Lockdown dodgers’ taxi scams
While many are toeing the line, some taxi companies and customers are still taking the lockdown rules for a ride.
John Hartley is sick of customers using taxis to dodge the lockdown.
The 63-year-old owner of White Rose Cars in Pukekohe says he has had to turn away at least 14 customers travelling for non-essential reasons. ‘‘I had three on the first night. I had one person call up wanting to go to his friend’s party . . . he said he understood he could not use his own car but because you are an essential service you are allowed to take me.’’
Hartley is usually a charitable sort of fellow – for the next three weeks he has decided to wave his usual fees, instead opting for a koha donation towards Victim Support. But even he is almost at the end of his rope.
‘‘They genuinely do not seem to understand . . . I seem to be talking to single-cell amoebas.’’
He says some try to circumvent the rules with a trip to a supermarket near their
Taxi driver John Hartley
destination. ‘‘I have people call up to get taken to the supermarket. I tell them we wait for them while they do their shopping – it is free of charge, part of the service.
‘‘There is usually this long pause where their head explodes and then the phone goes down.
‘‘This is the mentality of the people I am dealing with.’’
Under lockdown rules, travel is only permitted for essential workers or heading to the supermarket or for medical reasons. Stuff contacted five taxi companies in Auckland with a request for transport to Piha Beach – two questioned the purpose of the trip, inquiring whether it was for an essential purpose. When they were told the phoney fare was ‘‘just to visit a mate’’ the trip was refused.
However, two others agreed – at least over the phone – to transport the prospective passenger to Piha Beach without question. The fifth was also willing to accept the phoney fare, however, staff did ask if any of the passengers displayed symptoms of Covid-19.
‘‘They genuinely don’t seem to understand ... I seem to be talking to single-cell amoebas.’’