An NSW taxi driver has been hit with a hefty $12,000 fine and been banned from operating any rideshare vehicle after charging high fixed fares well above state regulations.
In a statement issued by NSW’s Point to Point Transport Commissioner published on Thursday, the driver, Nurman Syarif, allegedly demanded passengers pay his fixed fares that were not determined by the car’s meter.
When passengers asked to use the meter instead, Syarif acted in an “abusive manner” towards them and was accused of kicking out customers and their luggage if they complained. The statement commented that this put the safety of the passengers “at risk”.
The release also stated that Syarif’s subsequent fine and ban highlighted the “seriousness of the driver’s behaviour”.
Syarif was found guilty of several offences involving himself and conduct towards his passengers in Sydney’s Downing Centre’s local court by magistrate Jaqueline Milledge.
Last week, a separate taxi driver was fined $3,300 after adding additional fees to the meter at the end of a trip after being discovered by undercover officers.
Commissioner Anthony Wing stated that he was “pleased” with both court outcomes, describing the two convicted drivers as “rogue”.
“In an industry where the majority of taxi drivers do the right thing, rogue drivers such as these, who repeatedly offend and break the law, have no place in the industry,” Wing said.
“If drivers do the wrong thing, it is clear they risk a hefty fine or being kicked out of the industry altogether.”
Over the past two years, authorities have issued more than 1000 fines to “rogue” taxi drivers for fare-related offences including fixed pricing and refusing to use the meter.
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