# Bargaining with Taxi drivers



## evoke (28 Dec 2008)

Has anyone offered a taxi driver a fixed fair to take you home. There are some night i see in town and the quene of taxis is 40 cars long. I was always wondering if you could say to a passing taxi driver before he goes into the quene to give him an offer. 

Just wondering if people have done it or can you do it? I dont think you can do it with hackneys cause you have to book a hackney before you can get in it.

It just some times it cost me loads of money to go home on my own and do not know what the price is. I was always thinking of setting the price in my favour.

Anyone ever heard of this happening in ireland before?


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## markpb (28 Dec 2008)

I recently flagged down a taxi, told him I had only a fiver and he took me on a trip that would normally cost over eight euro. Not a huge saving (and it was cheap) but obviously it can be done. It was a Sunday morning on a quiet road so I guess he wasn't going to get any other business, not sure they'd be so keen on it in the city centre or at night.


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## Deirdra (28 Dec 2008)

In the early nineties, while waiting for a bus to the airport, a taxi slowed down and offered me a fare of 3.50 pounds from O'Connell Street to Dublin Airport, I didn't live in Ireland at the time, thought it was so odd I turned it down, I guess it was a sign of the times. 

Bargaining times are back, yipee!


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## Bob_tg (28 Dec 2008)

A friend of mine is a taxi driver and he has said that he is more than willing to negotiate fare reductions for longer journeys.  He was talking in the order of knocking 5euro off a 30-40euro fare.  He said he was actually surprised it doesn't happen more often.


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## kceire (29 Dec 2008)

Deirdra said:


> In the early nineties, while waiting for a bus to the airport, a taxi slowed down and offered me a fare of 3.50 pounds from O'Connell Street to Dublin Airport, I didn't live in Ireland at the time, thought it was so odd I turned it down, I guess it was a sign of the times.
> 
> Bargaining times are back, yipee!


 

i would say more than likely he was based at the rank at airport arrivals and instead of going back empty, he might aswell go back with somebody eben if its for basically nothing, it would of bought his dinner for the day back then, and i suppose he was prob hoping of a small tip to get it to a fiver.

agreed fairs are ok for the 40euro journey, but if you start trying to knock a 10 fair to a 5, he will prob just tell you to fcuk off LOL


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## evoke (29 Dec 2008)

That what i was thinking of doing.Usually it cost €20 for me if i go home on my own. Was thinking if i went up to the guy at the end of the taxi rank and offered him €15 for the journey.I will try it one of these nights when it is not busy and see how the taxi drivers react to the purposal.


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## Sully1 (29 Dec 2008)

the taxi regulator advises that we start haggling/bargaining with taxi drivers before getting into the car...she said that the meter was the maximum fare...have yet to try iy myself though!!!


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## Complainer (30 Dec 2008)

I got two interesting facts from a recent boards.ie thread on taxi drivers;

1) You don't have to go in the first car on the rank. You can pick any car/driver you like.
2) To go with an 'off meter' fare, the driver has to get the customer to sign a waiver at the start of the journey


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## muffin1973 (30 Dec 2008)

Is it not the case though that the taxi driver will tell you to go back to the taxi at the top of the queue if you try and pick another car?  Isn't it a kind of honour system with them??

Got a taxi from Dundrum TC to Crumlin the other night - Eur25!!!  I knew it would cost a bit, but it wasn't late (around 9pm) and I had no idea it would be that much...

M


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## Complainer (30 Dec 2008)

muffin1973 said:


> Is it not the case though that the taxi driver will tell you to go back to the taxi at the top of the queue if you try and pick another car?  Isn't it a kind of honour system with them??


Well I guess you have to remind them of [broken link removed]and make a formal complaint to the Regulator if they mess around.



> *Am I entitled to choose any taxi at a rank?*Yes, as a consumer your can choose whichever taxi you would like to travel in.
> *Should all fares be priced on the meter/ can the meter be turned off?*
> 
> When a journey is pre-booked, customers may waive their right to have a particular journey charged on the meter. In this situation both the driver and the passenger must sign a prior written (waiver) agreement.





muffin1973 said:


> Got a taxi from Dundrum TC to Crumlin the other night - Eur25!!! I knew it would cost a bit, but it wasn't late (around 9pm) and I had no idea it would be that much...


Was that the fare on the meter? Did you get a receipt?


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## evoke (30 Dec 2008)

*When a journey is pre-booked*, customers may waive their right to have a particular journey charged on the meter. In this situation both the driver and the passenger must sign a prior written (waiver) agreement. 

Does that mean then that you can not walk to a taxi driver and make a deal with him.

I am definitely going to try this out. But not on new years eve cause they will be spoiled for choice that night.

I wonder would they have the waiver form in the Taxi or do you have to bring your own.


