Taxis in perth

[Stronzo]

What an absolute joke it has become to get a taxi in perth these days.

There needs to be more taxi licenses issued. Perth is a growing city of nearly 2 million people and getting a taxi is becoming increasingly impossible.

Without an increase in taxis people will become more and more likely to drink and drive.

 

[ImperialPurple]

We had a stupid situation last year when we needed to get to the airport. There are 5 in the family plus all the luggage so we needed a maxi-taxi. We phoned a week in advance to book it just in case, and they said we can't book you one especially, but you can have one if there's one in the area at the time, but we're sure that you'll be right.

Hmm... a bit dodgy, but no worries.

The next week rolls around, we've booked the cab to come and get us, we're all ready to go waiting with bags packed for the maxi-taxi to arrive, when the phone rings. It's the cab company saying there are no maxis available do you want us to send two regular cabs? This was about 2 minutes before our taxi was booked. My husband says, well I guess that's fine - but I assume we'll only have to pay one fare to the airport. What do you mean? they ask. Well we booked the one maxi-cab, the fare from here to the airport is about $50 - surely you wouldn't expect us to pay two fares because you couldn't provide us with the service we requested? Well of course you have to pay for two fares, they responded, you'll have two taxis.

Thanks but no thanks we said. So, we jumped in the car, went and parked it at the Long term parking (before this latest parking debacle began), left the car there - very conveniently had it waiting for us when we came home... paid about $55 in parking... saved two fares out to the airport - and obviously at least one, if not two, on the way back.


Ridiculous...

 

[Belnakor]

Booking a taxi in perth is a waste of time, all that happens is your order appears on their screens 10 minutes before.

Speaking of the airport, the taxi situation at the airport is a disgrace, not only is the taxi cab rank itself an absolute and total **** up run by a bunch of cretins, but taxis are like diamonds after about midnight.

The shortage of taxis in perth undoubtably leads to our high drink and drive rate (that and the fact that the booze buses are hardly ever out). After about 1am in northies/subi/perth it is literally impossible to get a taxi. One night me and my mates had to walk home from the city, took us a good 3 hours, didn't see a taxi the whole way home.

 

[Stronzo]

My parents were going to the airport this morning, they were going to book a taxi the night before but they were told that there is no guarantee that the taxi would arrive at the requested time. Rather than booking something that can't be booked, they phoned in the morning for the taxi. After phoning again the taxi still didn't arrive, which is when at 5.30 in the morning they gave up hope of the taxi arriving and woke an un happy stronzo.

Though going out on a saturday or friday night is the worst. On some occasions I have taken to hitching rides from strangers because there is just not enough taxis around. This is probably a slightly dangerous thing to do, though given that trains stop running after certain hours (?) there are really not too many othr options.

As you said IP

 

[magnusio]

thats what i have parents for and busses

 

[Ripper]

Perth badly needs a train line to the airport like the one in Brisbane.

That is brilliant, you can hop off the plane , walk about 200 metres and jump on a city train to anywhere.

That would also free up heaps of taxi's

 

[Kram]

Once booked a taxi to go to a mates party a couple of suburbs away at 8pm. Rang a couple of times and by 11.30 just ended up driving after a few. Annoying when you try to do the right thing, I can assume they didn't get me because it was a relatively small job.

 

[The Night Shift]

There's like 1 to 2 cabs servicing Kwinana/Rockingham/Secret Harbour Area on some weeknights. with maybe a maximum of 4 - 5 some other nights. Where I work I have to book cabs for patients to go home.
I hate to see 80+ year old people waiting hours and hours in some cases to go home.
With so few cabs down my area it isnt surprising we have bad delays. I wouldnt even want to think how bad it would be if you wanted to book a cab to go to the airport from my area.

 

[dominguez]

Once booked a taxi to go to a mates party a couple of suburbs away at 8pm. Rang a couple of times and by 11.30 just ended up driving after a few. Annoying when you try to do the right thing, I can assume they didn't get me because it was a relatively small job.

