Can Taxi Drivers BUMP Up The Meter?
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- How do cabbies earn the most possible? And what other myths about money?
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WHO AM I:
I’m Tom, a London Taxi driver of 6 years. I also have a keen passion for all things London whether that’s; history, geography or a good spot for coffee!
WHY DO I MAKE VIDEOS?:
To PROMOTE and PROTECT The Knowledge of London
And to PRESERVE the high standards of London Taxi Drivers
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:26 - Time vs Distance
02:20 - Slower or Faster?
03:35 - Red Lights?
04:29 - Stopping distances
06:04 - Most expensive transport?
08:15 - Cabbies are rip off merchants!
09:39 - Credit Cards - Розваги
One of the nice things about Uber is simply knowing what you're going to pay beforehand. Even if you're paying more money, it removes stress of the passenger sitting in traffic watching the number count up and not knowing what it's going to amount to. With a service like Uber, if the fair was too high, the passenger will have known beforehand and couple simply decide to use another means if it was too high
So with Uber the price is just an estimate and the real fare can vary and is calculated when you exit.
A family member once got scammed on an Uber Journey where the driver did a massive detour and the trip cost 3x the estimate. Uber eventually refunded them but it took days of pushing them.
You can probably estimate how much taxi fares are
"With a service like Uber, if the fair was too high, the passenger will have known beforehand" No, you wouldn't. You would know what your price is (in most cases. It can change depending on multiple factors), not if this price is too high compared to a normal taxi.
@@theonik2006 Has literally never happened to me. Always paid the estimate.
The only downside with Uber and other similar services is the price is determined by the current demand and other transport related events like if a major train line is suspended for the rest of the day because of an incident during the evening peak then the prices of those services will suddenly go insanely high.
I worked in Copenhagen 20 years ago. For a short while, there was a misconception amongst taxi drivers that they could earn more money if they waited more at traffic lights, so they drove like maniacs and braked hard at the last minute. Happily, the myth was quickly debunked and rides became a lot more comfortable.
I remember in my city back when there was really only one priavte taxi company (no public ones available to this day), they told you “no, i am not using the taximeter, you will pay what i say or you stay here where the bus comes in 2 hours”
You have really changed my perspective on London black cabs, I won’t be using Uber in London anymore. Thank you
I love your videos!
You have to remember that people have bad opinions about taxi drivers because objectively taxi drivers as a category is dishonest in some countries/cities. London is an example of exellence, enthusiasm and hard work :).
Thanks, this is why I love to create these videos to ensure the hard working drivers in London and UK are seen/understood
London cabbies are the best in the world. Last time I took a taxi here in Adelaide, I had to give the driver instructions on how to get the biggest hospital in the state.
I don’t think people believe taxi drivers shun card payments to avoid the fee to accept cards.
It’s to avoid the taxman!
At one point I was using taxis twice a day as part of my commute. On a single occasion (e.g. VERY RARE) a taxi driver tried to defraud me by adding false "extras" - and he was VERY slick at hiding it suggesting that this was something he did a lot to other customers. I refused to pay and he called the cops who agreed with me that it was a civil case. I paid him a fair amount and reported him to the regulators and he had to waste a morning explaining to them rather than earning. Whilst there was no hard evidence - my word vs. his - his card was marked and another similar complaint would lose him his taxi license - so hopefully this stopped him from doing it again to other customers.
There are some cabbies that give the whole group a bad game.
We hailed down a cab at like 3am in Piccadilly Circus, and asked at the window to go to Premier Inn Brixton. He said £65. We, knowing the value of money, said £35, and he said we can to the journey using the meter. Was no where near £65. Whole journey, I felt like some who was nearly ripped off and getting an earful from my mate who will also use Ubers (when I tell him black cabs are just as good - then have to eat humble pie after this situation)
He was probably about to knock off for the night and thought if he priced you out you'd say no and move to the next cab.
