MyTaxi - booking charge

sdanseo

dudara wrote: »

As fair as concerned when I use the app, I'm hailing a taxi. It's the literal equivalent of sticking your hand out on the side. I don't see it as booking. Booking is when I request one for 4am in the morning to the airport.

Will the MyTaxi app warn you if a driver will apply the €2 charge? Will I get a chance to decline a driver if he wants to charge it?

I'd agree, but you can also use the app to hail drivers with hackney & limo licenses leading to a more plentiful supply - and in a lot of cases newer cars (been in 2 lovely S classes this year alone).

That wouldn't happen if it was restricted to pure taxis.

bk

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

No need to be pedantic about what the unions are now called. But you're telling me that mytaxi just decided this without pressure from drivers?
Why would they do that? To make the extra commission on each fare? Hardly worth it for them.

I don't think it was pressure from the unions. More just drivers cancelling jobs if someone waves them down on the street on the way to the booked job and thus pissing off the user.

On the other hand this will likely hurt MyTaxi badly, people looking to get a taxi in town or near a busy street, will just wave one down now rather then using the app and thus losing them their cut.

magicbastarder

Mr.Frame wrote: »

You would think the world was going to end with people deleting the app and moaning about 2 euro , thats TWO euro!!

The same people have no problem paying extra money for a alcohol when the bar ups its price after 11pm they just pay up .

'the same people'?

Mr.Frame

bk wrote: »

Mr.Frame, lots of people on this thread now saying they will delete it.

€2 extra on an already pretty expensive taxi fare may well be the straw that breaks the camels back.

Of course many people will continue to take taxis, but many might now find it too expensive and think twice. Drivers might find their overall take home go down, even though the per trip amount goes up. Upping prices doesn't always lead to more profit, often it can lead to the opposite, that is why pricing of any product/service is a delicate balance.

It also may end up to leading to more demand and pressure from the general public to the NTA to allow Uber to introduce their car pooling service to help bring down prices. The Taxi industry have already seen what happens when you try to take advantage of the public with de-regulation.

Its 2 euro , its always been around. As i said no one has a problem when the bar puts their prices up after a certain hour during the night, but when it comes to a taxi , all hell breaks out.
Its laughable.
Interested in your comment "The Taxi industry have already seen what happens when you try to take advantage of the public with de-regulation"
Care to enlighten us ?

magicbastarder

bk wrote: »

I don't think it was pressure from the unions. More just drivers cancelling jobs if someone waves them down on the street on the way to the booked job and thus pissing off the user.

probably worth digging out the conversation matt cooper had with conor pope (the irish times consumer affairs guy); there was commentary that when the app was first introduced, drivers were assured that the pickups would be within 1km of their current position. but the distance was incrementally increased, which was pissing a lot of drivers off (i *think* 3km was mentioned, but may be misremembering the context) so they were leaving the app. this is obviously a play to get them back interested in it.

PhilipsR

The app has been nothing short of terrible since taking over from Hailo anyways. The waiting time to finally get one is ridiculous. I'd be quicker walking on to the street and flagging one down, so this 2 euro additional charge is just gonna push me to that.

They seem to be terribly run. Look at their reviews on Facebook. Such dissatisfaction.

magicbastarder

Mr.Frame wrote: »

As i said no one has a problem when the bar puts their prices up after a certain hour during the night

there you go again. the fact that many people remain in late night bars =/= 'everyone' is OK with it.

he man rugger

So just to clarify, if I order a ride through uber do I currently get lumped with the extra €2? Just set up account there, fair amount of cars near me and I'm living in the suburbs where it isn't always the quickest using mytaxi. Will be switching to uber if that's the case.

Mr.Frame

PhilipsR wrote: »

The app has been nothing short of terrible since taking over from Hailo anyways. The waiting time to finally get one is ridiculous. I'd be quicker walking on to the street and flagging one down, so this 2 euro additional charge is just gonna push me to that.

They seem to be terribly run. Look at their reviews on Facebook. Such dissatisfaction.

I agree. Just look at their twitter feed , its nothing but complaints from people.
Something definitely went amiss when mytaxi replaced Hailo

fullstop

Won't be using this ****e again. It's bad enough the app rarely works, and when it does it's a lottery if the driver will actually turn up, without being charged for effectively hailing a cab.

