Taxi driver caught out charging double the fare from Brisbane Airport

A Sydney man has exposed the sneaky way a taxi driver tried to charge him double the fare in Brisbane.

A Sydney man has exposed a taxi driver trying to charge him double the fare, catching the whole ride on video.

Scott Hamilton flew to Brisbane, where he grew up, with his wife for a cruise and needed to get from Brisbane Airport to Pinkemba Port.

Having been burned before, he recorded the 11km ride on his phone.

When they arrived at the destination, the video, aired on A Current Affair, showed that the driver held the EFTPOS machine to Mr Hamilton backwards, obscuring the view of the screen with the price.

When Mr Hamilton asked what he owed, the driver appeared to avoid answering, instead saying “look there”.

The driver was charging him $59 for a trip estimated by the cab company’s website to only be $29.

The driver held the EFTPOS machine up backwards. Picture: ACA

The meter showed the trip was 39 minutes instead of less than 20 minutes. Picture: ACA

“I’m from Brisbane, I know how taxis work. You’re not ripping me off, I’ve been videoing you the entire time. Where’s the meter?” Mr Hamilton said.

The meter, which was located on the driver’s side, showed a duration of 39 minutes for the trip.

“I’ve been in your cab for 17 minutes, I’ve been recording the whole time,” Mr Hamilton said.

The driver kept arguing, swearing he was honest and Mr Hamilton had been mistaken, but eventually told Mr Hamilton the ride was free.

But Mr Hamilton gave the driver $40 in cash as he believed he needed to pay something for the service.

“From my opinion, he’d been running the meter the entire time he was sitting at the rank at Brisbane Airport,” Mr Hamilton told ACA.

Black and White Cabs managing director Greg Webb told the program a full refund would be issued and the driver would be subjected to the company’s compliance measures for deliberate overcharging.

“Whilst there was initial denial and excuses made, upon being presented with all the evidence, the driver admitted to and it was determined to be a deliberate overcharge,” Mr Webb told ACA.

news.com.au also contacted Mr Webb for comment.