What Questions to Ask Before Getting in a Melbourne Airport Taxi

The whole decision about whether a taxi ride is going to go well usually happens in the first 30 seconds at the kerb. Everything after the cab pulls off the rank gets harder to undo. A few questions asked before the car moves filter out almost every version of "something went wrong" on a Melbourne airport trip.

These are the questions I ask when I'm the passenger. Six of them, most taking a single sentence each. None rude. All expected.

1. "Are you [my destination]?"

The first one, and the easiest. For pre-booked pickups, it confirms the driver is expecting you.

For rank pickups: skip this. The rank supervisor has already assigned the cab.

For pre-booked pickups: this is where the booking reference verification lives. "Hi, are you here for [your name]?" The driver should have your name. Follow up with "what's the booking reference?" if you want the extra layer.

A driver who doesn't have your name is not your pickup.

2. "Can you turn the meter on, please?"

The most important question. Spoken before you load luggage.

In a legitimate rank taxi, the meter should already be on as the car pulls forward. If it isn't running when you get in, ask. "Can we make sure the meter is on before we go?"

The driver's response tells you everything.

• "Yes, no worries" and clicks it on: normal.
• "Let's agree a flat rate": illegal. Get out.
• "The meter is broken": maybe true, but you have other options. "Let's take the next cab then." Walk back to the rank.
• "I'll turn it on in a sec": unacceptable. Insist or leave.

For pre-booked fixed-fare pickups, the fare is already agreed so the meter question is different — you're asking confirmation of the fixed quote. "Just confirming, the fare is $82 as booked?"

3. "Are we going via CityLink?"

For trips to the CBD or inner suburbs, this short question eliminates the long-route scam.

CityLink is the toll road that carries the fast route from Tulla to the CBD. The alternative — Bell Street, the Western Ring Road — adds 15 to 20 minutes and $10 to $15 to the meter. Some drivers offer the long route "to save the toll", which is backwards.

The exchange:

> You: "We're going CityLink, right?" > Driver: "Yes, mate."

That's it. The question alone kills 90 percent of long-route attempts. A driver who argues for Bell Street is telling you he was planning to pad the meter. Insist on CityLink.

4. "Do you take card?"

Ask before you commit to the trip, not at the end.

Every legitimate Victorian taxi must accept card payment. But drivers occasionally push for cash at the end of a ride, especially if they're running the EFTPOS-is-broken scam.

Asking upfront:

> You: "You take card, right?" > Driver: "Yes, Visa or tap works."

If the answer is "card machine is out today" at the start of the ride, you have the option to use the next cab. Asking at the end of the ride gives you no leverage.

Bonus: specify which card. "I'll be paying by [Amex/Visa/Cabcharge] — you take that?" Rare operator issues with specific cards are surfaced upfront.

5. "How long should this take?"

Establishes an expected trip time and subtly lets the driver know you're paying attention.

For a typical trip:

• MEL → CBD: 25 to 45 minutes depending on traffic
• MEL → Inner suburbs (Carlton, Fitzroy): 25 to 40 minutes
• MEL → St Kilda, South Yarra: 35 to 50 minutes
• MEL → Outer eastern suburbs (Box Hill, Doncaster): 45 to 60 minutes

A driver who says "40 to 60 minutes" for the CBD at 3pm is probably planning a scenic route. A driver who says "20 minutes" at 6pm on Friday doesn't understand traffic and may be too aggressive.

The answer you want is honest: "Should be 30 to 35 minutes at this time, depending on the Bolte Bridge."

6. "Can I get a receipt at the end?"

Not strictly a pre-trip question — you can ask at drop-off — but asking upfront primes the driver to have the printer ready.

"I'll need a printed receipt at the end, if that's okay."

A legitimate driver nods. A driver who is planning to run a swipe-and-inflate scam suddenly remembers their printer is "out of paper", which tells you what you need to know before the trip starts.

If the driver says anything evasive about receipts, reconsider the ride.

The quick version

In practice, the six questions look like a 20-second exchange:

> You: "Are you here for [your booking name]?" [pre-booked only] > Driver: "Yes." > You: "Great. Can you confirm the fare is $82 as booked?" > Driver: "Yep." > You: "Going via CityLink?" > Driver: "Yep." > You: "I'll need a printed receipt at the end." > Driver: "No worries."

For rank pickups:

> You: "Can we make sure the meter's on?" [driver clicks it on] > You: "Going via CityLink?" > Driver: "Yep." > You: "You take card?" > Driver: "Yep." > You: "I'll need a receipt at the end." > Driver: "No problem."

Twenty seconds. The ride that answers all six cleanly is one where the meter will be right, the route will be fast, the payment will be clean, and the receipt will be in your hand at drop-off.

What the questions aren't

A few things not to do.

• Don't interrogate the driver. The questions are small and casual, not an investigation. A normal driver answers them in a few words and the conversation moves on.
• Don't record the exchange. Audio recording inside a CPV is illegal in Victoria unless both parties consent.
• Don't volunteer personal information. The driver doesn't need to know where your family is, whether you live alone, or what you do for work.

The rule

If any of the six questions gets a bad answer, use the next cab. That is the entire system. The time you spend is about 30 seconds asking and 5 minutes waiting for a replacement cab if you need one. The alternative is a $95 trip that should have been $70, or a complaint call at 11pm after you realise something was off.

Thirty seconds. Six questions. That's the whole piece of insurance.