Seve OB

Fanny **** wrote: »

Sounds like some drivers really haven't a clue about (or care about) their customers

I'm not a driver but I am a taxi user who has worked in the industry for nearly 20 years so I do know a thing or 2.

I'll start with your comment about drivers not caring for their customers and ask what you mean by that? Is it because you feel that to charge the pickup is the drivers not caring about their customers?

yabadabado

Mr.Frame wrote: »

Its 2 euro , its always been around. As i said no one has a problem when the bar puts their prices up after a certain hour during the night, but when it comes to a taxi , all hell breaks out.
Its laughable.
Interested in your comment "The Taxi industry have already seen what happens when you try to take advantage of the public with de-regulation"
Care to enlighten us ?

No one has a problem when a bar increases their prices.
Wow fair ****s to you for asking everyone who every drank in a bar their opinion on that matter.

bk

Mr.Frame wrote: »

Interested in your comment "The Taxi industry have already seen what happens when you try to take advantage of the public with de-regulation"
Care to enlighten us ?

You know perfectly well. People got fed up queuing for three hours at ranks at night and public pressure lead to the government de-reuglating the taxi industry, removing the limits and opening the flood gates to the massive number of taxis we now have.

magicbastarder wrote: »

probably worth digging out the conversation matt cooper had with conor pope (the irish times consumer affairs guy); there was commentary that when the app was first introduced, drivers were assured that the pickups would be within 1km of their current position. but the distance was incrementally increased, which was pissing a lot of drivers off (i *think* 3km was mentioned, but may be misremembering the context) so they were leaving the app. this is obviously a play to get them back interested in it.

That is absolutely a valid complaint. Hailo I think implemented a different system where some drivers got a premium rating and thus first dibs on jobs, even though they were further away. In the long term this wasn't good for drivers or customers.

JayRoc

Mr.Frame wrote: »

no one has a problem when the bar puts their prices up after a certain hour during the night

Are you kidding? Can't speak for anyone else here but I wouldn't set foot in a place that started charging more for a pint 'cos the clock passed eleven or whatever.

Taxi's are crazy money the last few years. I've gone from probably using a taxi several times a month in the early 2000s to maybe twice a year nowadays.

And those rare times I do use a cab I have to listen to the driver telling me how bad business is. Maybe drop your daft prices and see what happens, eh?

Mr.Frame

bk wrote: »

You know perfectly well. People got fed up queuing for three hours at ranks at night and public pressure lead to the government de-reuglating the taxi industry, removing the limits and opening the flood gates to the massive number of taxis we now have.

If i knew "perfectly well " I would not have ask fro you to enlighten us all.
You comment read, "when you try to take advantage of the public with de-regulation"
"take advantage of the public "with deregulation", that most certainly came across very odd indeed,

bk wrote: »

That is absolutely a valid complaint. Hailo I think implemented a different system where some drivers got a premium rating and thus first dibs on jobs, even though they were further away. In the long term this wasn't good for drivers or customers.

That to me is/was their downfall. It should have been left, that the nearest driver got the job.
When they started to mess around with it, "rating drivers" ect problems arose by the looks of things.
If it aint broke dont fix it.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Mr.Frame

JayRoc wrote: »

Are you kidding? Can't speak for anyone else here but I wouldn't set foot in a place that started charging more for a pint 'cos the clock passed eleven or whatever.

Taxi's are crazy money the last few years. I've gone from probably using a taxi several times a month in the early 2000s to maybe twice a year nowadays.

And those rare times I do use a cab I have to listen to the driver telling me how bad business is. Maybe drop your daft prices and see what happens, eh?

I'm the same I too wouldnt drink in an establishment than ups its price after a certain hour.

Im sure many a driver has to listen to moany passengers as well.
I have nothing to do with prices love, be they daft or otherwise

2Mad2BeMad

I was in finglas, tried to get a myTaxi, was waiting a good 20 minutes for one (about 2pm in the day)
Eventually got one and he was in bloody Tallaght.

I couldn't believe it gave me one that far away, and that he even accepted.
I cancelled and got a bus.

Won't be using it again.

yabadabado

Mr.Frame wrote: »

I'm the same I too wouldnt drink in an establishment than ups its price after a certain hour.

