One firm said it suspended a driver over the issue. File photo. Photo: 123rf
Some people in suburbs close to Wellington Airport have reported being refused rides from taxis at the airport due to the short distance of the trips.
RNZ has heard a number of complaints.
One firm said it suspended a driver over the issue.
The airport said refusing short fares is against both the airport and NZTA's rule and if it happens to lodge a complaint.
Elderly woman left without a ride
Ashleigh Quayle said her Nana who lives in Miramar had approached a taxi cab at Wellington Airport earlier this year.
"She then got turned away, saying that they do not take rides that short of distance and that cost that little.
"Being an elderly person like she is, she found this quite stressful and she got quite worked up to the point where she was too embarrassed to go and ask anyone for help."
Quayle said her Nana started walking home with her bags, but was picked up by Quayle's mother a short time later.
She said her Nana would find airport travel stressful from now on, worried that she would be refused a ride home.
Quayle contacted Wellington Combined Taxis who she believed was involved. Her complaint was later passed onto the airport who then suspended the vehicle involved, which they said was from another company.
Wellington Combined Taxi in its response to RNZ said in accordance with NZTA guidelines and their internal policies, drivers were not permitted to refuse trips unless there were valid and reasonable grounds.
"Short trips to Miramar or surrounding suburbs do not fall under such exceptions."
People turning to Uber
Beatrice Foschetti, who lives in Seatoun Heights, was also declined a taxi ride when returning from Italy about a year ago, tired and laden with luggage.
"We ask a taxi driver to give us a ride home, but unfortunately he declined," she said. "It's a short ride and apparently it wasn't convenient, so we had to take an Uber."
Seatoun Heights is approximately a 10-minute drive from the airport.
Foschetti couldn't recall which company she'd spoken to, but said she was now more likely to use Uber as a result.
She said if taxi drivers didn't want to make short trips due to the cost, companies perhaps needed to look at having a minimum charge rather than having drivers refusing passengers.
John Reynolds had just flown back from the UK when he last took a taxi at Wellington Airport.
Reynolds said when he told the driver where he wanted to go - an address on the Miramar Peninsula less than 5km from the airport - the man's demeanour changed and he slammed the doors as he got into the car.
Reynolds said halfway through the journey the man started get agitated and accused him of going to that address to pick up a parked car.
"I said, yeah, my car's parked there. I actually live there."
Reynolds said the irony was he would normally give taxi drivers a $20 tip because he appreciated that it was a short trip.
"In that instance I chose not to give him the tip, and since then I've been using Ubers and I always give them a $20 tip whenever I go from the airport."
He could not recall which taxi company he had used.
Family left to walk home
Zanet Stader was refused a ride with both a taxi and a shuttle when travelling back from Canada.
Stader said her family approached the first taxi on the rank and told the driver they were wanting to be driven to Miramar.
"He responded to us that it's not worth for him to drive the short distance and that we should take a shuttle," she said.
Stader said her family went to the shuttle stand and were told by the driver that none of the shuttles had passengers going in that direction and they would have to wait to see if a later shuttle would head in that direction.
Stader said with no certainty on when they would be able to get transportation, she loaded up the luggage trolley with suitcases and they walked the approximately 15-minute journey home on foot, returning the trolley later that day.
Refusal of short fares against the rules
Wellington Airport's Head of Transport Cameron Jackson said refusal of short fares was against the NZTA Operator Licence Rules and against the level of service the Airport expected from the drivers and companies.
"While we appreciate that drivers sometimes need to wait for extended periods for a fare, this is the nature of their job."
Jackson said as there were multiple taxi companies on the taxi rank, if a driver refuses a short fare they recommended trying another company on the rank as well as reporting the incident.
"We do encourage passengers who have been refused by a taxi driver due to a short trip to report to the taxi companies and NZTA in the first instance. We also work closely with the companies to investigate any complaint."
The airport said passengers could also consider other modes when travelling as well, including rideshare, buses, shuttles, and car parking.
From 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2025, nationally, NZTA said it had received 760 commercial operator complaints, 146 which were fare-related. However it could not confirm how many complaints were from Wellington Airport or related specifically to short fare.
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said people were recommended to contact the service provider in the first instance. The companies were required by law to keep a record of complaints, which is available for inspection by NZTA.
Taxi companies aware of the rules
RNZ approached all taxi companies listed by Wellington Airport as being service providers at the airport.
Capital Taxis said it had recently suspended drivers for not taking customers.
"Drivers are prohibited from refusing passengers based on the distance of the transport. If we receive a complaint from a customer about a driver refusing to take them from the airport or from anywhere else, then they are subject to an investigation and a temporary suspension if found in breach," a spokesperson said.
"However there are legitimate reasons that a driver can refuse a customer. For example if a driver suspects a passenger is intoxicated then he can refuse to transport. Or if a passenger has excessive luggage then a driver can refuse them. So each complaint is assessed on a case-by-case basis and drivers will be found either within their rights to refuse, or in breach of their contractual obligations which will result in the driver being penalised," the spokesperson said.
Hutt City Taxis meanwhile said it had not received any recent complaints and their company policy was to provide service to all customers, regardless of the destination or fare amount
Corporate Cabs had also not had any recent complaints, but also noted that it operated a primarily pre-booked service and did not sit on the on-demand taxi rank.
"Corporate Cabs has a reputation among airport marshals as well as customers for not discriminating against short fares, with customers occasionally mentioning that they were surprised the premium provider would do a short fare when regular taxis would not," a spokesperson said.
"We are aware that short-fare refusal has occurred in parts of the industry nationally and we agree it damages public confidence in traditional taxi services. That's why we reinforce the legal duty to accept the first hire and why we investigate any complaint."
Some other taxi companies did not respond.
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