Warning over ‘rip off’ taxi trend that’s taking over Melbourne

City-slickers looking to catch a late-night taxi are being warned about a ‘rip off’ rank trend that could see their fares double or even triple.

Newsman Tony Jones learned of the frustrating trend when he tried to leave a KISS concert at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena at about 11 pm on Tuesday night.

The top journalist said when he approached the line of taxis, each of the drivers refused to put the meter on and instead demanded an ‘exorbitant’ set fare of $80.

Mr Jones said it should only cost $25 to travel to his destination in Kew, an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, located just a 15-minute drive from the stadium.

‘The taxi rank was teeming with taxis, which was a good sign, but when we approached the taxis all the meters were off,’ he said. 

‘The set fee from Rod Laver Arena was between $60 and $80 to get to Kew.

‘For the life of me, I can’t understand how they get away with it.’ 

Mr Jones told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell he ended up abandoning the taxi rank and caught an Uber to his destination which cost $25.

He said ‘smug’ drivers shouldn’t be able to dictate how much a journey should cost and said the issue needs to be addressed before the upcoming AFL finals.

Mr Jones said when he approached the line of taxis, each of the drivers refused to put the meter on and instead charged an ‘exorbitant’ set fee of $80 (pictured, taxis in Melbourne)

‘They’re for all intents and purposes, not legitimate drivers, so therefore why are they clogging up this makeshift service lane for taxis for the people who do want to get a legitimate fare,’ he told listeners. 

‘Why are theatre-goers or concert-goers getting ripped off? They’ve got to crack down on it.’

Transport Matters MP Rod Barton later revealed the frustrating practice is legal, with taxi drivers allowed to quote a price from 10pm to 5am.

‘I don’t like it. I’ve raised this matter directly with the Minister himself and I’ve also been raising this for months,’ he told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell. 

‘The regulator has lost control.’ 

Mr Jones (pictured) told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell he ended up abandoning the taxi rank and caught an Uber to his destination which ended up costing him $25

Mr Barton said the issue had sprung from the popularity of Ubers and other ride-share companies that have forced taxis to compete. 

‘We all wanted to go down this Uber route and have the market determine the price, well, unfortunately, it’s coming back home to roost now,’ he said. 

The MP added that Daniel Andrew’s Labor government has only increased taxi fares once in 14 years, which he described as a ‘ridiculous scenario’. 

‘We have been able to negotiate and get a fare increase recently, however it’s not effective as of yet,’ he said.