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Disability advocates and consumers say taxi drivers are ripping off vulnerable passengers.
Every time Danny orders a taxi for his wife, he tells the automated booking service to leave this message for the driver.
“Please treat my wife with respect as she suffers from dementia,” he pleads.
It’s always the same short trip from Freda’s home to the nearby community center and back.
But Danny recently discovered that prices can vary dramatically and he fears his wife is being taken for a ride by opportunistic drivers.
“I think that should be the lowest of the low type of behavior,” he said.
The price should be around $20 before Freda’s subsidy.
But sometimes it was as high as $46 one way.
It is a 10-minute journey from Carnegie to Bentley, a distance of 5 kilometers.
Consumer advocates say this is a case of overcharging and may be common practice when the traveler is vulnerable.
“All they see are dollar signs,” said consumer advocate Adam Glaser.
“Taxis blatantly try to take advantage of disabled people,”
If you hail a taxi, the driver is required by law to use the meter.
But it’s looser when it comes to booked travel.
Tariffs are unregulated, meaning the company can set the price.
At no stage did Danny ever quote a rate over the phone.
He complained repeatedly but only got an automated response.
“I haven’t heard from a single person,” he said.
His message to others is simple.
Always check receipts to catch billing early.
“We’re not the only ones,” he said.
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