Why did you ask? You knew the cab had a meter so you couldn't have been "ripped off" Just tell him where to go and pay the fare when there.
@@simonjohnson8018
Why did I ask him if he could take us to Brixton?
Probably because that's what I wanted, and it's a normal way to start a conversation with a taxi driver - telling them where you want to go.
He then started talking about money. We countered. Then we agreed to use the meter. The short version is, he was trying to rip us off. Hence, some people give others a bad name
@@mattg5878 You have to use the meter anyway don't you they charge more than that?
I'm in Glasgow and I remember people saying Hackney taxis are expensive because as soon as you get in the meter had a price. I drove private hire( mini cabs) and it was £3.50 for the first mile so basically it was £3.50 as soon as they got in but they just couldn't see it.
London Black Cabs are amongst my favourite things ever. Also, If you have more than a couple of people, a Black Cab has always been cheaper than that many Tube/bus fares. And you know where you are going. I live in the US, but have spent a load of time in London. With my fam. always a Black Cab. Thanks, Tom!
Great editing recently mate!
remember being in a taxi from cardiff to barry, fare was meant to be 35, ended up being 70 due to them taking a 'diversion' didnt end up paying and complained to the company and ended up paying the agreed price for the pre-determined route
Love this video Tom, very interesting 👍🏽
Love the edit! Slick!
The issue i have with Uber is, that it circumvents taxi regulations. They exist to ensure passenger safety. It might sound ridiculous, but read the horror stories from around europe before taxi regulation was introduced. I had some Uber experiences, particularly in Paris and Madrid, that made the necessity for Uber to be regulated like a normal taxi very clear to me.
I don't know about the rest of Europe, but in the UK Uber is regulated under the laws for private hire vehicles. Basically the rules for the kind of Taxi that in the pre-internet days you would have to phone in advance to book. These regulations aren't as stringent as they are for hackney carriages (the legal term for proper taxis that can use a taxi rank and be hailed down), but they do exist. That said, I suspect that bad Uber drivers (and drivers for other app-based taxi companies) can get away with worse behaviour than other private hire drivers simply because complaints will be directed at Uber, rather than at the authority who licensed the driver.
I also try to avoid Uber. But Uber doesn't only bypass taxi regulations, but also labour regulations and that irks me even more. My transportation priority is like this bike > walk > tram > bus > metro > taxi > bolt > Uber. Why do I make a distinction between bolt and Uber when they're pretty much the same? It feels to me bolt aren't as aggressive, and they're European.
@@stephengray1344 no that last part is incorrect, all Uber drivers must hold a private hire license from an issuing authority, and therefore complaints can be made to that authority against individual drivers
@@billymcmedic4221 You've misunderstood what I was trying to say. Complaints can be made to the licensing authority. But I'm fairly sure it's less likely that they will be made to them than it is with a more traditional private hire setup. The overwhelming majority of complaints will be made via the Uber app, rather than to the people who could revoke the license.
had to use a taxi a couple of months ago, as the driver asked me for my destination said I wasn't sure where it was but I did, he took the long way round which doubled the fare, used a bus for the return journey
Crackingly good video Tom. It's criminal the charges made by providers and banks for credit card transactions.
I think the meter is fair for both us the drivers & the passengers. We don’t set the prices so we are bound by it.
I wonder how other countries taxis pricing systems are like.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was similar in other first world countries and I wouldn't be surprised if other places, like in India, have loads of scam artists that charge extreme exorbitant fees.
