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A pensioner from a small town in Central Otago says she feels she was “fleeced” after being charged over $160 for a 20-minute taxi ride in Auckland.

And a Small Passenger Service Association spokesperson says they have received “multiple complaints” about Crown Cabs – the taxi company in question.

The 68-year-old woman was visiting Auckland with her husband from a small Central Otago township. The couple were visiting their daughter and had bought tickets to the Coldplay and The The concerts on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

After The The concert at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in Auckland’s CBD on Thursday, the couple entered Aotea Square shortly after 11pm – wanting to get back to their daughter’s home in Mt Roskill before an early-morning flight back to Dunedin on Friday.

“We asked to go to a certain road in Mt Roskill. He didn’t know where it was so we had to spell it out for him,” the woman told the Herald.

“He put it in his phone and instead of going straight up the hill, he went around so we went through Spaghetti Junction ... we should have known then.”

During the less than 10km trip, the woman’s husband looked at the taxi’s meter and it read $80. “I said no, it must be $8,” she said.

The couple also noticed the driver wasn’t displaying his small passenger service licence – a legal requirement for all taxis and shuttles.

“When we got there he said it was going to cost $145 or something,” the woman said.

The taxifare after the 20-minute journey was over $140. The couple tried to argue the price but the taxi driver began shouting at them.

“The air was blue when he said the price.

“I abused him and I said, ‘Look this costs more than what it costs to fly up here mate’ and he just kept saying, ‘It’s metered lady, there’s the proof’ ... he got rather loud and it was raining so I just paid it.”

She and her husband had to be at the airport for their flight at 6am the following morning and wanted to get inside and get some sleep.

“I just didn’t want to stand there and go back and forth.”

It wasn’t until Saturday morning when the woman checked her bank statement and saw she was charged $163.43 by Crown Cabs – averaging out to be just over $17 per km.

“I just thought oh hell. They’re obviously operating at night thinking they can catch a few sheep under the weather ... [They’re] taking advantage of people going out and having a great time.”

When the woman checked her bank statement, she saw she was charged $163.43 by Crown Cabs – averaging out to be just over $17 per km.

She said she had the Uber app on her phone, but when the couple saw a line of taxis, they just wanted to jump in and get back to their daughter’s place.

“We just don’t want other people fleeced like we were.”

Small Passenger Service Association spokesperson Warren Quirke last month told the Herald he had received “multiple complaints” about Crown Cabs.

He claimed that the drivers target international tourists travelling from the city to the airport and do not understand New Zealand’s regulations.

“It’s up to the driver to negotiate the fare prior to the trip taking place, which does not happen.”

The Herald attempted to contact Crown Cabs, but the company had disconnected its phone number.

According to the New Zealand Companies Office Register, Crown Cabs Limited had its name changed to Crown Eftpose Limited in 2022.

Other passengers have previously taken to social media reporting price gouging by the company – along with other allegations about the drivers.

In one instance, a female tourist was charged over $50 for a 10-minute trip from Britomart to Ponsonby.

Another passenger alleged they were charged $150 for a taxi ride from Ponsonby to Queen St with the same company in July.

“A-hole took advantage of me in my drunken state. And no I did not vomit in his car, I was well behaved,” the passenger wrote.

Waka Kotahi’s advice is for consumers to contact the taxi firm directly in the first place. When people go to the agency with complaints of overcharging, most are referred to the Disputes Tribunal.

In other words, complaints are time-consuming and cumbersome.

The agency investigated five cases of driver dishonesty, poor service or overcharging in the financial year 2022-23. Two drivers received a warning; two were entered into the agency’s system for a “compliance review”, a spokesman said.

Another issue is trying to negotiate a fare in the first place.

Under “normal circumstances”, says Waka Kotahi, “taxi drivers may only refuse to carry passengers if, on reasonable grounds, they consider their personal safety would be threatened or endangered”.

But this runs counter to another rule – drivers and passengers have to agree on the scale or the basis of the fare before the trip.

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.