MEL taxi scam

[AustraliaPoochie]

The shrewdest, the crookedest, the smartednessest, ...
In the end, tho, even with this voucher system, it ill be the taxi drivers, and their companies who win over all.
Can I add, the "stupidity" of the voucher system, if its so easy for the taxi drivers to bypass those who have paid, and are waiting.
Pointing finger at the Vic gov too.

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

Has anyone tried to use the pre-paid taxi voucher terminals at MEL as yet? I heard on the radio Friday that someone bought a ticket for a fixed price to his destination. It required pick up from a dedicated location but no taxis stopped for him - all went straight past to the normal rank beyond T1.

I heard the same radio segment. Very interesting

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Main point, can I be so bold, is to ask, if a person has bought a voucher, and on that voucher, would have the info on that taxi, and the taxi is seen (ie, the # on it), has been seen to bypass that particular order/orderer, what recompence happens, does another taxi have to come and pick that orderer up, ...?
Or by the mere fact that that taxi has gone past, its seen by the system as job complete, even tho the driver has done a major "scam".
Havent used the voucher system, so not sure of whats printed on the slip/QR code on smartphone.
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Heh, just read on the Karryon website, those things are self service kiosks, so no marshalls.

 

[jastel]

I doubt the driver can "do a major scam"

The customer has a receipt with the bay number on, only THAT Taxi should be in that bay. The taxi that "accepts" the job will have matching details, maybe the customer has to give a PIN or barcode...the websites are pretty light on details.

Every Taxi that drives past is not going to be YOUR Taxi. Getting a Taxi to accept the job while the ranks are full will be the problem. Note it is also only the 4 main companies, not every taxi. I can forsee problems of drivers taking the job, finding its only $10 or whatever (if that detail is even shown until job is picked up) and trying to hand it back etc because naturally they want a bigger fare off the rank. In this case they might drive past but it would be a pretty dumb system that pays them just for being nearby.

 

[Happy Dude]

Seems to me the pre-paid voucher system will be a complete flop if the drivers won't, for whatever reason, pick up pax from the designated area. I didn't realise that a designated pick up area was involved. I thought that the pax just queued in the taxi line and handed the pre-paid voucher to the driver.

If the drivers perceive the system to be not in their best interest, ie they can't extract as much $$ from the pax as possible, one way or another, then they'll simply not participate. I'd have thought that would have been obvious when the system was first mooted.

As it stands, if I understand it correctly, the system is like rideshare but harder to use, less convenient and in all likelihood, more expensive. How Aussie is that??

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

I doubt the driver can "do a major scam"

The customer has a receipt with the bay number on, only THAT Taxi should be in that bay. The taxi that "accepts" the job will have matching details, maybe the customer has to give a PIN or barcode...the websites are pretty light on details.

Every Taxi that drives past is not going to be YOUR Taxi. Getting a Taxi to accept the job while the ranks are full will be the problem. Note it is also only the 4 main companies, not every taxi. I can forsee problems of drivers taking the job, finding its only $10 or whatever (if that detail is even shown until job is picked up) and trying to hand it back etc because naturally they want a bigger fare off the rank. In this case they might drive past but it would be a pretty dumb system that pays them just for being nearby.

What happens if no taxi with the details on that voucher receipt turns up, (/or/and the booker saw that taxi go past tho?).

 

[flyingfan]

In the international arrivals hall yesterday, there was a huge electronic billboard warning people not to accept taxi rides and that they weren't authorised. A terrible first impression (aside from the huge queues for the SmartGate kiosks). I remain convinced they could do something about it but for some reason I genuinely can't understand just won't.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

They would have to employ a dedicated team ie $$$$$ to speak with the touts, and unless they do undercover, the touts will know who the Anti Taxi Touts Authorized Officers are.
Any Aus airport that puts up signs like that, are protecting themselves, by putting out the PDA, but then, wont spend the $ on either patrolling, or getting a dedicate team to do it, as we all know, AFP officers/airport agents are already busy inside the terminal.
We just cant win in this game.
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Even that fixed taxi fare voucher system, if no one in authority is watching it, or marshalling it, the taxi drivers will find or have found a way to bypass it.
If the booker has paid by visa/mastercard/amex, and the taxi does not turn up, and that booker has waited say, an hour, what recompense has that person got.
From what I read, its just a kiosk to do the booking and paying... this one for MEL and SYD airports.

 

[jastel]

Agree things need monitoring.

To WIN dont play the game....walk to the rank and wait in line, make driver use the meter like a normal person does. You will still get bad drivers just like the rest of real life where you get bad shop keepers, doctors, lawyers, neighbours etc.

The touts are no more annoying to me than a greeny charity koala harassing you in the CBD. I dont like it but it is a small matter....a NO or if he persists a louder F Off. Like most scams all over the world walking with purpose and not engaging is the best way.

 

[Q Class Plebeian]

Agree things need monitoring.

To WIN dont play the game....walk to the rank and wait in line, make driver use the meter like a normal person does. You will still get bad drivers just like the rest of real life where you get bad shop keepers, doctors, lawyers, neighbours etc.

The touts are no more annoying to me than a greeny charity koala harassing you in the CBD. I dont like it but it is a small matter....a NO or if he persists a louder F Off. Like most scams all over the world walking with purpose and not engaging is the best way.

Agree, I came in via T2 on Sunday afternoon, heard the don't accept rides etc announcement.Not a tout seen or heard.I caught the airport bus .