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## car (30 Dec 2008)

I consulted a cabbie mate and as above you dont have to get into the first cab on a rank, thats more a rank rule of thumb and punter etiquette.  

If any of the taximen in front have an issue with it, your cabbie of choice may ask you to get out and tell them you dont want to go with them or he'll tell them for you.


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## minion (1 Jan 2009)

I've been trying to bargain them down for about 3 months now for the craic.  I think on average im getting them down by 25%.  Some wont budge so i just go to the next one.

They are much more desperate now than they used to be.  I find that non-Irish drivers are most willing to bargain.


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## passat (1 Jan 2009)

Would you do the same at the checkout at Tesco  or Dunnes.


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## Complainer (2 Jan 2009)

passat said:


> Would you do the same at the checkout at Tesco  or Dunnes.


Maybe if we did, prices wouldn't have got out of control in recent years?


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## amgd28 (2 Jan 2009)

passat said:


> Would you do the same at the checkout at Tesco  or Dunnes.



The difference is that the person on the checkout in Dunnes or Tesco are not the ones pocketing the cash and thus have no authority to enter into a bargaining process. The Taxi driver is a sole trader who hs full control of what he/she charges and is the sole person in receipt of the cash at the end of the transaction


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## passat (3 Jan 2009)

Then i suggest you try and bargain in you local shop where the owner is a sole trader.


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## steph1 (3 Jan 2009)

If you log onto the taxi regulator's website you will see that it is up to the driver to give discount and it is entirely at his or her discretion.

As a driver myself when I get to the person's destination and for example if the fare is 21 or 22 euro I would usually say to the punter to just give me 20 euro even.  Thats the way I give a discount.  People do try to bargain with me.  Some people have asked me to do a run somewhere for a fiver and if the fare was on the meter it could come to 10 or 12 euros.  I may be a bit generous but I'm not that generous.

All very well the regulator telling people to bargain with drivers etc. but just remember the cars don't run on fresh air.  We have to keep our cars regularly serviced which is becoming more costly by the day and having to have public liability insurance is a big expense.  For myself and my other driver it costs me 2500 a year for this insurance.  I know now that petrol and diesel has come down and thank god it has as during the summer months the costs of filling the car was unreal.  But there are other expenses as well like servicing and tyre replacement etc due to the appalling condition of the roads where I operate.

Remember we are providing a service and I like to think I am providing a good service.  We are not doing it for the good of our health.  I am trying to make a living plus keep another person in employment and off the dole.  So remember these things when you start trying to bargain with drivers over fares.


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## Bob_tg (4 Jan 2009)

steph1 said:


> As a driver myself when I get to the person's destination and for example if the fare is 21 or 22 euro I would usually say to the punter to just give me 20 euro even. Thats the way I give a discount.


 
Steph1 - why do you do that?  You've already got your fare agreed at that stage. It's not like a high street retail store where they can come back to you the next time they go shopping.


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## steph1 (4 Jan 2009)

Bob_tg said:


> Steph1 - why do you do that?  You've already got your fare agreed at that stage. It's not like a high street retail store where they can come back to you the next time they go shopping.



Well you see Bob I'm working in a rural town in the west of ireland.  I have regular and I mean very regular punters.  Some of them we could get twice a day.  Its a bit of psychology really.  Give them a euro or two off and bingo they become regular punters plus tell all their family, friends etc.  People appreciate a euro or two off.


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## Bob_tg (5 Jan 2009)

steph1 said:


> Well you see Bob I'm working in a rural town in the west of ireland. I have regular and I mean very regular punters. Some of them we could get twice a day. Its a bit of psychology really. Give them a euro or two off and bingo they become regular punters plus tell all their family, friends etc. People appreciate a euro or two off.


 
That makes sense if you can generate repeat business from the strategy.


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## gillarosa (5 Jan 2009)

muffin1973 said:


> Is it not the case though that the taxi driver will tell you to go back to the taxi at the top of the queue if you try and pick another car? Isn't it a kind of honour system with them??


 
I thought that also, up to the point that Eamonn Keane had a discussion late last year attempting to deal with what was introduced as malicious rumours about rape of passengers and other crime by foreign taxi drivers on their clients, during which the head of the NTDU encouraged prospective passengers to discard the queing system and take the next 'Irish' driver in line if they felt they may be in any way unsafe or if any inherent prejudice they had prohibited them from being driven by a non-Irish or non-white driver. He in fact lambasted the drivers who though next in line to collect a fare began to argue with their collegue behind them who ignored the system and took their anticipated fare.


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## fitzg (5 Jan 2009)

I was waiting for an aircoach on leeson street one afternoon recently when a taxi driver pulled up and offered myself and another girl that was waiting a fare of €5 each to the airport


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## terrontress (5 Jan 2009)

fitzg said:


> I was waiting for an aircoach on leeson street one afternoon recently when a taxi driver pulled up and offered myself and another girl that was waiting a fare of €5 each to the airport


 
He most likely was heading up that way himself to the airport taxi rank as it is where they get all the good fares.