Im sure many a driver has to listen to moany passengers as well.
I have nothing to do with prices love, be they daft or otherwise

Yet you said no one had a problem with a bar uppin their prices

Losty Dublin

bk wrote: »

You know perfectly well. People got fed up queuing for three hours at ranks at night and public pressure lead to the government de-reuglating the taxi industry, removing the limits and opening the flood gates to the massive number of taxis we now have.

It was a case taken by Christy Humphries that led to the end of a cap on the amount of taxi plates. Public pressure hadn't any bearing in the matter, much and all that it welcomed and benefitted from the resultant.

magicbastarder

Mr.Frame wrote: »

As i said no one has a problem when the bar puts their prices up after a certain hour during the night

Mr.Frame wrote: »

I'm the same I too wouldnt drink in an establishment than ups its price after a certain hour.

i think Mr.Frame has ceased to exist in a puff of his own logic.

The J Stands for Jay

ANXIOUS wrote: »

I'm not saying I'll delete it because of this, I will just use it less. I work on Camden street and if I'm getting a taxi from work I'll hailo it to the front door. From now on I'll just go into the street and do it. So using the app only when needs must.

I often just use the app to see if there's many taxis around the area I'm in.

Is there still an extra charge for hailing a taxi in the street? I remember seeing it years ago and since then I've always tried to get taxis from ranks to save a few quid.

bk

Mr.Frame, I can see why that comment was a little confusing, sorry.

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Well the NTA had already decided to give them a 3% rise. So this is in addition to that and depending on what your normal fare is, in can be a massive percentage increase.

The danger for drivers though, is that they aren't guaranteed to actually get anything. If people feel taxis are too expensive, then they might get nothing.

I know that I use to always give a tip when using Hailo, etc. I certainly wont be now, if I do happen to use it (less likely).

Mr.Frame

yabadabado wrote: »

Yet you said no one had a problem with a bar uppin their prices

I did.
I didnt say me, I said most.
Have a look in these bars at the weekend and come back to me

Mr.Frame

bk wrote: »

Mr.Frame, I can see why that comment was a little confusing, sorry.



Well the NTA had already decided to give them a 3% rise. So this is in addition to that and depending on what your normal fare is, in can be a massive percentage increase.

The danger for drivers though, is that they aren't guaranteed to actually get anything. If people feel taxis are too expensive, then they might get nothing.

I know that I use to always give a tip when using Hailo, etc. I certainly wont be now, if I do happen to use it (less likely).

Well no the NTA have proposed a fare increase,it hasnt been decided yet.

"If" it is a 3 % increase you do realise it will be a few extra cent on a fare, it wont break the bank by any means.

An 8 euro fare would become around 8.40
A 10 euro fare would be around 10.50
A 15 euro fare would be around 15.65
A 20 euro fare would be around 20.80

Hardly breaking the bank

JayRoc

magicbastarder wrote: »

i think Mr.Frame has ceased to exist in a puff of his own logic.

What he meant was perfectly clear, even if like me, you don't agree with it

magicbastarder

i'm strugglng to understand your point. because businesses see an opportunity to extract money out of willingly drunk people, taxi companies should extract more money out of everyone?

yabadabado

Mr.Frame wrote: »

I did.
I didnt say me, I said most.
Have a look in these bars at the weekend and come back to me

You said no one.

LollipopJimmy

Mr.Frame wrote: »

Well no the NTA have proposed a fare increase,it hasnt been decided yet.

"If" it is a 3 % increase you do realise it will be a few extra cent on a fare, it wont break the bank by any means.

An 8 euro fare would become around 8.40
A 10 euro fare would be around 10.50
A 15 euro fare would be around 15.65
A 20 euro fare would be around 20.80

Hardly breaking the bank

And with this change an 8 euro fare will be 10.40. It goes back to value for money. 2.90 on the luas or 8 quid in a taxi, I can stomach the difference there and get a taxi. 10.40 though? The value just isn't there and if I walk to where I can flag a taxi I've walked as far as the luas so at that point the value is gone from the 8quid it costs to get into town from where I am

magicbastarder

Mr.Frame wrote: »

Its 2 euro , its always been around. As i said no one has a problem when the bar puts their prices up after a certain hour during the night, but when it comes to a taxi , all hell breaks out.
Its laughable.

