Dodgy

On Monday evening a passenger related how a Silver Service driver had recently offered his services on a private basis. In quoting a price for her journey he consulted a chart of listed suburbs and added a $10 flag fall. If he was busy, he told her, a friend would respond and it may be a luxury hire car. All of which is illegal.

This was old news to me as such arrangements are common within the industry and have arisen due to substandard white taxis and their drivers. “However that was some years ago,” I confidently stated. “Now white cabs are much better due to some embarrassing media exposure and increased spot checks by authorities.” Of course there is still room for further improvement.

Yesterday I took my own vehicle in for a service which necessitated catching two taxis. Both were substandard with obvious suspension, brake or steering wear. One cab had a front seat stuck in the full-forward position making for an uncomfortable ride pinned up against the dashboard.

It’s hard to blame individual drivers as these cabs may have been from a managed business with numerous vehicles and drivers, rather than owner-operated cabs which tend to be better maintained.

One driver wore a hearing aid and became increasingly frustrated at being directed through the inner west. He apologised for his poor hearing yet the front windows were fully open which did not help communications. But then he had been smoking when I hailed him so the problem was of his own making.

What did concern me, however, was that there was no Driver’s Authority on display. “How long have you been driving?” I asked. Once again he failed to hear me. “Sorry?” I pointed to the empty Authority holder and said, “You have no Authority..” He mumbled something about it being in his bag due to an earlier radio booking, blah, blah, but was clearly bullshitting.

Instead of a decent tip he only scored a rounded-up fare.

Comments

[Rainer the cabbie]

Money makes the world go around
the world go around
the world go around
the dodgy workforce comes to me
says the investor and Reggie.

[Matt]

Yeah I have noticed quite a few cabbies without any authority card up who really haven't had any idea where they were going which worries me. Unfortunately some nights it is so hard to get any cab at all that you would be mad to refuse a cab because they have no authority on display.

There really are some appallingly bad cabs and cabbies out there and it's a shame because it's those guys who stick in your mind, not the cabbies who are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

[SurferCam]

As a former Sydney-sider, we were discussing only last week some of the dodgy cabs down there.
Reminiscing about drivers who didn't know how to get to the CBD from North Sydney and how another driver didn't know how to get to Bondi from the CBD...

[unique_stephen]

Which begs the question = what's the culture of tipping for a cab? - 10%, rounded up? $5?

I usually round up to the nearest 10 - a flagged $33 ride from the city, then add bridge tolls etc I'd just call it an even $40 and wish the driver a safe night.

Am I being a scumbag?

[BB]

Adrian, welcome to my world - that of a taxi passenger. Sure, I have caught some very well maintained taxis driven by clean, well mannered, well spoken people who know where they are going.... but that was in London. Sydney.... well, let's just say that some friends recently went to Ethiopia and they had to push their taxi because it ran out of fuel, and they still reckoned the service they got was better than anything you'll find in Sydney.

Yeah, half of that is in jest - but only half.

As for missing Authorities, I see that way too often for my liking.

[clevlandcabbie]

unique Your suggested tip is probably more then average and would aways be appreciated by the driver.

[adrian]

unique_stephen, although you have a very generous tipping habit there's no hard and fast tipping policy in Sydney and we don't expect it. However passengers may round up the fare to the nearest dollar or leave 10% for good service.

Tips have reduced since the 2000 introduction of EFTPOS card transactions due to the 10% surcharge on using plastic. As this goes to Cabcharge, not drivers, passengers understandably resist tipping us, also.