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DUBLINER KEVIN FAGAN has developed an iPhone app to make sure that taxi customers never get taken the ‘long way around’ again.
Fagan says he was inspired to create TaxiFair because of the experiences of his English-born wife Maura who, despite living in Dublin for 16 years, was often taken on longer routes “just because of her accent”.
Such problems aren’t confined to Dublin – with the couple saying they also experienced “dodgy meters” in cities like New York, Paris and London.
Fagan says the app shows customers worried about being ripped off tow things:
Fagan says that more and more new cities are being added to the app to cater for travellers abroad.
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Fantastic idea! The amount of times taxi drivers have tried this on with me, even claiming that they are entitled to add on a few bob because I live on the outskirts of my town! There are lots of decent taxi drivers out there, but the dishonest ones need a wake-up call!!!
Then report them! Im honestly not too sure if I even believe your statement. I had to put a gps tracking device in my fathers taxi because of idiots that are so drunk they claim he is taking them the “long way” so he’ll have evidence.
As I said, most taxi drivers are honest and decent. I have a few I regularly call upon because I’ve got to know them
Ad trust them. There’s always at least a few people in any profession who do not have the same level of integrity, and that’s why we need mini tiring but also consumer awareness!
Mini tiring?! Monitoring even #facepalm
Good idea, a few years ago my daughter and a friend got a taxi home after a night out, a foreign driver attempted to charge her over twice what the fare should be and when she refused began insulting both of them and saying he would call the gardai. Her friend then produced her ID saying “no need, they’re already here”. She was a garda. My daughter said he couldn’t get out of there quick enough.
The majority of taxi drivers are honest decent people just trying to make ends meet the same as the rest of us, but clearly there are some who try it on so if this helps it can’t be a bad idea.
while they’re at it, they should bring out something to show some taxi drivers the rules of the road. The amount of them who just pull across a few lanes just to grab a fair or cut you off in the bus lane and back out again.
But they own the road, in case you did not know.
Lunatics some of them. Had a fella driving a taxi I was in before have a argument with another driver at the traffic lights.
This industry needs to be tackled big time. Check taxiregualtor.ie. U are entitled to a receipt & always ask for it & u can pick any taxi in a rank. Not the 1st one & there’s damn all they can do about it. Is it time there was a single standard vehicle for taxis that are clean, safe & recognizable ? I think so. Look at London. I’m lucky to live in the city center so my need for a taxi is very slim. Some taxi drivers now have an annoying habit of beeping at you as they drive by. Something else taxi drivers are not suppose to do.
Yeah few people from Dublin realise you can pick any taxi you want, outside of Dublin it’s the norm. I always check the state of the car first before I get in. If the tyres are bare/ dents in the body/ lights not working, etc I’m not getting in, couldn’t care less if it’s front in the queue!
I always ask for a receipt and the wiggling taxi drivers do to try and get out of it. They’ve tried to give me hand-written receipts, they take ages hooking up the receipt machine hoping i’ll tell them to leave it or they ask me a load of questions why i need one and then pretend to get insulted that i don’t trust them
Careful what you wish for Declan, forcing cab drivers to fork out for a London style black cabbie would be a significant barrier to entry and probably take us back to the days when you’d be queuing for 3-4 hours for a lift home on busy nights. If a car is dirty don’t take it simple as that.
I’m a retired cab driver. I wonder when someone will bring in an app to stop the verbal abuse than taxi drivers regularly get simply for charging the correct fare? Or a means of preventing the physical assaults that most of us have had to deal with during our taxi days (three people I brought to court for that). Then we have the issues with people getting sick, urinating and defecating in the car, how pleasant THAT isn’t. When I put a car on the road I did it to make a living, not to subsidise someone else’s social life. Take a look at it from the drivers’ perspective some time, you’d be surprised!