"its always been around"
- no, it has not; not in the sense you're implying. if it had always been around, there would be no change and this would have been a non-issue.

secondly, you're trying to justify this change using a corollary you yourself have claimed to have a problem with. does carrying those goalposts not get tiring?

Mr.Frame

magicbastarder wrote: »

"its always been around"
- no, it has not; not in the sense you're implying. if it had always been around, there would be no change and this would have been a non-issue.

secondly, you're trying to justify this change using a corollary you yourself have claimed to have a problem with. does carrying those goalposts not get tiring?

YES, the booking /pick up charge has always been around.

LollipopJimmy

Mr.Frame wrote: »

YES, the booking /pick up charge has always been around.

It has but not in this context. It was never in use, rather, I've never seen it in use on an app booked fare.

JayRoc

Patww79 wrote: »

Everything is rising and everyone is looking for a payrise though, so why would taxi drivers not get one or have to take a pay cut? Can they live or rent cheaper than the rest of us?

Their pay is how much money they earn.

If their prices were more reasonable/less bat****crazy, I would think they would get more fares. ie get a payrise.

iamtony

I'm a Taxi driver, where do I start...

For starters I don't use my Taxi, I haven't in a long time for various reasons.

The 2 euro booking fee was always to pay for the cost of a driver using a taxi dispatch company and it usually costs us around €100 a week. So if you do 50 jobs in a week it pays for the service. That's why it exists.

During the recession supply outstripped demand so we gave percentage discounts and no booking fee offers and all sorts but it all lasted a lot longer that it should have.

Hailo was originally meant to be a virtual hail but it's not for 99% of jobs and usually drivers have to travel through traffic to get to you and usually drive past easier fares(people standing at the side of the road) to get to you.

Now we have a case of demand outstripping supply and drivers are happier to take a job off the street which is instant and doesnt cost him anything(mytaxi take a percentage).

I don't believe drivers pressured mytaxi into reintroducing the booking fee. I think, as you can all see, trying to get a driver on the app at peak times is getting harder and harder as the city gets busier every day. To try get more work covered mytaxi decided to reintroduce the booking fee.
Will they loose some customers? Probably. Do they care? Nope. Why? Because they have too many as it is and can't cope with the demand. They will also make more money per job if the fare is higher so it will probably balance out anyway.
To give an analogy of sorts it's similar to the hotel industry. When things were quite rooms were cheap and now you pay more. Simple economics.
We are not a bunch a greedy people and we have suffered a lot during the last decade and all we want now is to get the fare back that we should be getting. Taxis aren't overpriced in the first place. Some of you think it should be bus fares we are charging but the reality is your hiring a man and a vehicle for your own private use and that service comes with a price.

Some of you mentioned Uber. Well that service in Ireland isn't great in Ireland and you will struggle to find a car a peak times. They charge the booking fee but give a Discount of 10% off the total.
I use Lynk myself and it's a good service but we are also struggling to cope with demand at the moment.
Top tip to keep drivers accepting your jobs before others is pay with cash! You will get a happier driver and if he sees your address come up again he will accept faster than a customer that pays with card.

Seve OB

markpb wrote: »

Solid arguments made there. I dunno about you guys but I'm convinced!

yosser hughes wrote: »

Maybe you could clarify a few things for people if you have more of a knowledge?

OK, so when I posted earlier I was on mobile so couldn't post correctly, so let me address a few of your concerns. As I pointed out earlier on, I'm almost 20 years in the industry so know a thing or 2.

The Moldy Gowl wrote: »

Go on enlighten us.
Why do the drivers deserve 2 euro for clicking confirm on an app?
It's up to them to decide if its worth their time to drive to the pick up.

Starting here. Drivers do not deserve anything except respect from their customers. There is a fare structure in place which forever and a day has had a pickup charge. Be it on an app or through a call centre, a driver will be allocated a job and will have to travel to the pickup location. That travel may be a few miles which he can cover quickly on empty roads, or a few hundred meters which can take an age in a busy city, yet the pickup charge remains the same. It has nothing to do with clicking confirm on an app. You are indeed correct, it is up to them to decide if it is worth their time to drive to the pickup.

devnull wrote: »

Been going downhill since they bought up Hailo in my view.

