The Detail finds out why a law change in 2017 has led to a proliferation of independent taxi drivers – and why they're leaving some passengers feeling ripped off
Not all taxis are created equal.
RNZ newsreader Evie Ashton found this out the hard way, after Dave Chapelle's recent show at Auckland's Spark Arena.
"The only taxis in sight, we thought, were legit taxis. They all had 'taxi' [signs] on the tops of them ... nobody would give us a lift [to Ponsonby], they were all saying 'No, too short'," she tells The Detail.
"We just got into one taxi, we said 'Ponsonby please,' and he said 'No', and then he changed his mind and said 'I'll take you for $50", and it's like a 10-minute ride."
When Ashton and her husband challenged the driver, they were told to get out of the taxi.
They waited in the taxi for "an uncomfortable five minutes" while they urged the driver to take them, but they eventually got out and walked about 20 minutes to get another taxi which only cost $14.
Newsroom journalist Matthew Scott has been looking into independent taxi drivers - and says this sort of story isn't uncommon.
"I think the most egregious example I heard in my reporting was $96 for a 3km trip in central Auckland. It would be cheaper to get an airfare on a cents-per-kilometre basis," he says.
He explains that independent taxi drivers work for themselves, aren't part of larger companies and tend to own their own vehicles.
"Therefore, they mainly answer to themselves. Kind of like if you think of how an Uber driver operates, but say you turned off the app and started taking fares off the street."
These taxis don't usually operate with a meter - instead fares are meant to be negotiated before the ride. Often though, that doesn't happen, or a more expensive fee is charged. And Scott says complaining can be difficult.
"Say you get in a traditional cab, there'll be a company you can call and you can say 'Look, I've got this issue' ... with Uber, you have the same thing, you can complain to Uber.
"But with these independent operators, if you want to complain, the official advice is to get in touch with them and sort it out with them.
"Obviously if you've had some kind of breakdown of communications over fare prices or even something worse ... it doesn't make sense that you are calling the driver."
The problems stem from law changes made in 2017, which were a response to Uber and other ride share apps entering the market.
Small Passenger Service Association executive director Warren Quirke says the law change was "very short sighted" and has been problematic for the industry.
He says independent taxi drivers make the whole industry look bad.
"It's really disappointing across the board for all our members. We don't mind competition, absolutely fine with that, but we're getting labelled with some of the behaviours that these independent operators are putting out there ... overcharging, ripping people off, poor service, poor standards."
He's calling on Waka Kotahi to make recommendations for legislative change.
Waka Kotahi directed questions from The Detail to the Ministry of Transport.
The ministry says transport service licensing regulations are due to be reviewed at the end of this year.
Hear more about independent taxi drivers and the 2017 law changes in the full podcast episode.
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