High fares requested by cab drivers outside the Australian Open are "damaging" Victoria's brand and leaving tennis fans stranded late at night, the taxi industry says.
As exhausted crowds streamed out of Melbourne Park about 4am Friday following the marathon six-hour match between Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis, many said they struggled to get a taxi or rideshare because of the cost.
They said taxi drivers were turning off their meters and asking for high set fees.
One woman said a driver was asking for $125 to get 19 kilometres to Box Hill.
A man heading to St Kilda, a 6km trip from Melbourne Park, objected to paying $60, and said it was not just the taxi industry hiking up fares, but rideshare services also cancelling fares.
"It's a joke," he said.
"[They] just cancel because they know the rate is going up and up and up, and they just wait for the best offer."
According to the Essential Services Commission, a metered fare leaving Melbourne's metropolitan zone at that time of day would usually attract a flat fee of $5.80, and between about $1.657 and $2.006 per kilometre.
The situation not only caused frustration for passengers but led to arguments on the roadside.
There have been similar scenes at the end of other days of play as Melbourne residents, local tourists and international visitors leave the tennis.
Taxi driver Rohan Singh said price hiking was wrong and people should not be made to wait on the kerb for hours unable to negotiate an affordable fare.
However, the driver of 15 years said it was unfair that taxi drivers were copping criticism when their rideshare competitors overcharged constantly.
"Uber is doing that, now the industry's like that," Mr Singh said.
"Not every driver is doing it. Most of the drivers are right, but some are taking advantage of this stupid system."
Peak body demands rule change
Setting fares is legal under commercial passenger reforms to allow taxis to compete with the fixed fares and surge prices used by ride-sharing companies.
But one of the peak bodies representing cab drivers, the Victorian Taxi Association, is angry about what is happening at Melbourne ranks, saying it is damaging Victoria's reputation.
"It's absolutely disgusting," the association's director Peter Valentine said.
"What makes it even worse is our current [state] government are allowing that sort of thing to occur in the city when we're telling people and inviting people internationally and from other states and locally to go to these major events.
"It's damaging the brand of the state. It is not acceptable."
Mr Valentine said the problem was created when Victoria's taxi industry was deregulated in 2017 and rules were changed around the circumstances when drivers were allowed to refuse a passenger.
The association is negotiating with Safe Transport Victoria, and wants the regulator to change rules so drivers cannot demand set fares at taxi ranks or when hailed on the street.
The decision to negotiate a set fare should instead be agreed upon by the driver and the passenger, Mr Valentine said.
Government minister Lily D'Ambrosio said the scenes outside the Australia Open were disappointing.
"This is an industry that is regulated and reviews happen constantly … in terms of ensuring that we've got fair frameworks for pricing in the taxi industry," she said.
"Most taxi drivers do the right thing.
"But there are a few of course that are making a number of Victorians unhappy and any complaints really should be referred to the regulator who will follow this up."
A spokesperson for 13cabs, one of the state's biggest taxi services, said it was following up the "unacceptable" behaviour and would look at taking disciplinary action against the drivers responsible.
"There is a need for the state government to improve their regulatory response to address this behaviour," they said.
"They can't keep pushing the problem onto the industry when they allowed hundreds and hundreds of unaccountable independent taxis on the road and removed regulations that outlawed things like fare refusal and negotiating the price of the trip on the rank."
