Cabbies who refuse short trips could face fine

By SCOTT MacLEOD transport reporter

Taxi drivers who refuse to drive people short distances are breaking the law and could be fined up to $2000.

This week, an Auckland woman told the Herald she had been refused rides four times in the past year because she wanted to travel only the length of Queen St.

So the Herald asked dozens of other taxi users if they had also been refused short-distance rides.

Only one, an Auckland computer worker, said he was regularly turned away from taxis for that reason.

But four out of five taxi drivers we spoke to at Auckland's downtown ferry terminal admitted that the practice was common.

The initial complaint was from a 28-year-old from New Lynn in Waitakere City. Ms Lloyd, who would not give her first name, said she had been refused four short-distance rides by drivers who had been waiting in taxi queues for lengthy spells and wanted longer trips.

"They said, 'Sorry, too short, been sitting here for two hours'," she said. "There's only been once when a driver took me. That was when we lied."

Another Aucklander, Greg Trounce, said he was often refused rides within the central city.

"Generally it's the cheaper ones [taxis], because the corporate ones know the rules," Mr Trounce said. "Now we don't tell taxi drivers where we are going."

The Land Transport Safety Authority confirmed that it was illegal for taxi drivers to refuse to drive people short distances. It said people refused rides could complain to its compliance section and the driver could be fined up to $2000.

Authority spokeswoman Kate Lancaster said there were "a minuscule number of complaints." But some cabbies had refused to drive people between the domestic and international terminals at Auckland Airport after waiting for hours in taxi queues.

"What they tend to do is set a high flag-fall, like $20, to dissuade people from taking such short trips. Provided this fare has been registered with the LTSA, this is legal."

Five taxi drivers at the downtown ferry terminal - driving for Affordable Taxis, Corporate Cabs, Discount Taxis, Exec Citicabs and Payless - all knew the law about having to accept all fares and said they always accepted short-distance rides.

The executive director of the Taxi Federation, Tim Reddish, said it would be annoying for a taxi driver to spend a long time in a queue for a short fare.

"But taxi drivers are there to do a job, and it's not the customer's fault."