Auckland traffic was flowing well at the time of the test, with slight congestion on Customs St and Symonds St.
The Herald used companies Discount Taxis (ranked as one of the cheapest on taxifares.co.nz), Auckland Co-op Taxis (ranked as a middle-price) and Sail Taxis (ranked as one of the more expensive).
All estimates by the website were between 86c less and $2.81 more than the actual fare cost. In Auckland, 31 companies are ranked from cheapest to most expensive. Uber estimates are not included.
In Hamilton, a Herald test of Hamilton Taxis, Payless Cabs and Dial-a-Cab found that the website's estimates were between $3.35 less and $2.33 more than actual cost.
Developed by 23-year-old Peter Mills, TaxiFares.co.nz uses an algorithm based on data like distance, speed limit, taxi company tariffs and flagfall charges and traffic flow to provide an estimate of how much it will cost you to get from A to B.
The site calculates the most direct route, and creates a list of taxi companies and fare estimates.
Taxis can't be booked through the site - users still have to make a phone call. Mr Mills said the point of the site was so people could see the relative price difference between companies.
See the Herald's data blog for more information here
"People don't appreciate that different taxis are different prices. People don't know which companies to use and which to avoid. Once they do, the market should self-regulate."
Mr Mills said if people were more knowledgeable about which companies offered lower fares, it could help encourage more expensive companies to drop their prices or improve the service they offered.
The New Zealand Taxi Federation's executive director, Roger Heale, said he was in favour of anything that helped the consumer to make an educated choice. The site would help people change their assumptions regarding which cabs were cheap and which were expensive, he said.
"If you want quality, you can have it at a good price. It's some of the other companies that are taking the mickey."
