Melbourne Airport slugs taxi operators with new charges

Taxis at Melbourne Airport are set to cost more, and operators are outraged, after cabbies were told the access charge they must pay to use the rank will rise.

Taxi passengers at Melbourne Airport are set to be slugged with another price surge after authorities increased the charge drivers must pay to use the rank.

Operators have been told that from September 1 the ground access charge at Tullamarine for cabs will rise from $3.65 to $4.50 at ranks and $3 to $4 for pre-booked taxis.

Charges for rideshare operators will go up from $4.48 to $4.5, with all price increases set to be passed on to consumers.

But the move has sparked outrage after the airport told the state’s consumer watchdog in 2016 that it intended to keep the fee in line with the consumer price index.

Transport Matters MP Rod Barton, a former president of the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Association, said the decision would be a major addition to fares.

Taxi passengers at Melbourne Airport are set to be slugged with another price surge. Picture: Jason Edwards

“It is a substantial increase and anything that drives fares up is not a good thing if it doesn’t get back to the drivers,” he said.

“A question might have to be asked of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to see if this is fair.”

Mr Barton said it benefited the airport to drive up fees.

“The carparking business is a licence to print money and taxis and hire cars compete with their core business,” he said.

“The reason the Essential Services Commission was (first) involved in 2016 was because operators used to have to approve moving the fee on to the taxi fare box.”

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Melbourne Airport parking and ground access chief Lorie Argus said the airport was making investments that would benefit cabs and hire cars.

“Taxis today have dedicated facilities that can accommodate more than 800 vehicles, as well as taxi-only roads to the terminal and premium siting of ranks at Terminals 1 and 2,” she said.

An ESC spokeswoman said the watchdog did not have power to restrict charges at the airport. “However, the airport had previously made representations to us that they would index the airport access fee to the CPI,” she said.

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