Taxi drivers warn public of ‘rogue taxis’ charging big bucks

Monday, 17 January 2022

New Plymouth Taxis chairman Richard Morse is one of the smiling local cabbies in the city – but he says “rogue” drivers travel from outside the region when concerts are on and charge excessive amounts.

New Plymouth taxi drivers are warning concertgoers to be careful after reports of out-of-town cabbies fleecing people of hundreds of dollars after the L.A.B concert.

The word amongst drivers is that “rogue taxi drivers” charged someone $250 from the Bowl of Brooklands to Waitara – a trip that would normally cost about $70 - after the gig on Saturday, January 8.

Another concertgoer was charged $104 from the Bowl to Spotswood, and the prices were at least four times higher than local companies.

* Taranaki taxi drivers calling on council for change following 'omnishambles' at L.A.B. gig

Morse is warning the public to always check for the local branding when they're hailing a taxi.

* Wet wipe plea after L.A.B concert leads to wastewater pipe blockage and sewage spill

* Warning issued as out-of-town taxis fleece customers after major New Plymouth concerts

New Plymouth Taxis chairman Richard Morse, and another driver who did not want to be named, are now trying to educate the public on what to look for to make sure they don’t end up with these same drivers after the Synthony concert at the Bowl on February 5.

“We’re trying to tell people, you have to be aware of this,” Morse said. “The big thing, look for the local logo on the door or phone numbers.

“And make sure you are aware of what you’re going to be charged at the start of the ride.”

L.A.B. played to 12,500 people at New Plymouth’s Bowl of Brooklands on Saturday, January 8.

This isn’t the first time concerns have been raised about the out-of-town drivers overcharging concert goers – Morse and a motel manager sent out a warning after last year’s L.A.B. gig.

The city has four local cab companies: New Plymouth Taxis, Energy City Cabs, TET Taxis and Call A Cab.

There are also rideshare options like Uber in town, too, but they have to be ordered via the app, not hailed down on the side of the road.

Morse said there were about 20 “rogue taxis” in the city on that Saturday night which he thought were Uber drivers from out of town, who were working independently of the app and “slapping a top light on” their car that said taxi.

“It's just like a nightmare,” Morse said. “We [local companies] look after the people of Taranaki. We want this place to be safe.”

He understood, due to a change of legislation that allowed rideshare companies like Uber to operate, the drivers weren't doing anything illegal.

“It’s something we're going to have to live with.”

However, he said there was a “grey area” and he had lots of concerns, including the drivers not showing metres or their ID, not agreeing on prices with people before the ride, and not handing out receipts or displaying QR codes.

He’d also heard some drivers got aggressive when questioned on pricing.

Morse said local taxi companies did not put up prices in busy times, which was another sign a hailed-down taxi was not legitimate.

Another local cabdriver, who did not want to be named, said he was at a petrol station when he watched a driver place a light on top of his car, and magnets on the doors.

“Putting taxi on the outside of their car makes my blood boil,” he said. “They do this every concert that we have. They come here for ripe pickings.”

Plus, they charge “usurious fees”.

He mirrored Morse's advice to check for the local company names on the cab before jumping in.

“Support the local services,” he said. “Let me remind people here that taxis do not charge surge prices, only Uber do that. Taxis run on a flat rate tariff at all times.”

He said he usually makes up to $800 on a concert night, but made less than $600 after L.A.B.

“They took money from our local industry.”