went to the taxi rank and tried every taxi to bring them both home for a fiver, as they said it was all they had. finally they got one taxi that would do it, reluctantly. when the taxi got to there home, they had to ask him change for 10€. i couldnt stop laughing!

also out here one night, me and a lad were getting a taxi home from town, him just back from england. i had no money to pay the taxi, so he said hed pay for me, but all he had was a 10pound note. he asked the taxi driver would he take it, he said he would and he handed him back some change..in pounds of course!:L:L what taxi driver carries pounds on them

Where To

When I'm picking up or dropping off in the belfast airports I need pounds to get in and out of the airport and i'm sure there are many more like me:)

2qk4u

Who is there for you when the Busses **** off ? when the train/dart/luas ****s off ? when you want to get pissed ? when you have an emergancy and need to get somewhere in a hurry ? who comes to wherever you want and drops you right to the door ? who acts as a last minute courier ? what about patient transport ? wheelchair passengers ? school runs ?
I think people dont see the bigger picture when complaining about the cost of Taxis.
Dont forget most Taxis spend around 80% to 90% of their time on the road unpaid.

biko

cosmicfart wrote: »

fooking hate taxi drivers dont know what it is but i cant standz them maybe it cus that they drive all day on the road that they think they own the bítch, maybe its the price they charge for a 20 minute trip that costs 20 euro yet only 2 on the bus, maybe its the smell, ya its the fooking smell of them unwashed barbarians ********

Just take the bus then.
Also try to be more eloquent please. This is a warning.

Ally Dick

I am from Shankill and I am sick of years of taxis taking the piddle. They treat Shankill as outside of Dublin. There is an old Dublin municipal boundary that Shankill is outside. Because of this, taxis feel they can charge what they like. I've paid €25 to Shankill from the city centre. I always get a Nitelink when I can or a dart. I hate paying rip off prices for a taxi

Where To

Ally Dick wrote: »

I am from Shankill and I am sick of years of taxis taking the piddle. They treat Shankill as outside of Dublin. There is an old Dublin municipal boundary that Shankill is outside. Because of this, taxis feel they can charge what they like. I've paid €25 to Shankill from the city centre. I always get a Nitelink when I can or a dart. I hate paying rip off prices for a taxi

Is shankill like the bermuda triangle?

Just curious as the whole country is a single taximeter area you know?
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/public_transport/charges_for_taxi_hackney_and_limosuine_services.html

drkpower

2qk4u wrote: »

Who is there for you when the Busses **** off ? when the train/dart/luas ****s off ? when you want to get pissed ? when you have an emergancy and need to get somewhere in a hurry ? who comes to wherever you want and drops you right to the door ? who acts as a last minute courier ? what about patient transport ? wheelchair passengers ? school runs ?

Taxi drivers provide a private service for remuneration. Pointing out that you are there to provide that service is hardly something to be bragging about.

Achtung! Bono

where do i go from here wrote: »

Taxis in general in the UK are more expensive than in Ireland.

Private hire firms across the water can also use meters (hackneys here cannot) and these are cheaper than taxis though imo still work out more expensive than here when exchange rate is considered

I'd agree, i am home in Dublin often and find it more reasonable than here in London. Especially Black cabs here. Ok, more expensive but they're readily available and safer than unregulated mini cabs.

For example got one late night last week from central london to Twickenham, 11 miles. came up at £42 And what's the story Ally dick? a taxi to Shankhill from Dublin City centre (same distance, 11 miles-ish) is as much as 25 euros? Are you havin' one? rip off prices? Seems very reasonable to me. Maybe get the driver to tuck you in and read you a story next time for that price.

In conclusion, i dont know whereabouts in england anyone is paying £2.70 to go 3 miles but it certainly isn't london and that's not even in a mini cab, lucky to get it for £9/10.

Sonnenblumen

2qk4u wrote: »

Dont forget most Taxis spend around 80% to 90% of their time on the road unpaid.

That's the nub! Along comes the unsuspecting but willing customer who is penalised for supporting a driver who should be doing something else but instead offers a generally poor service in most cases a banger.

OPENROAD

Achtung! Bono wrote: »

I'd agree, i am home in Dublin often and find it more reasonable than here in London. Especially Black cabs here. Ok, more expensive but they're readily available and safer than unregulated mini cabs.

For example got one late night last week from central london to Twickenham, 11 miles. came up at £42 And what's the story Ally dick? a taxi to Shankhill from Dublin City centre (same distance, 11 miles-ish) is as much as 25 euros? Are you havin' one? rip off prices? Seems very reasonable to me. Maybe get the driver to tuck you in and read you a story next time for that price.

In conclusion, i dont know whereabouts in england anyone is paying £2.70 to go 3 miles but it certainly isn't london and that's not even in a mini cab, lucky to get it for £9/10.

Though on the flip side London black cabs are extremely comfortable, also to compare a city like London to Dublin is a bit unfair imo. You can't compare the two, maybe look at Birmingham and Dublin.

Dublin in general is still way too expensive for a city of its size and stature, I don't get taxis anymore, I drive, so have no need as such,only for the airport, assume taxi drivers have seen a big fall in business in the last couple of years and it is highly unlikely they will not get this business back unless fares come down, but would assume that costs for them would also have to come down.

gosuckonalemon

Dublin bikes are a fcuking god send. I live in D1 and would spend 10-15e on a taxi to Wexford St. for pints at weekend. Now I get the bike. Go back to a session and if there's a bike stand nearby that's another 10-15e saved (as long as it's after 5am). That's a saving of 20-30e on a night.

Taxi trips are grand as long as you got at least another 3 people with you. Can never complain too much then. Getting one on your own would sicken you.

Il Trap

Taxis on the metre are a total rip-off. Myself and a friend got a taxi one night last week from St. Pat's College to Jones Road along Croke Park! 7 bleedin euro! :eek: Doubt that distance is much over a kilometre! Crazy stuff.

fasttalkerchat

When I first came to dublin i thought the €4 initial charge was a wind up and refused to pay it. Realised since that its normal... oops.