I've basically encountered three systems
- variations on London's, with regulated time and distance meters
- negotiate for your destination before you start
- time and distance meters with rates set by the driver (and posted on the side of the car.)
great video as always mate
Brilliant video, cheers mate
Great channel Tom,. Keep it up,..originally started watching to get my bearings whilst visiting our capital,.but have also learnt along the way due to you,,.... take care Tom,. Hopefully this coming winter I'll hail a taxi called Tom
I understand the cash vs card comments and concerns. As you said, we nearly all get our wages/salary paid into our bank accounts so it is quick and convenient to pay by card, especially tapping our card. I can honestly say that since tapping my card became a thing I have been using my card a lot more where I would have used cash before because putting the card into a machine and entering my pin for every purchase was a bit of a faff. I still carry cash with me but use it less these days. I do understand the concerns about moving to a fully cashless society which I am not in favour of and I do still see and appreciate a need for cash.
there was a taxi driver once that wanted to go on the m25 to get to my destination. the only issue is, i was going from terminal 4 (heathrow) to hayes 🙄🙄🙄 he probably thought i was a tourist, when in fact i live near the airport lol
Having just spent a few days in Marrakech, Morocco where the official taxi drivers seemed to never want to turn their meters on, (and so you end up bartering for a fare). I'm so thankful of UK cabbies. If I tell you the minimum fare was about 60p and sometimes they wanted £8 for a fare, they were definitely taking the mickey.
When we were in London last year the cab was often cheaper than taking the tube for our family of 4, plus much better scenery
Very interesting and insightful information, well done
Great vlog.
I'm a simple man, I see Tom has a new video, I hit like.
My dad was a Taxi Driver, his rank ditched the meters back in 2017 because of Uber and charged a flat rate, but not the black cabs but they where only used for city runs still on tick.
Fantastic video Sir
I am studying taxi in iceland and yes there are dark rides and semi uber things too but the question is (are they insured for the customers?) The answer is (NO) if there is an accident they are not insured. In the school we go through allot of training and practices such as accidents involvement and what to do and health training and what to do in cyrcumstences😊 thank you for that video❤ nice edit and keep it up🙏 i hit the sub button🎉
The only experience of a cab in gb i've ever had was a taxi from the airport to glasgow secc area. that was 50/50 experience, also was a public holiday. In my own country i've had some brilliant taxi drivers but also some horrible ones. If you have a horrible experience bias is quick. And some people just think bad no matter what.
In The Netherlands I had an experience with a taxi driver in Eindhoven who just drove a bigger detour so we had to pay more.
ANOTHER THING TAXI DRIVERS ABSOLUTELY HATES IS THE LAME QUESTIONS "YOU BUSY, WHAT TIME YOU START, WHAT TIME YOU FINISHING.
PLEASE JUST BE GENUINE AND SAY HELLO HOW ARE YOU TODAY.
The now-dominant local taxi company here went full-app with pre-determined pricing. In a market where taxi prices are completely unregulated that was a revolution and provides predictable and fair pricing while still having the taxi and driver regulated as a full taxi. You can also hail the same driver directly which may be cheaper or much more expensive depending on his fare so both options simply coexist.
I think it would be nice if black cabs could suggest the fare beforehand or guarantee it not exceeding something. Uber has an advantage there, especially for those not familiar with the city.
Ask the driver to do a fixed price, not illegal, but then don't get upset when he refuses.
Raking it in Tom . Bet you have a penthouse in Belgravia.
Had a rude passenger once told me if I wanted a tip not to wipe it with broken glass
Must've been Australian lol
💳💵Also drivers dont like to take card payment is only because a lot of customers do not tip on card vs cash payments
I was taking a cab in the US to a hotel chain(popular name) in a fairly large city and it wasnt specified which exact location even though I tried to make sure to was clear but was turned down as they knew the area and which hotel we wanted.
Turned out we ended up at the wrong one more in downtown core as opposed to the other one in another part of town where the name was something like lets say (company) village instead of (company) hotel. However we called up the driver and they offered to come back and get us to the right one for free even though it was more distance out of the way and they had to turnaround.
We of course left a good tip for the second trip and offered to pay the meter fare but the driver just wanted us to get to the right place safely.