My Taxi is Hailo. They didn't buy it out. They re-branded it.

dudara wrote: »

As fair as concerned when I use the app, I'm hailing a taxi. It's the literal equivalent of sticking your hand out on the side. I don't see it as booking. Booking is when I request one for 4am in the morning to the airport.

Well you are incorrect. If you ring a taxi company for an immediate pickup is that the equivalent of sticking your hand out on the side of the street?

Pre-Booking is ringing the night before for a 4am pickup.

dudara wrote: »

The NTA (who mandate this charge) consider hailing a taxi through an app to be "booking" a taxi. Therefore the €2 charge can be applied.

Time to ask the NTA why this is deemed logical

See my point above. It most certainly is a booking. I've already explained about how the driver will have to travel to the pickup location.

NinjaTruncs wrote: »

You would have to think this will stop anyone from using the app in town, why would you book a taxi when you can walk out your door and flag one down cheaper and from my recent experience trying to get a taxi using the app during busy times is impossible, but I guess the taxi drivers are fed up paying the commission to mytaxi so allowing this charge to be added will keep taxi drivers happy for a while.

As said above though the selling point of mytaxi is being diluted which could just drive people back to using their local dispatchers.

This is an interesting point because actually a part of the reason that you are finding it difficult to get taxis especially at busy times is because it is not worth a driver travelling to a pickup location for €2 let alone for nothing.

For My taxi to implement this charge is actually them thinking about their customers, and trying to do something which will improve the service they provide to them.

JohnR1968 wrote: »

Taxi Fares have just gone up too! I got more taxis than ever due to the convenience, this extra charge will make me re-think. Bad decision, another Ryanair moment?

Oh really?? check your facts there.

dudara wrote: »

Remember that this €2 applies to ordering a cab through any app. So Uber and Lyft(??) should be charging it too (if not already)

no, the €2 has nothing to do with app bookings. It is a pickup charge that all drivers are entitled to charge when travelling to a pickup location.

Hailo were new on the scene and they had to do something to entice customers to use them, so they promoted free pickup and made it a condition for their drivers. It worked, they built up a client base, but now they realise they are not servicing those clients as best they can.

myshirt wrote: »

This is a bad move. They are getting too excited by the uplift in the economy. Yes they will make some money off this.... initially.... but then volumes will go down, and when they go down it will be difficult to get them back up.

Have you any idea at all about taxi costs. Do you know when the fares last went up? do you realise how much fuel prices and to a greater extent insurance costs have gone up since then? yea they can make money by working hard, but this uplift in the economy has not been seen by a single person in the taxi industry from drivers to companies. In fact the only uplift has been the amount of discontent amongst customers and this is a problem with no immediate solution.

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

You can be sure mytaxi are 100% against this and it's pressure from the NTDU

NTDU????? Haha. That be the crowd who shut the doors about 10+years ago?

devnull wrote: »

So if there is a load of taxi drivers signing up and a load of customers deleting the app there is going to be a balance problem soon with lots of taxi drivers using the app and not enough customers and they'll then be out moaning they cannot get any fares anymore.

I think the logical solution to this is to give it a €1 rise :pac:

I've already explained the problems customers are having not getting service. Apps have resulted in drivers leaving traditional companies and option for a PAYG method of getting fares as opposed to fixed weekly fees. In fact this is a false economy for them because the harder they work, they actually end up paying more. But taxi drivers are fickle and don't necessarily see the big picture. They got lured in. It has resulted in traditional companies finding it harder to get work covered.

Of course, compound that with the fact there is not enough taxis. It is actually a joke.

mikemac2 wrote: »

Taxi unions have no power, they have more factions than the left wing political parties :P

• Irish Taxi Drivers Federation
• The National Taxi Drivers Union
• National Private Hire & Taxi Association
• National Irish Taxi Association
• SIPTU had a taxi drivers branch but not sure if that exists anymore

And I would guess most taxi drivers are not union members anyway. If every union called a strike and we've had taxi strikes before you'll still get drivers working and rubbing their hands at easier work

It's a business decision from mytaxi, they don't care what any taxi union has to say.

Of course it is a business decision and has nothing to do with any union. And there are only 2 unions, the Fed & the NPHA (though I have my suspicions about them)

And yea, you are right, most drivers are not part of any union and haven't been since probably the last 10 years. The unions traditionally were for drivers to get their insurance sorted through and their tax affairs put in order.

bk wrote: »

Mr.Frame, lots of people on this thread now saying they will delete it.

