John, 75, wanted a taxi outside Sydney airport to take him 1.5km to his hotel. Drivers refused | New South Wales

John Heron’s four-hour flight from Perth touched down in Sydney just before 10.30pm on Tuesday. Following his late arrival, the 75-year-old man had booked a nearby hotel about 1.5 km away to spend the night.

Heron grabbed her bag, left the airport and about half an hour later walked towards the taxi rank opposite the Virgin Australia terminal. A higher-ranking worker directed him to a taxi waiting in a bay. However, Heron said he refused the taxi fare because the journey was too short.

“He said, ‘Oh no, you have to walk there,'” Heron recalled the driver in a telephone interview with Guardian Australia. “There was a taxi stand right outside the Virgin terminal and it wasn’t very crowded. There were a lot of taxis.”

Heron was instead directed to another taxi waiting in line. He said he got the same answer.

“How will I walk there alone at night, on a road I don’t know?” he said. “There was a maze of roads, paths and lights, so it wouldn’t be easy to get there in the dark at 11 o’clock at night.

“I’m also pretty happy I paid for the taxi.”

Heron eventually managed to get into a taxi after speaking to a rank-and-file superior and taking photographs of two taxis for which he had allegedly not been charged. The ride to the Moxy Hotel near the airport took less than five minutes, but he said he paid about $28 and was happy to do so.

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A hotel employee, who asked not to be named, said difficulty finding a taxi to and from Moxy was a known problem.

“If they come from abroad, they usually go on foot,” the manager said about the customers staying at the hotel. If travelers want to drive, he often recommends taking an Uber.

Point-to-point transport commissioner of the New South Wales government Issued 12 fee denial penalty notices The last time it published data on the subject was between January and June of this year. Last year, 58 similar sentences were handed down, more than a third of them in December alone.

In total, the commission has issued more than 1,200 fines in recent years.

The fine for a first fare-related offense will be increased from $1,000 to $3,000 in an effort to deter taxi drivers from overcharging, refusing fares or not using their meters.

The commission told Guardian Australia that all passengers have the right to hire a taxi of a certain class, including to Sydney airport, “no matter how short the journey”. There is just certain limited conditions where trips can be denied.

The commission said in a statement that “the vast majority of taxi drivers in NSW are doing the right thing”. But “warranted officers are on duty at Sydney airport, conducting both plainclothes and highly visible operations” to support the new $60 flat fee trial launched on Monday.

If a passenger refuses service due to short fare, passengers are encouraged to note the taxi’s license plate, company name and report the incident to the point-to-point taxi fare hotline, the agency said.

NSW Taxi Council CEO Nick Abrahim told the Guardian that while the majority of drivers were doing the right thing when it came to accepting fares, any driver who failed to maintain industry standards and did not comply with the law was unacceptable.

“We do not tolerate this,” Ibrahim said. “Whatever the driver’s reasoning, no matter how long he waited, it is not any passenger’s fault… and is in fact breaking the law.

“We are there to serve travelers no matter where they are going or how far the journey is.”

Abrahim said the council had received feedback and concerns from drivers, some of whom had raised the issue of short fares at the airport. The council is actively working on a solution, including some form of short fare system, to support drivers and ensure passengers can get a ride when and where they need it.

But he said drivers must obey the law.

A new trial of fixed taxi fares from the station at Sydney airport to the city’s CBD began on November 3; This is widely seen as an effort to help taxis remain competitive with ride-sharing services. For 18 months, passengers traveling to a specific area in the CBD will be charged a fixed fee of $60 for a standard taxi or $80 for a maxi taxi.

This fee includes all tolls, fees, charges and taxes, excluding credit card or payment surcharges.

In a statement to Guardian Australia regarding incidents similar to the Heron, Sydney airport said it took fare denials and passenger rights “seriously”.

“All passengers are entitled to metered fare at regulated rates,” an airport spokesman said. Passengers are asked to report drivers who refuse a ride or do not use the taximeter.

Sydney airport recently launched a taxi concierge program in partnership with the taxi council and commissioner to ensure drivers accept all fares and operate meters correctly.

Heron said he understands the taxi’s point of view, but some trips are long and some are short.

“If this is a problem for short trips, maybe we could impose a surcharge,” he suggested.

“I don’t mind paying additional fees,” Heron added. “Actually, if he was a nice guy, I would give him a generous tip.”

Have you ever had a taxi driver refuse to take you on a short trip? Contact nick.visser@theguardian.com