Better to take the two of you up for a tenner, and possibly more if he can find anyone else en route, than to go up in an empty car.


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## hizzy (5 Jan 2009)

Hi All

Was out in Dublin city about 4 weeks ago on a saturday night, it was around 3am when a group of us were heading home, the queue for taxi's around stephens green was way too long, so I went up to a taxi driver and offerred him 30 euro extra to bring us home, he was waiting on a regular customer, total cost was 50 euro, but it meant I didn't have to freeze my little feet off for a couple of hours

Hizzy


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## Complainer (6 Jan 2009)

terrontress said:


> He most likely was heading up that way himself to the airport taxi rank as it is where they get all the good fares.


Or to be more specific, where they get all the good fares after waiting for several hours in a huge queue. I was amazed at the size of the queue which snaked right around the airport entrance, blocking access to the Radisson Hotel when I visited the hotel late last year.


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## Bronte (6 Jan 2009)

I always ask the fare in advance and I haggle when I know the fare.  If it's 25 I'll say will you take me to x for 20.  When I was younger waiting for a bus at Dublin airport I'd ask others to share a taxi with me.  Where my relations live (rural) the taxis knock off some of the price (for the good name) and also everyone gets into the taxi together going in the same general direction.  I used to like the other system where you had cabs that were not taxis with set prices to certain destinations but I haven't seen them in the last few years. If it's difficult to get a taxi I will try and bribe a taxi to take me (New Year's Eve type night) but I don't go out on those nights anymore.   I don't always go to the top of the queue but the taxi drivers generally used to direct me to the top of the queue.  I was not aware of the new racial element amongs taxi drivers.  Interesting.


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## parkmagic (6 Jan 2009)

are taxi drivers already not having a hard enough time.  15000 taxis in dublin, guys trying to provide for their families. Pay the fair and save your haggling energy for another purchase.


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## terrontress (7 Jan 2009)

parkmagic said:


> are taxi drivers already not having a hard enough time. 15000 taxis in dublin, guys trying to provide for their families. Pay the fair and save your haggling energy for another purchase.


 
It's dog eat dog, I'm afraid.

Everyone is trying to feed their own families and a penny saved is a penny earned.


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## Bronte (7 Jan 2009)

terrontress said:


> It's dog eat dog, I'm afraid.
> 
> Everyone is trying to feed their own families and a penny saved is a penny earned.


 It's amazing how much money you can pick up off the floor in garage forecourts/the street/pubs in Ireland if my experince over xmas is anything to go by.


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## terrontress (7 Jan 2009)

Bronte said:


> It's amazing how much money you can pick up off the floor in garage forecourts/the street/pubs in Ireland if my experince over xmas is anything to go by.


 
I am wondering if you are being facetious but I used to work in a nightclub and later in life worked as local crew at concerts. It was amazing the number of nights that you'd find money after everyone went home. I wouldn't pick up pennies or the like but there was quite frequently banknotes.


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## parkmagic (7 Jan 2009)

terrontress said:


> It's dog eat dog, I'm afraid.
> 
> Everyone is trying to feed their own families and a penny saved is a penny earned.


 
You can feed your own family without trying to starve others.  A bit of common decency and fairness is what I am talking about.


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## terrontress (8 Jan 2009)

parkmagic said:


> You can feed your own family without trying to starve others. A bit of common decency and fairness is what I am talking about.


 
The taxi driver has the *discretion *choose whether to offer a reduction or not. Nobody is forcing them to.

If a taxi driver has half an ounce of wit, he'll offer a job at a discount instead of sitting round waiting for the business to come to him.

Just because he may not charge the fare on the meter, does not mean he will not make more money by offering discounts.


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## parkmagic (8 Jan 2009)

terrontress said:


> The taxi driver has the *discretion *choose whether to offer a reduction or not. Nobody is forcing them to.
> 
> If a taxi driver has half an ounce of wit, he'll offer a job at a discount instead of sitting round waiting for the business to come to him.
> 
> Just because he may not charge the fare on the meter, does not mean he will not make more money by offering discounts.


 
The fairs are set down by the taxi regulator, pay them. A fair price for a fair service.


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## markpb (8 Jan 2009)

parkmagic said:


> The fairs are set down by the taxi regulator, pay them. A fair price for a fair service.



The regulator sets the *maximum* fare that can be charged, not the actual fare.


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## Bronte (9 Jan 2009)

parkmagic said:


> The fairs are set down by the taxi regulator, pay them. A fair price for a fair service.


  Do you haggle for anything at all in life, price of a hotel room, groceries in a market, clothing in a men's store?  Some taxis are willing to reduce their fares particularly if they get regular business.  And they are allowed to do so.