Was eye opening that they weren't just out for money and also paid off for that driver in the end as we called them for the ride back to the airport after our trip as well so they got multiple rides and extra tip for going out of the way to assist us rather then just trying to charge a high price.
my man here playing crazy taxi
I only ever had one cabbie pull a fast one. We got somewhere and he was like oops can’t do that turning, I’ll just have to go long way round. Which I’m pretty sure was a deliberate mistake.
There was one time I got in a “cab” which looked a bit shoddy and I noticed the cabbie numbers in it didn’t match.
last time I took a cab they were speeding the whole time. making fast turns, speeding up for yellow lights, etc. this was in America btw.
Curious, on the making of extra money, are you allowed to sell other things to people in the cab? Umbrellas, maps water bottles etc?
London cab drivers are not allowed to be agents for any company to sell to passengers. Now and again we are allowed to put charity collection boxes in the rear compartment.
@@simonjohnson8018 ah great to know thanks!
When I used to be a cab driver, I would have mints, and cologne available to anyone I thought was heading out into the city.
The stopping distance is basically like your own car... When you want to park in front of a building, you can't always do that and need to ya know... drive a bit further...
Unless you like just parking your car in the middle of the road really...
Stupid question, do you have to pay congestion/ulez? Really enjoy your videos and always good to see my home city now I’ve moved up north
Explained it well
Still not mentioned about Black cabs on Uber I heard the adverts on the radio in February
I had a couple of disappointing experiences with Gett where cabbies entered in a fare that didn't reflect the meter fare (normally just a quid or two higher, so it couldn't be disputed either - NB, this wasn't the service fee). Those were the only times I've been ripped off by a cabbie - by and large a great bunch of people and I've had lovely experiences.
According to the fare chart, drivers can add £2.00 to the metered fare for apps booked by phone or app.
I think Gett and FreeNOW already take this as part of their booking fees, so a driver doing it is adding £2.00 on top of what Gett and FreeNOW already charge.
Don't forget their tech charges on top can be hefty too!
In Australia we only have one credit card provider that provides the terminals and the service in the taxes and that is cabcharge nothing beats cab charge because you can also get cab charge gift cards I wonder if they've got cab charge over in the UK
In my opinion, as for a passenger, the meter system is in some way not so obvious for the normal people. In the app like Uber, you see directly the final fix price for a trip, and you think that no mater what's going with traffic, you will pay only this amount, no penny more. With the meter, a normal person won't calculate the final price because it's too much work for a consumer to find out how long is a drive and how much will I pay. And it goes a little tricky, when the meter just goes up while the cab just stands. The passenger just doesn't understand, why he must pay just for standing, and from that comes the opinion, that cabs want to bump the meter in the traffic because they will be paid just for standing and doing nothing.
Maybe it will be a good thing, when cabs will implement somewhat of a fix price system. In Munich, it is already a thing, and everyone can just decide whether they want to drive with a meter or with a fixed price.
Good in theory but Uber drivers then shaft you by taking toll roads for no reason and the fare is no longer fixed.
Well the price uber says(at least in the US) is not the final price. I've had times when there was an accident or heavy traffic and my rate increased after my ride was over
I had to draw cash out for a black cab in Glasgow last year. None of them on the rank would take a card.
This is where I used a Uber in the past because the cab didn't have a card machine.
@@cityzens634I didn’t know TfL covered Glasgow…… so that’s two irrelevant comments here 😂
@@GWJUK Did I say tfl covered Glasgow? I’m giving an example of how far behind London some cities are regarding taxi payments.
@@cityzens634 do you mean how far behind taxis in Glasgow are?
For myself, one of the only things I heard people say about taxi drivers bumping the meter was by taking longer routes than necessary, and it sounds like from your descriptions this would indeed actually work! I imagine it still runs the same thing of quick turnover being more important, but if a driver knows it's a slow couple of hours what's to stop them taking a few extra diversions?