€2 extra on an already pretty expensive taxi fare may well be the straw that breaks the camels back.

Of course many people will continue to take taxis, but many might now find it too expensive and think twice. Drivers might find their overall take home go down, even though the per trip amount goes up. Upping prices doesn't always lead to more profit, often it can lead to the opposite, that is why pricing of any product/service is a delicate balance.

It also may end up to leading to more demand and pressure from the general public to the NTA to allow Uber to introduce their car pooling service to help bring down prices. The Taxi industry have already seen what happens when you try to take advantage of the public with de-regulation.



Ah, right, you are definitely an outlier! The average taxi fare is something around the €12 to 14 mark. And as result, it makes a bigger difference. Also folks with cheaper fares tend to take taxis more often.

Again, see my earlier points regarding the costs to taxi drivers and when they last got an increase.
Maybe your average fare. More like €20+ is the average fare.



2008 saw the death of the taxi service. It became a race to the bottom, with certain companies offering ridiculous discounts and then other companies being forced to compete. The result was pretty quick in drivers refusing work hand over fist and customers being let down on regular basis. Customers demanded discounts or moved elsewhere. Poor service didn't bother them and many wouldn't return with egg on their face to their original providers but rather sucked it up. Over the years countless drivers have just jacked it in because it is just not worth it anymore. Of course they are not replaced as it is a closed market nowadays. My taxi came in and spend ridiculous amounts of cash promoting their brand, but they have serious money behind them. In actual fact, Dublin is one of the only markets their model actually worked, but they only survived because they sucked drivers in with their PAYG model. In more recent times, drivers are leaving them and other drivers are having to drive further for pickups and the discontent starts with their customers. Now My Taxi know what it has been like for the old fashioned taxi company and have discovered that Taxi drivers can be fickle and do what they want most of the time. The result is they now realise their customers are complaining about lack of service and realise what they need to do to improve it.

if that means some of you delete their app, I'm sure they won't loose any sleep over it, but rather may take a sigh of relief because less demand will actually mean they can service their other customers better.

iamtony

Just FYI mytaxi owned by Daimler benz did buy out hailo.

oppenheimer1

The reason my taxi have introduced this charge is not from taxi driver pressure, but to get drivers to start logging in again. Plenty of times in the city centre in the middle of the day and there will be no drivers available. I don't bother with the app any more.

To be honest, the only thing it offered me was card payments.

listermint

What drivers seem to fail to get is we live in 2017 people have smartphones, people want to pay with card many folks don't even carry cash.

Your customers value convenience.

The app replaced your dispatcher and gives you access to various functions Including advanced bookings.

Yet drivers still complain about the app and their customers.


You wonder why cash is king?

So does the customer.....

bk

Seve OB wrote: »

Again, see my earlier points regarding the costs to taxi drivers and when they last got an increase.
Maybe your average fare. More like €20+ is the average fare.

According to the NTA it is €15:

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/public-asked-to-give-their-views-on-taxi-fare-increases-1.3167241

She said she feels the public is going to be very understanding. The average fair in Dublin is about €15, so the increase will be less than 50c on a trip.

These two changes will make a €15 fare a €17.50

Seve OB

PhilipsR wrote: »

The app has been nothing short of terrible since taking over from Hailo anyways. The waiting time to finally get one is ridiculous. I'd be quicker walking on to the street and flagging one down, so this 2 euro additional charge is just gonna push me to that.

Bit of an Oxymoron that comment. Actually the whole Idea of charging the €2 is to improve the service and get you a car quicker.

bk wrote: »

You know perfectly well. People got fed up queuing for three hours at ranks at night and public pressure lead to the government de-reuglating the taxi industry, removing the limits and opening the flood gates to the massive number of taxis we now have.

That is absolutely a valid complaint. Hailo I think implemented a different system where some drivers got a premium rating and thus first dibs on jobs, even though they were further away. In the long term this wasn't good for drivers or customers.

You really think we now have a massive number of taxis? Can you tell me when the last licence was issued and have you any clue as to how it has become basically impossible for a new driver to enter the market.