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## terrontress (9 Jan 2009)

Bronte said:


> Do you haggle for anything at all in life, price of a hotel room, groceries in a market, clothing in a men's store? Some taxis are willing to reduce their fares particularly if they get regular business. And they are allowed to do so.


 
The cleverer taxi drivers will reduce their fares. They love going on long runs. If you catch someone at the back of the rank at St. Stephen's Green and ask him to knock off a tenner for a trip out to Donabate he has the choice of sitting in a rank for another 15 minutes and may get a run up to Portobello or else drive out for a guaranteed €25 - €30 and call through Swords and Santry on the way into town and try to pick up a fare there.

The days of intransigence and insisting on following every arbritary rule laid down by unions to the letter belongs in the 80s with the English miners' strike.

Bronte lists an interesting one: Hotel rooms. It's well known that the price on the board at the reception is the highest rate there is and can always be bettered. Does Parkmagic think that someone should always pay the "rack rate" or look on the internet for a better deal? After all, the owners of the hotels and all the Hilton shareholders have to feed their families you know.

And does he think that the service provider would prefer an empty hotel as nobody finds the rack rate to be value for money or else a full hotel with people paying a discounted rate that they are still earning on?


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## parkmagic (9 Jan 2009)

there is a qualitive difference between say haggling with a taxi man over a 10 e fair and a 50 e fair.  Problem is a lot of people are too scabby to pay a 10 e fair and think they are being thrifty by haggling. they ar enot they are being mean spirited.  Nothing wrong with getting the best price for a fair over say 30e.


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## truthseeker (9 Jan 2009)

terrontress said:


> They love going on long runs.


 
I disagree with this. A family member was a taxi driver for a long time and the best money is made on the shorter runs, plus you dont waste time driving back from the drop off of a long run with an empty taxi.

There is already money on the meter as soon as someone sits into the taxi. Dropping them a mile up the road means you actually maximise the money you earn in a given time period, are not going too far out of the busy areas, plus you have a much better chance of picking someone up on the road and/or your base controller will be supplying work within your cachement area.

A long job means that you go out of your cachement area completely, may have to drive for miles empty with all jobs from base on the other side of the city, and have spent a long time driving for just the meter ticking over the miles.


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## terrontress (9 Jan 2009)

truthseeker said:


> I disagree with this. A family member was a taxi driver for a long time and the best money is made on the shorter runs, plus you dont waste time driving back from the drop off of a long run with an empty taxi.
> 
> There is already money on the meter as soon as someone sits into the taxi. Dropping them a mile up the road means you actually maximise the money you earn in a given time period, are not going too far out of the busy areas, plus you have a much better chance of picking someone up on the road and/or your base controller will be supplying work within your cachement area.
> 
> A long job means that you go out of your cachement area completely, may have to drive for miles empty with all jobs from base on the other side of the city, and have spent a long time driving for just the meter ticking over the miles.


 
There is an Irish taxi drivers' bulletin board and they always say a good night has lots of long runs. That is what I have based that assertion on.

It comes down to earning for as long a period as possible. Sitting on ranks doesn't earn money. That's why they'd prefer it. Short runs may provide more money per km but at least on a 25 minute run, the meter is on for 25 minutes.


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## Sunny (9 Jan 2009)

terrontress said:


> There is an Irish taxi drivers' bulletin board and they always say a good night has lots of long runs. That is what I have based that assertion on.
> 
> .


 
I think you need to get out more!


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## truthseeker (9 Jan 2009)

terrontress said:


> It comes down to earning for as long a period as possible. Sitting on ranks doesn't earn money. That's why they'd prefer it. Short runs may provide more money per km but at least on a 25 minute run, the meter is on for 25 minutes.


 
I agree re sitting on ranks - same family member never used ranks as he hated sitting around waiting for a job, worked off radio and street pick ups only. A lot of taxi drivers wont go to a rank outside of peak times.

But on the 25 minute run - the car could empty for 25 minutes on the way back too - so no money earned on the return journey.

I suppose it depends on an individual taxi drivers attitude to the job, some guys work it in such a way that they stay out a particular number of hours per week and take the good weeks with the bad - others stay out til they have earned a set amount of money - all depends on personal circumstances, if the taxi plate is rented or owned, if its feasible to mix night work with daytime work etc...

I doubt you would be seeing a true reflection of attitudes on a bulletin board for taxi drivers either - there is a large percentage of older drivers out there who probably dont know how to use the internet.


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## eddie7 (9 Jan 2009)

looks like the taxi business is in the toilet, interesting video here,  http://www.irishtaxi.org


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## kceire (10 Jan 2009)

eddie7 said:


> looks like the taxi business is in the toilet, interesting video here, http://www.irishtaxi.org


 

has been for a long time too!


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