You say you don't like the banks taking a bit of every transaction with cash less payment, but people forget here that dealing with bank notes aren't free. ATMs doesn't magically restock, notes doesn't magically appear inside the bank of london. All these things carry a cost with them.
Not just London going cashless,the whole Country Tom.
Why is that tariff chart on the floor? My eyes are UP HERE!
Most taxi drivers are very good and honest. If you go to Singapore check they have the meter switched on.
Hi Tom. Love the vids, but ,can I ask a question. In this video, you showed lot of old cabs, obviously been taken out of service. So, what happens to the old cabs ? Do people buy them to use as regular cars as they're nice and roomy, and where are they sold. Cheers.
london prices are scary, in my country i can literally go 7km with
Why is Tarif chart on the floor of the cab where nobody can read it ?
look at the last 5 words of your comment.
classic smallprint. They don't want you to actually read it.
This explains some divers having a sudden burst of speed not all drivers like any other business
Hi Tom, I've heard about (and experienced) taxi drivers here in Melbourne declining shorter trips as they can make more on the longer trips. Once I had to tell a taxi driver I was going to the next suburb after mine so they'd accept the trip after several refusals from others.
How is this practice discouraged/prevented in London?
Yeah I always just say anywhere after that bus stop or that tree
We use taxis eveytime we go shopping as we live 10 miles from the nearest town. I have MS so public transport isn't an option.
Lucky I have a mate who has a black cab in my town and he does it for cheap and will give us credit if needed. In a normal cab it's £33 on the meter. He dose it for £25 as we use him to go to and from town it's £50 total. Also he doesn't do school runs so when we go home during school time we don't get stuck.
Black cabs should not be allowed to charge passengers when the cab is stationary. I accept traffic conditions are out of the drivers control equally the same traffic conditions are out of the passenger control. A cafe/ restaurant do not charge customers for sitting at the table once they have finished their meal even though the table isn't earning the cafe/ restaurant any money until the next customers are sitting at the table, same principle in my view.
Amazing
and that’s why i always put a bit of cash aside for the driver. so his/her tip isn’t with a card.
You drive like snails towards the end of a journey (when heading outside of the centre). You dart around in the centre trying to ping as many rides as you can. That's how it will always be.
Yeah? Hands off the Zone button buddy.
So during less busy times, it's better for a cab driver to be stuck in traffic as they'd make more money per fare since there's longer waiting between fares?
The only thing good about uber is that you can see the fair before the ride.
But it's bad for the driver. If he/she caught traffic and takes more time than predicted, they don't earn extra for that
@@miguelcardoso1903 but they will more than earn it back when the demand for uber (say in the evening) goes up. The fairs can go up by 3,4,5,6 times or more than it is in the day.
3:24 so what you are saying is speed saves lives :P
well saves money at the cost of lives... :)
no.
I see they put the price tariff an the bottom near the floor so lay on the floor to read it most will not do that
once a cab driver drove my boyfriend all the way around the city instead of going directly just to bump up the meter
Yawn
Which city?
I got a black taxi from King’s Cross in London to Stansted airport and it cost me just over £100 which I though was an absolute bargain
Over the Christmas and new year period when there’s the extra charge is that added on at the end?
I quit taxi driving as it's the lowest paid job i've ever done paying less than minimum wage. To make money many drivers love to tap the extras button.
Looks like the same providers as the US. Looks like you guys also have Curb and CMT! Funny this industry is so small.
Thats why taxis take the longest possible route 😂
So on the first point about traffic. Would driving an EV taxi make it more worthwhile? The engine is not running when the car is not moving meaning less fuel cost?
I've never had a cabbie bump up the meter in those ways, I've had them go the long way round (not sure why) but one trend I've have notices, if drunk (yourself or someone in your group) they will drive less smooth or/and take a rough route (eg down a dock cobble road as apose to a tarmac road they used taking you into town ) is this due to the £75 they can charge for cleaning up the vomit? Even if its out the window and you offer to "clean" (wipe) the door?