U are correct, Rose. I sympathize with what taxi drivers have to endure. When a taxi driver is picking up a fare, the taxi driver needs to use his/her discretion. If someone looks like they are not worth it, move on to someone else. I think heavy fines for the problems you stated may be an answer. Sadly there are many taxi drivers out there who are giving the decent majority of taxi drivers a bad name. The industry itself needs to do much more to weed that out.
Slightly off topic – or are you trying to justify taxi driver’s ripping off the public by taking the longest route possible?
Well said Rose…cab drivers provide a public service and should not be treated as a mobile public toilet or a sickbay on wheels……alternatively the paying and travelling public should expect a competent and knowledgeable driver who knows what they re doing
I’m very puzzled as to why I got 9 downvotes (as of writing). Do people think that once a passenger enters a car that they can behave as they like? Taxi passengers often behave in a manner which they would NEVER attempt in a pub or a shop. What gives them the right to do it in a taxi? At least twice a night I was called a “fat blonde bitch”. I worked while I was pregnant and I always insisted on people wearing seatbelts. One little charmer from East Cork informed me “I don’t give a f*** if you lose your child or not, just drive the car, bitch”. Fortunately, this creature’s brother was present and he threw him bodily out of the car, something for which I was eternally grateful. I don’t think people realise the hours that cab drivers HAVE to put in just to make a living. I had to do at least two 16 hour shifts per week on top of regular shifts. Also, it has never been publicised that over 45 taxi drivers committed suicide last year including a friend of mine.
No one should have to endure the things you went through, regardless of your occupation. Were you based in Dublin at any point? I recall a wonderful lady taxi driver who looks like you from a few years back. If that was you, I’m shocked anyone would speak to you like that.
But the article is about a new app, which I certainly commend! While there are wonderful decent drivers like yourself, there are the few who aren’t. I think everyone has a horror story about a taxi trip. Sadly, I do too. I’m happy something is being done.
While you do have a point it’s not exactly a case of “well some taxi drivers get verbally abused by some people so it’s okay for some taxi drivers to rip some people off”?
@RBH I think you hit the nail on the head the taxi contingent always make up their own rules, doing 16 hour shifts is against the law and dangerous for both passengers and the public , the fools who choose to do these long shifts are breaking the law and are a health and saftey risk, you have admitted this yourself and am sure you are alone in this practice there are plenty out there that are doing well over 40 hours driving between friday afternoon and sunday evening
I agree that no taxi driver should have to listen to abuse, however the two things that i have learned about taxi drivers are that they show unbelievable arrogance on the road and that they charge extortianate prices.
The price is on the meter. If you feel it’s extortionate get the bus, or get out of the taxi when the meter reads the amount you want to pay.
Its up to u which way u want taxi to bring you.
“There’s roadworks that way, I’ll have to take a detour around Donegal”
Nice Idea, Any Sign of an Android Version ??
or a nokia version?
Hi James, I’m the developer of the app. An android version is in the works and will be joining the iOS version soon.
I was never a Taxi driver but I do think they have a tough job.So Rose Ben I hear you.
This is a fantastic app..Have it few weeks now.. Great idea
So what happens when the driver points to your meter and you point to your app? There’s only one winner – the meter. All you can do is take a receipt and make a complaint later to the regulator.
I don’t see any T&C’s relating to the app and it would be useful for the dev to make them known. The app depends on GPS and a clear view of the sky. I’ve used location software on various handsets and often enough the device would not locate me correctly – particularly my old iPhone. There should be a disclaimer on this and also the dev should state whos device is acceptable as the basis of payment.
No Android version available :(
Hi Brian, I’m the developer of the app. To answer your questions:
Yes, the app does depend on GPS in order to perform its calculations. However it has been developed to work under a less than ideal conditions. If you lose your gps fix for a time (for example when driving through a tunnel) then the app is smart enough to compensate for the time when the GPS fix was unavailable.
The app will only work on suitable iPhones so it’s not possible to download the app from the app store if your iPhone does not meet the GPS requirements.
