In Amsterdam, hailing a taxi is often a challenge.
Officially, licensed drivers are required to take passengers on the meter or at a pre-agreed price. However, an AT5 undercover investigation that this does not always happen. Especially at busy locations such as Amsterdam Central and the Nieuwmarkt, taxi drivers play their own game, asking exorbitant amounts and sometimes even refusing rides.
On paper, everything seems well-organized. The city has a tightly regulated taxi industry, divided into the so-called pick-up and call market. The pick-up market includes the six official Authorized Taxi Organizations (TTOs). These organizations have strict permits and rules: drivers are not allowed to refuse rides and must determine the fare with a taximeter. However, practice proves to be stubborn.
unacceptable offers
When visiting Amsterdam Central Station, it quickly became clear how drivers circumvent the rules. A ride to the Noordermarkt, a distance of less than ten minutes, resulted in contradictory and often unacceptable offers. One driver asked for a whopping 35 euros for the ride, while the official meter price should be around 12,84 euros. Others simply refused to turn on the meter, despite the fact that this is mandatory if the customer does not accept a price agreement.
TCA Director Hedy Borreman responds to these abuses: “We continuously communicate the rules to our drivers via newsletters and personal conversations. If we receive complaints, we speak to the drivers involved. But it remains difficult to maintain full control.” According to Borreman, a lack of enforcement by the municipality is a major problem. “As soon as there is supervision, we see that the abuses decrease.”
The municipality of Amsterdam confirms to AT5 that enforcement is a challenge. A special taxi team regularly checks at taxi ranks such as Central Station and Leidseplein, but indicates that drivers can only be caught red-handed. The municipality calls on customers to know their rights and to file complaints if drivers do not comply with the rules.
From conversations with drivers, it appears that the long waiting times at stands are a major factor. “Sometimes you wait three hours for a ride. If it is a short ride of five minutes, you can’t even pay your rent,” says one driver. This frustration often leads to drivers opting for a fixed high price or simply refusing shorter rides.
Another sore point is the competition with platforms like Uber, which have taken over a large part of the call market. Many drivers are forced to join these platforms or supplement their income with other tricks. However, this does not justify breaking the rules. Borreman emphasizes: “Drivers make the choice to operate on the boarding market themselves. They know what that entails.”
research
During the investigation, drivers from various TTOs were approached. In no less than 13 out of 15 cases, they asked for a fixed rate that was considerably higher than the meter price. In four cases, they even refused to use the meter, despite the fact that this is mandatory. “We really received a lot of complaints,” says Hedy Borreman. “If we can prove that too much was charged, we compensate the customer and let the driver pay back.”
The same scenario repeated itself on the Nieuwmarkt. A ride to the Nemo Science Museum was estimated by one driver at 42 euros, while another was prepared to do the ride for 20 euros. Both amounts are far above the meter price. Here too, drivers indicated that they only want to drive lucrative rides because of the long waiting times.
Despite these abuses, there are also positive sounds. Some drivers do adhere to the rules and faithfully turn on the taximeter. However, the general trend remains problematic. The municipality emphasizes that it will continue to focus on control and enforcement, but admits that it cannot be everywhere at once. Borreman calls on customers to know their rights and to stand up for fair prices. "Together we can make the taxi industry reliable again."
