Is it time to rethink the way we queue for taxis at Sydney Airport?

Taxi drivers push for short-fare bays to solve fare anxiety for cabbies and passengers alike.

After living around 15 minutes from the airport it’s a feeling I know too well. The guilt and sometimes fear of telling a taxi driver your short-fare destination when all you want to do is get home.

In years gone by taxi drivers at Sydney Airport could jump the queue after a short trip to get another, hopefully better, fare. But all that changed two years ago when the system was scrapped.

At first I would drag my bags to the Uber pick-up area to avoid upsetting taxi drivers. When the Uber stand was moved in front of the terminal things got a lot easier, but I still felt bad about not supporting the cabbies.

Nick Abrahim, CEO of the NSW Taxi Council, says while most drivers provide a positive experience, unfortunately others act in a way that creates short-fare anxiety. But if a taxi driver gets upset, we shouldn’t feel bad.

“A driver shouldn’t make you feel guilty because you’re living or staying nearby. Let’s be very clear on this: taxi drivers choose to go to the airport and wait, whether it be for half an hour or two and a half hours. And it’s a statutory obligation to take whatever passenger comes to their car, regardless of who they are and their destination.”

In Melbourne, airport fares to the CBD are more lucrative than in Sydney.

As a former taxi driver who frequently picked up Sydney Airport passengers, Abrahim understands it doesn’t make good business sense for drivers to wait for two hours for a 10-minute fare and then do it all again. Which is why he has another idea for Sydney Airport: short-fare bays.

“A cost-effective and practical solution is to have three or four bays that are dedicated to short fares. These would be in addition to the main taxi rank in front of the terminal and would have their own queue so you know the drivers there are happy and waiting to take a short trip.”

Kenn Langcake, head of Commercial Transport at Sydney Airport, says they’re committed to working with the ground transport industry on ways to enhance the overall experience for passengers and reduce wait times. In the meantime drivers need to understand long wait times are a reflection of market conditions and make decisions based on current demand patterns, he says.

We could soon have a $60 flat fare from the airport to the CBD, with an $80 fare for maxi taxis, depending on the results of an IPART trial.

In Melbourne where the roughly 35km airport fares to the CBD are more lucrative than the 10km or so Sydney ones, taxi drivers can be even more reluctant to take a short fare.

A Melbourne Airport spokesman says taxi drivers and nearby residents have been complaining about short-fare problems for a long time, and when the airport introduced a short-fare system last year some taxi drivers were making up fares to try to rort it within the first hour. While the system is still in place a lot of taxi drivers would like to see it scrapped so time will tell on that one.

At least in Sydney we have the option to get on an overpriced train. And soon we could have a $60 flat fare from the airport to the CBD, with an $80 fare for maxi taxis, depending on the results of an IPART (Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal NSW) trial.

I was recently charged an $111 fare from Sydney Airport to nearby Surry Hills.

Having had run-ins with dodgy taxi drivers, including a recent $111 fare from Sydney Airport to nearby Surry Hills, I think that’s a great idea, especially for tourists.

When I took a photo of a taxi driver’s meter and ID while asking why an airport fare was $20 more than it should be, he suddenly knocked $10 off while telling me to “get an Uber next time”. You can use QR codes in NSW Taxis or call the Taxi Fare Hotline on 1800 500 410 to report drivers who are doing the wrong thing.

But because of all the drivers who are doing the right thing I still want to support cabbies. And I look forward to the day when I can head to the short-fare bay for that anxiety-free trip.

Originally published as Is it time to rethink the way we queue for taxis at Sydney Airport?