Blitz on NSW taxi drivers illegally refusing to use meters

Despite repeated warnings, a crackdown has caught some of Sydney’s most shameless taxi drivers insisting on customers paying full fares upfront. TAKE OUR POLL.

Cheating cabbies have been caught red-handed by undercover taxi cops flouting the law and refusing to use their meters — and knocking back ride requests — during a weekend crackdown.

The blitz by compliance officers — who sprang into action last Thursday after new laws were passed — immediately snared 43 drivers across Sydney who were ripping off unsuspecting passengers by asking for pricey set fees instead of relying on the meters.

It follows a growing outcry from the public about being stung with set fares, prompting the state government to give new powers to NSW Point to Point Transport Commissioner Anthony Wing to undertake covert operations.

Rideshare operators like Uber are allowed to charge set fees, and can “surge” with high prices during busy periods, and it’s understood that a number of cabbies have worked in that industry and want to retain the practice.

Authorities say they won’t be letting the rogue cabbies off the hook over the busy festive season, with Mr Wing warning that: “Drivers will not know if their passenger is a compliance officer or not, and if they are caught breaching the law they will face a fine of $300.”

Cabbies have been caught flouting the law by charging set fees upfront in Sydney. File picture.

It comes as a separate Daily Telegraph investigation uncovered multiple instances of dodgy drivers continuing to do the wrong thing by refusing to use meters.

Laws clearly state that cab drivers must use a taxi meter during a trip made from a rank or after being hailed by a passenger, and “under no circumstances” can a driver demand or negotiate a fare that is different to the metered fare.

NSW Point to Point Commissioner Anthony Wing.

NSW Taxi Council Deputy CEO Nick Abrahim.

While it’s legal for a cabbie to ask for a fare upfront for a ride, they still must turn the meter on and refund the difference, if required.

Of those nabbed by authorities, 17 were caught by plainclothes compliance officers and 26 from standard compliance checks.

Last week The Telegraph attempted to catch a cab from Newtown to Woollahra in the evening, and was told they would have to pay $60 upfront.

The reporter replied “that was too much”, saying they would go elsewhere.

The cab driver responded, “Check Uber, it is the same price, it won’t get any cheaper”, before dropping his price to $55.

A second cabbie initially quoted a $60 set fee to Woollahra, and, after being told the first driver offered $55, put the address into his maps software and agreed to the lower price.

As soon as the cab pulled out, he gave the reporter his pay wave machine and made him pay on the spot. Later, the cabbie said the fare might have cost $50 if he had used the meter.

And in another instance of illegal behaviour, a driver demanded a set fee of $140 for a night trip from Rockdale to Woollahra, with a stop at a nearby street in Rockdale on the way.

Despite being told it was illegal, the cabbie refused to switch on the meter and was “very upset about the situation” at being challenged, but pocketed the full $140.

The NSW Taxi Council condemned the behaviour and said it was “constantly” reminding and educating drivers of the rules around rank and hail fares.

Deputy chief executive Nick Abrahim said the council had been doing its own investigations in the field, including speaking to secure guards at taxi ranks at late nights.

“We’ve had discussions to understand what’s driving this behaviour,” Mr Abrahim said.

“We do find it’s happening when rideshare is surging, it’s most prevalent where drivers seem to be taking advantage of the situation.

“However, we understand the practice is minimised when you have regulated pricing right across the board.”

“There is action being taken by networks, from suspending a driver for a period of time and removing drivers from their platform.”

But Mr Abrahim said the taxi industry would prefer to have such drivers removed entirely from the industry, including rideshare work, but taxi networks did not have the power to do this and the council was in discussions with the regulators about how to achieve this.