‘Not a good look’: Taxi, rideshare vehicles clash in bizarre incident

A wild car accident involving a rideshare vehicle and taxi at Melbourne Airport has raised concerns about driver behaviour as tensions simmer.

Tensions between rideshare and taxi drivers are at boiling point at the Melbourne Airport carpark, with transport advocates expressing some of the behaviour they’ve seen is “totally unacceptable”.

There are fears tourists and locals will become discouraged from using both services after appalling footage captured the moment both parties clashed following a traffic incident.

While it’s not clear who the drivers are in the video, people are observed pointing fingers and waving hands while yelling at each other, as onlookers stare at the damage left by a two-vehicle crash.

The collision occurred on Melbourne Airport’s Sunbury Road in the early hours of the morning on July 23 and Victoria Police were called to the scene following reports of the incident.

It’s understood the rideshare driver lost control of their car before striking a barrier. It then collided with a taxi and caught fire at about 2.45am.

Video taken of the wreckage which was later posted on social media, shows what looks like uprooted bollards lying on the footpath while a wire fence with black tarp appears bent in one area.

The impact crushed the front of both the taxi driver’s vehicle and the rideshare driver’s white Toyota Camry, with the latter vehicle’s windscreen also shattered.

Taxi and rideshare drivers are at loggerheads at Melbourne Airport. Picture: Jay Town

It’s understood a female rideshare driver was responsible for the collision, with police finding her not far from the wreckage.

She was taken to hospital with minor injuries, while the occupants of the second car weren’t injured.

“It is expected the 38-year-old woman will be interviewed at a later date in relation to the incident,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

While it’s not clear what caused the accident, former member of the Legislative Council and transport advocate Rod Barton said the accident wasn’t a good look for the relationship between rideshare and taxi drivers.

“There’s a lot of tensions out there at the moment,” he told the Herald Sun, blaming airport taxi and rideshare rank restructuring for the issue.

“Over a year ago, they removed the main taxi rank from in front of the main terminal and they did that to accommodate Uber.”

Melbourne Airport has two rideshare pick-up zones: one in lane three of the forecourt for passengers in terminals one, two and three and another inside the terminal four carpark on level two.

Rideshare drivers can also drop off passengers at any public drop off areas along Departure Drive and in the transport hub on level one of the terminal four car park.

Meanwhile, pick up taxi ranks are located on level one of Arrival Drive and on the ground floor of the terminal four car park.

Parts of the public pick-up have since been converted into rideshare pick-up spots at Melbourne Airport. Picture: Jason Edwards

From personal experience, Mr Barton said he and other taxi drivers have observed more passengers choose rideshare due to an increase in marketing at the airport.

The former Transport Matters Party leader added this paired with “hundreds of taxis in holding yards” was not a welcome sight for the industry.

“How can we possibly have no taxis on taxi ranks when we’ve got hundreds of cabs sitting at the back of the holding yards? It’s not a good look,” he said.

It’s understood rideshare drivers carried 16.9 per cent of airport passengers in the last financial year, compared to 8.2 per cent of passengers opting for taxis.

Melbourne Airport was contacted regarding the behaviour in its rideshare and taxi bays, however it did not comment on the matter.

Instead, the airport along with rideshare service Uber have teamed up to crack down on touting in a bid to give both rideshare and taxi drivers a fair go.

In regards to tensions between rideshare and taxi drivers, Victoria Taxi Association Director Peter Valentine told the Herald Sun the “nonsense needs to stop”.

“Visitors and tourists should have a choice about which service they choose to use,” he said.

“I find it’s quite demeaning for the industry and disrespectful for visitors when incidents (between the pair) happen.”

Mr Valentine posed a number of possible solutions to increase fairness in the industry between the two parties which includes better regulation, all transport vehicles being attached to a network and patrolled designated zones for both services.

“I’ve witnessed from the hotel over the road the activity that goes on in the rank,” he said.

“How do (rideshare and taxi drivers) not understand (their behaviour) will drive people away?”