Im a wheelchair user and i get the same taxi it cost minimum £5 just per card payment but it £4.20 fare, car smelling of smoke
For short rides I think black cabs are cheaper but Uber is still cheaper for Longer journeys
They should also regulate Uber really, its completely broken that you have to pay x3 because they say its busy
May ! haha
How bout this i called up the cab company(not in london) told them how many ppl and where we are going and coming from and asked for a price and they gave me a reasonable price…
but then when we arrived he asked foe double but i had only that money in cash ( the the cab company had told me to pay) so i said no they told me it was that so i can only pay that…
dont recall if he had a meter but it was not a traditional cab its was like a mercades and the driver had assumed me drunk as two of my friends were
I often see taxis with fares onboard sitting in traffic when there is an empty bus lane right next to them
Could be turning right soon, overtaking a bus, see a parked car ahead etc
Something i realised driving a cab up north it people dont understand the difference between time and distance
The park lane thing, how much would a taxi driver earn if they did 10.3mph? As now time is a factor.
I am going to London from July 15th to 30th. Nervous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What's the highest fare for the shortest distance that you can remember because of traffic?
You’ve changed my perception of black cab drivers!
Some people a pretty dim. If you do all jobs quicker, the more jobs you can do and the more money made. Get more cuustomers in quicker and the more you make in pull off charges.
What is the average tip for a job, and what is the ratio of people tipping?
In Ireland I had some ahole driving 30 in a 60 zone than 20 in a 50 zone and when I said it to him he dumped me out in an estate where people usually get robbed so I didn’t pay him and he got really fcked off when I knew the people on the side of the road 😂
Next driver 5 mins later broke the speed limit and the fare was the same cost but he covered twice the distance he also nearly crashed the van swerving around a fox at 2am 😂
After watching the video I see that our systems are fairly similar but further proves my point as taxi a was a car and taxi b was a van also it being around 2am there was no traffic, so yes if you drive considerably slower the time factor will clock over the distance.
In Australia in Victoria that's done by the commercial passenger vehicles Victoria and all our taxis a set up with cab charge cab charge also do the taxi meters the dispatch system and the payments system the security system for the taxis in Australia I also get half price taxes in Australia through the commercial passenger vehicles Victoria or CVPP because I am member of the MTPT I also get half price ubers because for my half price taxi card as well and all the taxis are regulated by the government in Australia and they have strict meter rules even Uber is regulated by the government in Australia
Just because your fees are set by a 3rd party, doesn't mean it isn't a ripoff. Even in the privinces where I am, the 2 mile trip to town was £10 before covid. Much cheaper than London and even that is a ripoff in my book. If you're able to and aren't carrying much, journeys of under a mile - you might as well walk it. You aren't going to be much slower! Or tube given their stations are basically walking distance apart. With the levels of traffic, I see no advantage that an off-peak taxi could offer.
hi tom quick question what are your thoughts on cross boarding i am a taxi driver in stoke on trent with hackney rights we have many Wolverhampton and Ashfields drivers which for me i find it offensive that i paid more did more to get my licence. Get back to me when you can
In my experience being in taxis, most taxi drivers I encountered actually do loads of speeding rather than driving slowly at all...
Yeah, same here. Need to tell them regularly that I don't care if it's a bit longer and they please actually drive the SHORTEST route, not the fastest. Here, they're obligated to use the short route, but like to cheat customers with the "you'll be there quicker" line.
Tom why is the tariff sign on the floor so no one can see it without laying on the floor 😮
The simple fact is that with Uber I know the exact price before I order the ride, the driver comes to me wherever I am, I don’t need to find MiniCab phone numbers and taxis are far more expensive than Uber. Always.
No,not always. If so provide proof before you mutter such BS.
If 'cashless' wasn't going to benefit financial institutions most of all, then they wouldn't be pushing it