CUSTOMERS USING THE MyTaxi app will now face a €5 penalty if they cancel their booking.
The company announced changes to its terms and conditions, which come into effective this month, and said the introduction of a cancellation fee was a bid to “improve the efficiency of [the] service”.
There are a number of reasons why the fee can be charged, it said.
If a customer cancels their booking more than two minutes after a driver has accepted an order, the fee will apply.
If a customer is not at the collection address within five minutes of the taxi driver’s arrival, meaning the driver has to cancel the order, there will also be a €5 fee.
Fares are paid for using credit and debit cards, or with cash, and cash-only customers who don’t have a card associated with their account will have their accounts blocked after two cancellations until payment is received.
New users, who never booked a trip with MyTaxi before, can cancel up to three times without incurring the fee.
The company also states: “We understand that certain situations occur which may be out of your control. If you feel that they have been unfairly charged a cancellation fee you can appeal through the app.”
The app works by requesting a taxi and a driver accepting the fare, with customers then able to track the driver’s movements until they arrive to pick them up.
Outrage
The move, however, has sparked outrage on social media with many venting their frustration at driver’s cancelling bookings themselves, and questioning what happens if the driver arrives at the wrong house.
In response on social media, MyTaxi said: “The cancellation fee does not work in reverse. We have greatly reduced driver cancellations over the past year and will continue to focus on making improvements.”
The company operates a taxi app in a number of countries across Europe including cities in Portugal, the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy.
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