Hawke’s Bay Mission Concert: Taxi tips for fair fares and a happy exit

Hawke's Bay Combined Taxis general manager Wayne England after issues arose with out-of-town taxi operators last year. Photo / NZME

Hawke’s Bay’s major taxi operator is alerting Mission Concert fans to the steps they can take to avoid price-gouging operators in the hours after Robbie Williams’ two gigs in Napier at the weekend.

The warning comes from Hawke’s Bay Combined Taxis general manager Wayne England, on what is all-but the anniversary of the November 5, 2022, Six 60 concert at McLean Park, Napier, after which multiple complaints were made about over-charging.

At least 10 complaints were received by the company and police, but authorities established none related to drivers from the company and involved drivers from other operators who had travelled from such places as Gisborne and Auckland.

England said that servicing such big events as the concerts – finishing about 10pm on both Saturday and Sunday – local operators can’t cope with the demand when up to 25,000 empty a venue, and out-of-town drivers often enter the market.

The local companies tend to field several complaints because they are the known operators in town, but as with last November, each complaint was able to be investigated and quickly found to not involve local drivers. In some cases, investigations directly identified drivers from other regions.

No Hawke’s Bay drivers were implicated in those events, which included an 18-year-old girl being left in a dark side-street after telling the driver she would be unable to pay the full fare as it rose past $60. It should have been less than $40 for the trip from the park to her home in Taradale.

Another concertgoer who walked the 1.3km from his accommodation beforehand got a taxi back later in the evening - a short drive that should have cost no more than $10. Having used a card transaction, he awoke the next day to find $192 had been debited against his bank account.

A Waka Kotahi NZTA spokesperson said the proper ID card would have the driver’s photo and if the photo doesn’t match the driver, or can’t be easily seen, you should use another vehicle.

“Agree on the scale or basis of the fare before the trip starts (including additional charges and GST if charged),“ they said. “ For example, agree to a total price or ask the driver for an estimate before the trip begins. Ask for a receipt and hold don’t o it.”

The Napier i-Site lists four companies operating in the area, being Hawke’s Bay Combined Taxis, Baywide Taxis, Hastings Taxis and Half-Price Cabs, while Uber also operates in Napier-Hastings.

On Saturday and Sunday taxis can enter the concert zone from the northern end and drop-off by the front gate, and will later line up on Church Rd just in from the Wharerangi Rd end and exit at Mission Rd.

England said if people are unable to use a local, known operator they should make sure their driver has their registration on display and that it is the correct NZTA registration. They should also ask for a quote and are legally entitled to pay no more than the quoted price, even if the driver asked for more.

With the temperature in Napier on Friday afternoon struggling to get to 16C, those planning a quiet stroll home on a warm after the concerts were likely to be out of luck.

While daytime temperatures were forecast to improve, to a maximum 21C on Sunday, it was expected to drop to 7C overnight Saturday-Sunday.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 50 years of journalism experience in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.