An android version in is the works and should be available soon :)
Alot of the older boys are decent enough but experience would say the majority are unwashed criminals driving schockingly disgusting vehicles.
Would be cool if it could make taxi drivers use deodorant too?
I got a taxi in Dublin in before from Heuston to a hotel out by the airport. While in the taxi the driver goes ” Did you ever see the tunnel ” which I had he wanted to bring me out to it.Half way through the journey he goes ” we’re are you staying again” it turns out he was bringing to a totally different hotel an a different side of Dublin. Got to the hotel he knocked € 5 off because it was his fault. Would of been about € 15 cheaper if he had taken the right way first day.
Before I download this, does anyone know if it recognises when you’re going slow/ stuck in traffic and the metre is still running rather than merely going by distance?
Amy I suggest you read the guidelines, the fare is based on distance and speed.
Thanks Paul
Until the car goes under a certain speed and then it uses time. people i think should read the information presented to them.
Mark I was talking about the app itself not the meter cos I couldn’t access the info in the app store to check.
Sorry Amy I was referring to referring to Paul.
Hi Amy, I’m the developer of the app.
I can confirm that TaxiFair implements the Irish taxi tariff spectrum in full.
It knows what portion of your journey was time spent in traffic and what portion was time spent moving. It will dynamically change the rates depending on these factors along with what tariff category you fall into at that exact time.
I thought flat fares had been brought in years ago. Has that been changed back again, or did it never take off?
I took a taxi from RDS to O’Connell Street and it cost me €9 with the tip. When I lived in West Cork, less than five miles on the main road to Macroom and I was charged €10. That was before the tip! Round trip would have cost me €18 . . . if I prepaid and prebooked a day in advance . . . just to do a grocery shop. The car didn’t have a meter. That was the flat fare.
I worked in the travel business here for 15 years and clients constantly complained about the €50 fare from Dublin Airport to O’Connell Street. The drivers took them on a tour of the city before dropping them off at their hotels. One tried that with me and when I told him I lived in Dublin and knew exactly where I was going, he dropped me in record time and I only paid the required €25.
I agree with Rose above, that taxi drivers put up with a lot of carry-on just to earn a crust. It’s disrespectful and cruel. However, it goes both ways.
Tip !!!!! – Why would you tip someone for doing the exact job you paid them to do ?
John — Yeah I tip. I worked more than 25 years in customer services and I can tell you the industry pays squat. Most people work for minimum wage and survive on gratuities.
Ireland doesn’t have a history of tipping because customer service here is crap. If service people were nicer and actually did the jobs they were paid to do, as you said, then they’d probably see a lot more in the way of tipping. Most especially in food service industries.
How many times have you gone into any shop and found the staff there are more concerned with talking about the previous night’s match or their piss up than with helping you. You’re the customer in the shop. Shop staff don’t realize that YOU are the reason they have a job. Without your custom, the shop couldn’t afford to hire them. The least they can do is be friendly and attentive . . . doing the job they’re paid to do. A smile, a hello and a thank you should be the norm from shop staff.
As for taxis, every day we put our trust into the hands of absolute strangers. We don’t know these people, we don’t have a history with them and have no reason to put our trust in them. Trust is earned, not expected. But we put our absolute trust in the hands of strangers every day when we get into taxis which get us to our destination without having to walk. A gratuity at the end of the journey is a way of saying ‘thank you for getting me here safely.’ They could just as easily take you on a wild ride and drop you out in the middle of no where, and I’m sure they’d like to with some of the disrespectful carry-on that passengers get up to in their cars. But they still take you to your destination unharmed.
For me, the nicer the driver is, the more I’ll tip. Be friendly, outgoing, helpful . . . and don’t take me on a tour across town . . . and I’ll be a generous tipper. Hello, how are you, and thank you go a long way in any job . . . as the customer and the service person. But, be rude to me and I won’t leave any gratuity. And shops which have a history of employing nasty employees will lose my custom . . . ie my money . . . and I will tell everyone I know not to shop there. And knowing me, I’ll probably also have a word with the management or owners so they know why I’m leaving. There’s no excuse for rudeness other than utter lack of respect. That’s learned in the home . . . respect or lack there of!