If you are taking a short cab ride tell them on the phone that you're going to Northbridge/Freo/Casino which ever is farthest away. The driver won't be happy when you tell him your actual destination but atleast you'll get a cab.

 

[shibz_1989]

Yeah, last Wednesday me, my mum and my two sisters went to see Cirque De (insert rest of name here). Anywho, we arrived at about 2.00 (pretty good timing considering I was driving ) to get parking...no parking available. We decided to park at Mum's work (near McIver Station) and catch a taxi.

Well, we rang for one at 2.30, to be told it would be there in a few minutes. Half an hour later it still hadn't arrived, so we rang to find out what was going on. Apparantly the taxi had been, but being that we weren't out the front (because it was pissing down with rain!) he had driven off. So we asked for another one to be sent out, to be told they had lost contact with the driver and there may be a short delay. This was at 3.00, and by about 3.20 it still hadn't arrived, so we called back, to be told it was our fault etc etc. Mum got a bit a shitty and the lady on the other end hung up on here. So we called back, asked for the supervisor, but by that stage, the taxi had arrived.

Yep. Gotta love taxis...and they wonder why there are so many alcohol related crashes.

 

[The Night Shift]

Yeah, last Wednesday me, my mum and my two sisters went to see Cirque De (insert rest of name here). Anywho, we arrived at about 2.00 (pretty good timing considering I was driving ) to get parking...no parking available. We decided to park at Mum's work (near McIver Station) and catch a taxi.

Well, we rang for one at 2.30, to be told it would be there in a few minutes. Half an hour later it still hadn't arrived, so we rang to find out what was going on. Apparantly the taxi had been, but being that we weren't out the front (because it was pissing down with rain!) he had driven off. So we asked for another one to be sent out, to be told they had lost contact with the driver and there may be a short delay. This was at 3.00, and by about 3.20 it still hadn't arrived, so we called back, to be told it was our fault etc etc. Mum got a bit a shitty and the lady on the other end hung up on here. So we called back, asked for the supervisor, but by that stage, the taxi had arrived.

Yep. Gotta love taxis...and they wonder why there are so many alcohol related crashes.

See, I know it's bad all over the greater metropolitan area, but we live in the same area shibz and its always quite bad down here.

 

[shibz_1989]

See, I know it's bad all over the greater metropolitan area, but we live in the same area shibz and its always quite bad down here.

Well, I've heard they are. Haven't actually used them myself. Only the one time. The driver was a maniac...and it cost me 15 bucks to go literally around the corner.

Once I start going out to Rockingham (the niteclubs and stuff) I'll prolly see how bad they are. But most of the people I speak to walk everywhere when it comes to that sort of thing, because of the shortage.

 

[The Night Shift]

Well, I've heard they are. Haven't actually used them myself. Only the one time. The driver was a maniac...and it cost me 15 bucks to go literally around the corner.

Once I start going out to Rockingham (the niteclubs and stuff) I'll prolly see how bad they are. But most of the people I speak to walk everywhere when it comes to that sort of thing, because of the shortage.

Geez....
There bad enough to find at the swinging pig. Worse at Liquids and Zeldas/Vibe <-- Worse Club Ever!!! In The entire History of Humankind... EVER
Good Luck to you
Mandurah is purely Frightening...

 

[Kram]

If you are taking a short cab ride tell them on the phone that you're going to Northbridge/Freo/Casino which ever is farthest away. The driver won't be happy when you tell him your actual destination but atleast you'll get a cab.

Yeah I know now. The other places I lived had the service where you ring and automatically the next available car gets sent out regardless of the destination. Morley area must be alright for taxis cause we used this fairly regularly on Sat nights around 8 - 9.30 and usually got one in less than half an hour.

