Woman charged $108 for short ride in alleged Australian airport taxi 'scam'

A woman who claims she was driven in an unmarked vehicle and overcharged for a taxi ride from a major Australian airport is warning others to be vigilant after learning she was not the first to be “targeted”.

Brooke Marsh, 22, was traveling from the Sunshine Coast to Melbourne for work late last month and admitted she was “sleep deprived” when she landed – so she took up the offer of a “nice” man for a taxi.

“I was going down the escalator and I was looking around, I probably would have looked a little lost. And then this nice man came up to me and said, 'Oh, do you need a taxi?'” she recalled to Yahoo News.

Before she knew it, she was walking towards a vehicle that was not stopped at the taxi rank, with the passenger door and trunk already open – a detail Marsh later suspected might be -be an intentional movement aimed at preventing him from seeing the license plate.

A short “taxi” ride costs the passenger $108

Marsh claims the driver introduced himself as Eddie and allegedly claimed he had his own private chauffeur business “and had a private fleet of 10 cars.” He quoted $2.80 per kilometer for the trip, and since her destination was only 21 kilometers away, she was confident her fare would be less than $60.

After a “pleasant conversation” with the man, the two exchanged numbers so he could pick her up the next day for his trip home. Then the driver emerged from the payment terminal with $108 — far more than the listed price — flashing on the screen. It was at this point that Marsh claims she realized she had been tricked into a “dodgy” taxi ride.

“I didn't want to say anything because it was just me in the car…I was angry with myself, you learn as you grow up that you shouldn't get in a car with a stranger,” a- she declared. “But at that point, I just wanted to get out of that situation.”

She paid and took the receipt, which said “GM Taxipay,” a mobile payment terminal specifically designed for taxi drivers, and jumped out of the car.

Driver says he doesn't remember 'severe overload'

Marsh admitted she feared something sinister would happen if she refused payment, but then she messaged the driver and asked about the high cost of the ride. In text messages seen by Yahoo, the driver justified the high cost by saying he worked for Silver Services, a premium taxi service offered by 13Cabs. Information that contradicts his initial claim that he owned his own taxi service business.

According to 13cabs, Silver Service prices are exactly the same as 13cabs, but booking fees by state may vary.

However, when Marsh contacted 13Cabs to confirm the man's identification, he was told the driver's identification number did not exist, with a recommendation to contact Safe Transport Victoria. She believes the driver works for GM Cabs and “significantly overcharged” her.

Yahoo spoke directly to the man and he says GM Cabs is not the name of his company, but the name of the pay terminal located in his vehicle. He declined to disclose the name of the company he works for and said he had no memory of the interaction with Marsh.

Bragging at Melbourne Airport about a known problem

Alarmingly, there are more than 300 negative reviews on GM Cabs' Tripadvisor, with people claiming to have experienced situations similar to Marsh's. On Reddit, where Marsh shared the ordeal, many agreed “this is a known issue at Melbourne Airport.”

“It’s amazing that solicitation still exists at Melb,” one person said. Others agreed that people should “absolutely always go to the appropriate taxi rank. That's advice for every airport in the world.”

Former taxi driver Rod Barton, who was elected to the Victorian legislative council, has previously called for changes to end vandalism at Melbourne airports by unregistered drivers.

“The government must decide whether it continues to let wolves roam or takes the necessary steps to protect passengers and law-abiding small businesses,” he wrote in 2022 in an effort to introduce restrictions.

As for Marsh, she received a $45 refund after threatening to report the driver to the police.

Yahoo News Australia has contacted Melbourne Airport for comment.

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