Bargaining with taxi drivers?

simmed

Are you always obliged to take the first taxi in a taxi rank?

renegade

No, you can chose which taxi you prefer , and why not hassle a price, I don't see anything odd about that, I often refuse to pay a taxi driver the full amount he /she is asking if I know i am being overcharged, they are usually all right about it as they know they could have taken a shorter route ,just trying to pull a fast one.

upsadaisy

Considering that most boroughs have a set rate for their licensed taxis, I cannot see the point of bargaining. It means that each driver should charge you the same fee. Try to remember that these people are self employed and are not making a great fortune. They have a lot of overhead costs.

I'd be surprised if a taxi driver in the middle of the rank took you though, he'd get it in the neck from the other drivers.

In the case of taking a shorter route, you are obliged to tell the driver at the start of a journey if you prefer a certain route.

DCFC79

You either find another way to get home or get dropped of half way or something, i dont bargain with them as its they're living or maybe second job,

nich29580

I get the bus or walk instead. Only going three stops by bus but 90p vs £3.40 for a taxi just seems good sense to me. If i have a lot of shopping, i use my wee hoppa trolley from Home Bargains was £5 and that way i can wheel it along, no heavy lifting.

Thats just me though, i understand some peoples situation with health issues etc make taxis a necessity sometimes

xoxo

whatyadoinsucka

licensed taxis are usually expensive so i always go to a taxi office and get a private hire, far cheaper and you get to know the owners and drivers over time.

i only catch taxis at night. and often get asked how much i usually pay..
I'm too honest, "anything from a fiver to fifteen" is my usual response..
so its £10 everytime..

simmed

DCFC79 wrote: »

i dont bargain with them as its they're living or maybe second job,

Out of maybe 6.5 billion people in the world, you are in an extremely small minority who do not bargain with people due to it being their "living or second job" life is getting harder in Western countries, prices going up faster than wages, meaning people are willing to work harder for less money than they were before. If I say to a taxi driver "i'll give you a tenner to take me to X" and he says yes, then he's still going to be making money as long as X is reasonable difference, if he says no then it's his loss and he can carry on driving around waiting for another customer.

[Deleted User]

Simmed be sure to let all your local taxi drivers know where you work so they can return the favour.

moonrakerz

Just make sure that you know the time of the last bus - you might need it ! :rotfl:

DCFC79

simmed wrote: »

Out of maybe 6.5 billion people in the world, you are in an extremely small minority who do not bargain with people due to it being their "living or second job" life is getting harder in Western countries, prices going up faster than wages, meaning people are willing to work harder for less money than they were before. If I say to a taxi driver "i'll give you a tenner to take me to X" and he says yes, then he's still going to be making money as long as X is reasonable difference, if he says no then it's his loss and he can carry on driving around waiting for another customer.

and where did you get that fact from then, or did you make it up

i am aware of whats going on in the world but thanks for the lesson not that i needed it,

is this another 1 of your threads,

why post it in the shop but dont drop section, its more a discussion

jenniewb

Well don't bother coming to London then: bus journey no matter how far your going is £2.20, train fare even higher AND they don't take you direct to your doorstep, your often crammed in with a driver who is running ahead of time so likes to pause for up to 5 minutes per bus stop to slow down, then ends the service early, kicking everyone off..not to mention the litter, the chavs playing tinny music over their mobiles, not having a seat....

I have no idea how much taxi fares are in London but would say that they offer a service and no one is forcing anyone to hitch a ride, by all means request a lower fare but remember its not an obligation to offer you the service they do, so if your not happy with the cost its a matter of looking elsewhere and not feeling hard done by as a result.