 

[Belnakor]

Ring and say your going to the airport, most of the time that has them chomping at the bit because it means a guarnteed fairway each way. Then just say there was same kind of mistake when you get picked up, and your in fact going <here>

 

[Scotland]

Perth airport is pretty average for getting a taxi, but when you compare how long you have to wait to that at some other airports, it's not that bad.

 

[prattsta]

Perth airport is pretty average for getting a taxi, but when you compare how long you have to wait to that at some other airports, it's not that bad.

This is true, but when you consider how pathetic our airports actually are it makes it a very long wait.

The airport has nothing on Fremantle after 11pm on a Friday or Saturday night anyway, 1 hour wait minimum (usually closer to 2 hours). Having a large group of people standing outside for an extended period getting frustrated is never a good idea, throw alcohol/drugs into the mix and its a disaster.

 

[dominguez]

Perth airport is pretty average for getting a taxi, but when you compare how long you have to wait to that at some other airports, it's not that bad.

You expect a delay at JFK or Heathrow though.

 

[dominguez]

Morley area must be alright for taxis cause we used this fairly regularly on Sat nights around 8 - 9.30 and usually got one in less than half an hour.

Snap, I'm in Morley too. It's good for taxi's because if they get a fair to Ballajura/Dianella/Wanneroo/Landsdale/Beechboro/Bayswater/Mirrabooka etc etc they will be passing through the area. The further you live form the city the harder it is to get a taxi because they aren't going to be passing through your area going from A to B. Plus no one wants to drive south of the river unless they really have to.

 

[Scotland]

Agreed you'd expect a longer wait at a bigger airport, but if you have a bigger airport, you generally have a bigger taxi rank, more taxis etc. because of the increased passenger throughput. Beijing is a great example of a huge airport with good facilities to get passengers through, and a woefully inadequate taxi rank. Bottleneck by design. I guess they have just under a year to fix that.

Getting a taxi in Perth/Freo/Northbridge late on a Fri/Sat night is a debacle. If you live in an area that you can't walk to (<5km for example) that isn't serviced by trains (or it's after the last train), you are pretty much stuffed.

 

[prattsta]

Getting a taxi in Perth/Freo/Northbridge late on a Fri/Sat night is a debacle. If you live in an area that you can't walk to (<5km for example) that isn't serviced by trains (or it's after the last train), you are pretty much stuffed.

Don't get me started on that old chestnut. How hard would it be to just keep trains running for 24 hours. Surely they could keep 1-2 trains running on each line. Its not like I'd expect a train every 5 minutes, but surely they could organise them for every 30-60min (depending on the line).

 

[Stronzo]

Don't get me started on that old chestnut. How hard would it be to just keep trains running for 24 hours. Surely they could keep 1-2 trains running on each line. Its not like I'd expect a train every 5 minutes, but surely they could organise them for every 30-60min (depending on the line).

Yes this only accentuates the lack of taxis.


It seems perth is still in the 1940s

 

[Scotland]

I guess the powers that be want you to stay out drinking past dawn.

That or drive home pissed.

Or go out to Northbridge and not drink, now wouldn't *that* be a blast.

Trick is to drunk enough that walking home doesn't seem that bad an idea after all.

 

[mick ryan]

Yes this only accentuates the lack of taxis.
It seems perth is still in the 1940s

It's not just the Taxi situation the whole place is pretty well rooted. The roads cant handle the traffic (and its going to get worse), the hospitals are inadequate, it's the bash and break in capital, the Police Force is a joke, we have a Government that is full of talking heads that do as they like thanks to the piss weak opposition, the judicial system is a disgrace, the public education system is laughable, the Dockers wont make the eight and suburbs near to me are slowly but surely filling up with these long tall African priks with pinheads. All we need now is for the bloody Weagles to win the flag and I'm out of here.

 

[Kram]

Or go out to Northbridge and not drink, now wouldn't *that* be a blast.

You can go out and have blast not drinking alcohol, trust me