Taxi meter shake-up
Disputes over taxi fares could be a thing of the past with new in-car technology coming online tonight.
Automated meters have been programmed to calculate fares.. in almost every Queensland cab.
Automated meters have been installed in Queensland taxis over the past six months as part of a trial. Tomorrow, their use becomes compulsory.
Transport Minister Scott Emerson said: “Sometimes the driver may have done the wrong thing intentionally something by accident, but those things and those days are a thing of the past."
Of all the taxi trips taken in Queensland only a small number are ever contested.
Last year 40 were formally disputed, out of 90 million individual taxi trips.
Martin O’Riordan of Gold Coast Cabs, said: “I think this provides a lot of certainty for the customers, the tariff system is quite confusing to a lot of people."
The meter will now take control over the different tariff's for night and day, the day of the week - accounting for extra charges on public holidays - and tolls using GPS data.
The cost of installing the new meters has been paid for by the individual taxi companies. Each unit costs around $500. Operators say that sum won't be passed on to passengers.
There's no change to taxi charges, just less chance of a mistake over money.