Tell you what, why don't you spend an afternoon in any any taxi company around Dublin and you will soon change your opinion.

McGaggs wrote: »

I often just use the app to see if there's many taxis around the area I'm in.

Is there still an extra charge for hailing a taxi in the street? I remember seeing it years ago and since then I've always tried to get taxis from ranks to save a few quid.

Never has been

bk wrote: »

Mr.Frame, I can see why that comment was a little confusing, sorry.



Well the NTA had already decided to give them a 3% rise. So this is in addition to that and depending on what your normal fare is, in can be a massive percentage increase.

The danger for drivers though, is that they aren't guaranteed to actually get anything. If people feel taxis are too expensive, then they might get nothing.

I know that I use to always give a tip when using Hailo, etc. I certainly wont be now, if I do happen to use it (less likely).

This is not an increase. This has been a discount My Taxi have offered their customers up till now. The have chosen not to offer the discount any more.

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

And with this change an 8 euro fare will be 10.40. It goes back to value for money. 2.90 on the luas or 8 quid in a taxi, I can stomach the difference there and get a taxi. 10.40 though? The value just isn't there and if I walk to where I can flag a taxi I've walked as far as the luas so at that point the value is gone from the 8quid it costs to get into town from where I am

An €8 fare on My Taxi was actually a €10 fare discounted by 20%.

magicbastarder wrote: »

"its always been around"
- no, it has not; not in the sense you're implying. if it had always been around, there would be no change and this would have been a non-issue.

I've already said it. This pickup charge has been around forever. Hailo waived it to gain marketshare. Other companies followed suit as a case of having to. Most of them don't bother anymore as it only brings hassle when they can't service their customers because the drivers won't do the discount work.

iamtony wrote: »

Just FYI mytaxi owned by Daimler benz did buy out hailo.

Correct. but it is still the same company. they ran it for a long time in the guise it was and only went for a re-brand this year

Seve OB

iamtony wrote: »

I'm a Taxi driver, where do I start...

For starters I don't use my Taxi, I haven't in a long time for various reasons.

The 2 euro booking fee was always to pay for the cost of a driver using a taxi dispatch company and it usually costs us around €100 a week. So if you do 50 jobs in a week it pays for the service. That's why it exists.

During the recession supply outstripped demand so we gave percentage discounts and no booking fee offers and all sorts but it all lasted a lot longer that it should have.

Hailo was originally meant to be a virtual hail but it's not for 99% of jobs and usually drivers have to travel through traffic to get to you and usually drive past easier fares(people standing at the side of the road) to get to you.

Now we have a case of demand outstripping supply and drivers are happier to take a job off the street which is instant and doesnt cost him anything(mytaxi take a percentage).

I don't believe drivers pressured mytaxi into reintroducing the booking fee. I think, as you can all see, trying to get a driver on the app at peak times is getting harder and harder as the city gets busier every day. To try get more work covered mytaxi decided to reintroduce the booking fee.
Will they loose some customers? Probably. Do they care? Nope. Why? Because they have too many as it is and can't cope with the demand. They will also make more money per job if the fare is higher so it will probably balance out anyway.
To give an analogy of sorts it's similar to the hotel industry. When things were quite rooms were cheap and now you pay more. Simple economics.
We are not a bunch a greedy people and we have suffered a lot during the last decade and all we want now is to get the fare back that we should be getting. Taxis aren't overpriced in the first place. Some of you think it should be bus fares we are charging but the reality is your hiring a man and a vehicle for your own private use and that service comes with a price.

Some of you mentioned Uber. Well that service in Ireland isn't great in Ireland and you will struggle to find a car a peak times. They charge the booking fee but give a Discount of 10% off the total.
I use Lynk myself and it's a good service but we are also struggling to cope with demand at the moment.
Top tip to keep drivers accepting your jobs before others is pay with cash! You will get a happier driver and if he sees your address come up again he will accept faster than a customer that pays with card.

Excellent post, well said.

But the €2 pickup was not to pay the weekly radio fee, but rather to compensate the driver because they have to travel to the pickup location. Semantics though.

Seve OB

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

The reason my taxi have introduced this charge is not from taxi driver pressure, but to get drivers to start logging in again. Plenty of times in the city centre in the middle of the day and there will be no drivers available. I don't bother with the app any more.