Just looked in the google play store – there are about 20 free versions of this for Android (worldtaxi, cabulator, ICabbi, taximeter, etc)
Hi, I’m the developer of the app. The problem with the apps you listed is that they perform a crude estimation of the fare based on the distance from point a to point b. The big problem with these apps is that they don’t know what route the taxi driver has actually taken so you can never give an accurate estimation.
TaxiFair works differently in that it calculates the fare in real time as you’re traveling, meter by meter and second by second and is the only application to correctly implement the full spectrum of taxi tariffs in Ireland.
Surely if it works by GPS then if the scenic route is taken the fare will appear to be the same as the meter..so the app checks that the meter is calibrated correctly rather than the best route taken.
Any excuse to slate taxi drivers…i have never had a bad experience with an Irish taxi driver,they work long hrs for their few quid!!!
79c for the app.and taxi drivers are the rip off??!!
Hey Paul, I’m the developer of the app. 79c was is the lowest price point you can choose without giving it away for free. But doing that is not going to put food on the table so I figured the price of a packet of chewing gum was fair price to charge.
If it’s a thing you want to try out the app but haven’t got the money then send me on your details and I’ll send you a copy for free.
So you think that a measly 79c for a useful app is a ripoff, after you’ve spent hundreds on the phone (or will spend hundreds over the lifetime of the contract)?
Very decent of you Kevin. I’ll buy the app for two reasons; cos its a great idea and cos I like to support Irish talent. Well done! I think 79c is really cheap. I would recommend a limited lite version for the cheapskates who aren’t ready to spend 79c supporting young Irish entrepreneurs. They’ll change their minds once they use it.
I was only joking Kevin.fair play for the offer
Interesting idea for an app. The metering thing is great, though I don’t know what you can do about it if you do in fact get a cab with a dodgy meter. Maybe I’ve missed something but I don’t see how it prevents you being taken on unnecessarily long routes. While I avoid taxis as much as I can so I don’t have to listen to the driver’s every grievance with society, when I do take it, without fail, they ALWAYS try to take the longest of the 3 routes I can take home from town. What would be great would be if it suggested the shortest destination between start and destination so you can request the driver take that route instead of whatever back-arse-of-nowhere zig zag route he has in mind.
Dublin taxis are not perfect but they are cheaper and more plentiful than in many other countries. Try taking a black cab in London. Or try queueing for ages for a taxi in Italy. Or even remember when getting into a taxi at all was a privilege in Dublin.
Having said that – I wonder why taxi drivers that don’t know an address (and there are quite a few nowadays) don’t bother turning on the GPS even when they have it. It should be a no brainer.
Maybe because getting a bit lost is not such a bad thing after all?
Can also use http://www.worldtaximeter.com or http://www.transportforireland.ie/taxi/fare-estimator/
Hi, I’m the developer of the app. The problem with these is that they perform a crude estimation of the fare based on the distance from point a to point b. The big problem with these apps is that they don’t know what route the taxi driver has actually taken so you can never give an accurate estimation.
What TaxiFair offers on top of it’s real time fare estimation is the ability to view the route you’ve actually taken. This you’ll know whether or not you’ve arrived via the scenic route.
Xpert taxis app. You can track and monitor your booking. Best thing I’ve ever used.
Sounds like a great idea to me – must try it !
We need a proper minimum car standard too. I’m sure the cars being used have past the NCT but they’re a portion in terrible shape.
I’ve tried picking and choosing in a taxi rank, however I often find the drivers have a code whereby they all direct to the top of the queue. So it doesn’t really work.
I like the idea of asking for a receipt, anyone know if it’s your right to get one from the machine rather than a hand written one?
Log on to irish taxi in apps and it free it will do the same job
Android ?
have your say