Flat-rate taxi fares between Sydney Airport and the CBD have been proposed in a major shake-up of the city’s cab charges, following reports of travellers being ripped off and slugged with excessive fares, some as high as $100 for the short journey.
The state’s independent pricing regulator has released seven recommendations to overhaul Sydney’s taxi sector, including a two-year trial of a $60 cap for taxi passengers travelling in standard cabs between the CBD and airport, and an $80 cap for maxi taxis.
Sydney Airport taxi fares have faced scrutiny from the pricing regulator.Credit: Dallas Kilponen
The call for a flat rate charge comes after reports of passengers experiencing “meter shock” and drivers refusing to take people on short-fare journeys.
Many passengers have also complained to the regulator of excessive fixed fares, drivers not running meters, and drivers demanding “illegal fixed payments”.
As part of its review, the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal heard further concerns of drivers being “abusive towards passengers” when requesting short trips, and complaints from CBD hotel operators of guests slugged with taxi fares “in excess of $100 from the airport to city hotels”.
Sydney is one of few major cities in the world not to have a fixed price fare system in place, with global centres such as New York and London offering capped-charge taxi airport services.
Airport taxi passengers have complained of exorbitant fees and cases of “fare refusal”.Credit: Nick Moir
NSW Taxi Council chief executive Nick Abrahim has supported the regulator’s recommendations, saying they would address bad behaviour among some drivers.
“We want passengers to have confidence and certainty that when they get in a taxi they know how much they’ll be paying and drivers shouldn’t be discriminating,” he said.
“Fixed fares will set out an expectation about how much they can charge.”
Separate to the recommendations, negotiations are under way between the Sydney Airport Corporation and key taxi bodies on further solutions to address short-fare refusals at the airport.
One option is a system where drivers could queue in a new “shorter line” hail queue specifically designated for passengers requiring short trips.
Once a driver has completed a trip, they would be able to return to the airport with guaranteed spot in the taxi rank queue.
Another key IPART recommendation is an increase in urban rank and hail fares – a move that would raise fares by about $2-$5 for all types of taxi trips – partly aimed at addressing inflation and taxi operating costs.
The regulator has also called for taxi drivers to provide detailed receipts to passengers with information such as plate numbers and driver IDs to “increase transparency” and accountability.
Transport for NSW will consider the proposals ahead of setting taxi sector fares applying from July 1 this year.
The regulator rejected several recommendations made to the inquiry including calls for fixed fares to be extended to other Sydney centres such as Parramatta, North Sydney, Sydney Olympic Park and Manly.
Transport Minister John Graham said the recommendations would be considered with the interests of passengers in mind.
“The majority of cab drivers do the right thing every time but being overcharged when landing in Sydney has become a too-common experience for visitors to our city,” he said.
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