To be honest, the only thing it offered me was card payments.

Other companies offer proper secure chip and pin method to pay by card.

Seve OB

bk wrote: »

According to the NTA it is €15:

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/public-asked-to-give-their-views-on-taxi-fare-increases-1.3167241



These two changes will make a €15 fare a €17.50

Fair enough. But as I say I work in the industry and I know it is higher, but I won't argue with you.

But again, this is not a fare increase. this is a discount that My Taxi are no longer offering.

So the proposed 3% increase will increase the average fare for €15 to €15.45.


By the way, do you know how much it will cost the driver to get this increase? he know has to go and get his meter reprogrammed, rechecked, resealed and his ca passed out. It will cost them €100's. For 3%, a lot of drivers wouldn't be bothered.

redshoes15

Use MyTaxi a lot as I don’t drive at the moment and regularly make out of office visits for work. Got a little heads up about this €2 ‘booking fee’ last Friday. Haven’t used MyTaxi since. Bit of a pain in the ar5e but the bus or walking will be my preference in future. The idea of getting into a taxi where the meter reads almost €5 as soon as I get in is ridiculous.

Seve OB

listermint wrote: »

What drivers seem to fail to get is we live in 2017 people have smartphones, people want to pay with card many folks don't even carry cash.

Your customers value convenience.

The app replaced your dispatcher and gives you access to various functions Including advanced bookings.

Yet drivers still complain about the app and their customers.


You wonder why cash is king?

So does the customer.....

Plenty of companies offering card options nowadays, not just My taxi. Some don't even charge you (the customer) a fee for the privlidge. And I know I prefer to use a safe secure chip & PIN machine over sticking my card details in an app.

I really don't think you know how dispatch companies work, do you think various functions such as advanced bookings were only brought in by My Taxi?????? My Taxi actually does a fraction of what traditional dispatch companies do.

Seve OB

that enough insight for yiz lol
enjoy the read, i might check back in tomorrow to review all the stick I'm going to get

bk

Seve OB wrote: »

You really think we now have a massive number of taxis? Can you tell me when the last licence was issued and have you any clue as to how it has become basically impossible for a new driver to enter the market.

Hilarious, last I heard from taxi drivers they were whining that their were more taxis in Dublin then NYC. Now it seems their tune has changed!

Things might have tightened up slightly now, but their are vastly more taxis now then their were pre-deregulation. 3 hours waits at ranks were the norm back then. I haven't had to wait more then 10 minutes for a taxi since then.

BTW don't get me wrong, I'm really happy to hear that business is up for drivers. But really, do be careful not to get too cocky and bite the hand that feeds you.

Seve OB wrote: »

This is not an increase. This has been a discount My Taxi have offered their customers up till now. The have chosen not to offer the discount any more.

True, but not from your customers perspective. All they are seeing is the fare they have been regularly paying go from €12 to €14.50. That is quiet a big jump for many people and many people might think twice about getting a taxi in future, I know I will.

This may well have an unexpected effect, you might earn more per trip, but end up with less trips and thus less income.

bk

Seve OB wrote: »

Plenty of companies offering card options nowadays, not just My taxi. Some don't even charge you (the customer) a fee for the privlidge. And I know I prefer to use a safe secure chip & PIN machine over sticking my card details in an app.

God, not a hope, some random machine in a taxi to swipe your card details!

I'll stick to the app thanks, WAY safer.

Seve OB

bk wrote: »

God, not a hope, some random machine in a taxi to swipe your card details!

I'll stick to the app thanks, WAY safer.

have you ever used a chip & pin machine in a shop, restaurant, garage... anywhere?

why is the very same machine in a taxi all of a sudden random, and I've said, chip & PIN, it is not swipe.

I do appreciate though some people are happy with apps, etc. that's just a matter of choice, but don't go insinuating it is unsafe to use your card in a taxi.

my reason for the security is nothing to do with taxis, but rather any computer /phone is open to hacking to get your number/details. AFAIK a chip & PIN machine has never been hacked

iamtony

Alot of taxis have sum up card readers these days which you can tap(contact less) for fares up to 30 euro. I think this service is guaranteed by your bank for fraudulent activity as its so easy for scammers to abuse this so I wouldnt worry to much about using one of those machines anyway.