Gutless taxi runners cheat cabbies

Auckland's taxi drivers are losing hundreds weekly in unpaid fares from passengers who can, but don't want to, pay, writes Lauren Mentjox
Sam Saleh refuses to drive to Mangere, Te Atatu and Henderson - and parts of the North Shore if he can help it. The Auckland taxi driver has been ripped off by passengers who have run off on him in each of those places, and says it's just not worth going back. ``If I take someone from the city to Albany they take me to a dark, small place and run away just like that. What else should I do?'' Taxi drivers told The Aucklander that fare running is a massive problem across the region. Each week, they lose hundreds of dollars from passengers who run off. Some are considering installing cameras in their cabs. There are no official figures for how much it costs the industry, but most drivers say they are hit about once a month, mainly at weekends, and lose up to $80 each time. They say young men aged 17-25 are the main offenders, but women also take off after a night out on the town. Imteaz Khan, managing director of Sunshine Taxis in Mt Roskill, says taxi cheats are hitting his business hard. ``They say the driver went the wrong way or they didn't like the service so they won't pay,'' he says. ``Or they say they forgot their wallet and they will leave the driver their watch or jacket and pay later. ``It is a huge problem. We have to pay our staff and we aren't making any money.'' There are more than 3000 taxis spread over about 40 companies in the Auckland region, with drivers earning between $20,000 and $45,000 a year in the competitive business. ``It's a hard job,'' says Mr Saleh, who had made just $20 in the six hours before The Aucklander found him at a rank on Fort St. ``People think taxi drivers are rich but it is just not true.'' Kavana Avealalo agrees. The recent immigrant from Samoa wants to get out of the business after just seven months of driving for Cheap Cabs. He has been swindled four times already. Mr Avealalo believes he was singled out as a newbie by a group of women wanting a ride to Albany the first time it happened. That cost him $55. Later, when another woman wanted to go to Albany, he asked her for some fare pre-payment. She took it as an insult and ``slammed the door'' before hailing another cab. NZ Taxi Federation director Tim Reddish says drivers are within their rights to ask for pre-payment if they are concerned. He says people should be wary of stealing from drivers because it is an offence under the Crimes Act and they can be convicted. That didn't deter Sid, a former taxi cheat who used to run off from rides to Titirangi. The 20-year-old says he would spend all his money in bars and keep between $5 and $10 to give to the driver at the start of the $35 trip. ``When we got there, I'd just run away or hide in the bushes. It wasn't for fun or for ripping people off. I just didn't want to pay,'' he says. ``I only did it when I was really, really drunk.'' According to Citicabs dispatcher and former driver Max Fruean, Sid is typical of runners. ``They can afford to pay,'' he says. ``They just don't want to. They dress in fancy clothes and drink in boutique bars, but when it comes to going home, they want it to be as cheap as possible.'' Mr Reddish, of the Taxi Federation, says not much can be done about the problem, although he stresses that it is a minority who are to blame. North Shore Taxis manager Eric Warman has other ideas. He says it is only a matter of time before cameras are introduced in taxis, ``so we can see who is doing the running''.