Warsaw. She paid PLN 360 for a taxi from the Central Station to Mokotów

When she got off at the Central Station, she was already late for work-related recordings. Taxi apps showed too long waiting times. Then a taxi driver stopped her in front of the station and offered transport “for the price in accordance with the tariff”. However, he ultimately charged PLN 360 for the ride to Mokotów. – I had to pay, otherwise he wouldn't let me out of the car – says the distraught woman. She reported the matter to the police.

We received information about the incident at Contact24. Mrs. Klaudia from Nysa (Opole Voivodeship) claims that she had to pay PLN 360 for the trip from the Central Railway Station to Konstruktorska Street in Warsaw's Mokotów district (about six kilometers). She reported that the driver did not want to let her out of the vehicle until she paid. She added that for years the man's actions have been described by other injured passengers on Internet forums.

He stopped her in front of the station and offered her a ride

The incident took place last Wednesday. – I was going to recordings related to my work. I was supposed to be at the agreed place at 8 a.m., but there were some delays and I was at the Central Station before 8 a.m. I was late, and I still had to go to Mokotów to see my manager. I wanted to order a taxi from a popular application, but the waiting time was very long – she started.

Mrs. Klaudia mentioned that a man standing at the station noticed her impatience. – After a while, a tall man approached me and asked if I needed a taxi. I needed it very much, so I answered yes. I asked him about the price because I knew the approximate cost of such a route from the app. He announced that it would be a little more, after all it was a taxi, not an application. I asked how much more and he replied that the amount would be consistent with the tariff. I got in, she reported.

He demanded PLN 360

– A red flag went off for me right from the very beginning. The doors were sliding, so it was impossible to get in and out of the car without the driver's help. When we arrived, the driver demanded PLN 360 from me. I thought I misheard. I asked if it was about PLN 36. It turned out that I heard correctly. I tried to find out where this amount came from. Unfazed, he said that was his tariff. And in fact, there was a tariff written in microprint on the sliding door, but it was not visible from the passenger's position of the car. Only after leaving the car could she be seen, she said.

The woman emphasized that she had to pay for the ride, otherwise the man would not have let her out of the vehicle. – I had to pay. He had an advantage over me. One – he was the only one who could let me out of the car, two – he was a big man. So I asked him to issue an invoice, but he didn't want to agree to it. It's weird, isn't it? Finally, he kindly issued me a receipt, so I have his details – she described.

– I know it's my fault, but I was late and I wanted to get there as quickly as possible. In addition, it had a “Taxi” sign on the roof. Of course, I reported the matter to the police at the station. There they told me that they knew about this man and others like him. It's a whole bunch. Unfortunately, they can't do anything about it because they cleverly circumvent the law. They are not taxis, but “passenger transport” and they can issue invoices for exorbitant amounts. I later read about them on internet forums. Users talked about their journeys from the Central Station to Chopin Airport for PLN 1,000. Entries started in 2019. This man has been defrauding people for almost six years, and the justice system can't do anything about it, she concluded.

We asked the police about the case. We are waiting for your reply.

New toll rates

A similar situation occurred in September. At that time, we reported that two men had argued about the course fee. The driver demanded PLN 400 from the passenger – a foreigner for just a four-kilometer ride. There were fights. The city guard and police intervened on site.

In July this year, Warsaw councilors adopted new taxi rates. According to them, driving one kilometer on weekdays at 6-22 (tariff 1) costs maximum PLN 5. On weekdays from 22-6, as well as on Sundays and holidays throughout the day, December 24 and 31, and on the Saturday before Easter from 19, traveling one kilometer may cost a maximum of PLN 7.50 (tariff 2). The initial fee for renting a taxi for all tariffs will be a maximum of PLN 10. The fee for one hour of parking on all tariffs is PLN 50.