By Charlotte McIntyre,Editor

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READ MORE: Indian actress fined $2,000 after major airport mistake in Australia

By CHARLOTTE MCINTYRE, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA

Published: 04:42 BST, 15 September 2025 | Updated: 04:42 BST, 15 September 2025

A businessman has launched into an extraordinary tirade against cab drivers, slamming them for refusing to take short trips from Sydney Airport.

Scott Kuru, a property investment adviser, accused taxi drivers of being ‘out of control’, claiming they overcharge, turn down trips and make up ‘fixed fares’.

Last month, Mr Kuru exited the domestic terminal and attempted to catch a taxi outside the airport.

‘The cab drivers in this city, it’s like a mafia. It is like an organised crime gang,’ he vented on TikTok.

‘These guys are completely out of control.’

Mr Kuru recalled his experience of cab drivers refusing to take him home because they ‘didn’t like’ where he was going.

He explained he had ended up asking several cab drivers to take him, ‘begging and pleading’ for someone to accept his fare.

‘What happened to the days where you walked up to a cab, opened the door and got in a cab?’ Mr Kuru asked.

Scott Kuru blasted cab drivers at Sydney Airport for refusing to take him home because he had three bags of luggage and the journey was too short

The property investment adviser said taxi drivers refused to take him home because he had three bags with him.

‘Sydney’s Taxi Crisis. Enough is Enough,’ Mr Kuru captioned his video.

‘Just walked out of Sydney Airport and AGAIN… cabbies refusing short trips, overcharging, and making up “fixed fares” like it’s the Wild West.’

Social media users overwhelmingly agreed with Mr Kuru, with many sharing their frustrating experiences.

‘Never using cab again. Airport to Vaucluse they slugged me $120 for a 25 minute trip. Rip-off,’ one wrote.

‘That’s why nobody gets cabs anymore,’ another added.

‘That’s why I refuse to ever use a cab,’ a third said.

‘In Melbourne, I was three minutes away from the hotel and it was raining, so I jumped in a cab and he refused to put the meter on and tried charging me $85. Uber was $11.’

Taxis line up outside the departure terminal at Sydney Airport

Other social media users sympathised with cab drivers.

‘It’s wrong, but the cabs have to wait three to four hours to get to the front of the queue. It’s why they don’t like taking short trips,’ one wrote.

It comes as a $60 flat rate taxi fare is set to be introduced as the Minns Labor Government attempts to crack down on taxi rip-offs.

The practice of overcharging and refusing to use meters in a bid to take advantage of first-time arrivals to Sydney has increased in recent years.

The NSW Point to Point Commission has received frequent complaints, with some travellers being charged more than $150 for the 13-kilometre trip.

More than 1,100 fines have been issued to taxi drivers since the introduction of the Taxi Fare Hotline in November 2022.

The fixed fare from the airport to the CBD will begin with a 12-month trial from November 3.

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I walked out of Sydney Airport looking for a taxi… my experience convinced me cab drivers are like the ‘mafia’

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