AIBU to think taxi should be split 3 ways?

[MyNewBearTotoro]

I volunteer for a charity. Once a week myself and two other volunteers need to get a taxi together as part of our work for the charity. None of us receive any expenses from the charity so the taxis are paid from our household finances.

The other two volunteers are married and share all of their funds. The first time we got a taxi they paid the driver and I then gave them a third of the fare to cover my share. The last two times I have paid and they have given me 50% of the fare to cover their share.

AIBU to think if 3 people get a taxi then each person pays a third (and so they should be giving me two thirds of the fare when I pay) or are they right in thinking as a married unit with shared finances they count as one?

We will be getting a taxi together next week so it would be good to know what others think is fair before then. Thanks!

Emo Based on a pre-existing, arbitrarily important relationship that has no relevance to the reason for the journey?

Next time I go on a work trip with other colleagues, I shall declare myself part of the same group as one of the others, therefore increasing the shared cost for everyone apart from myself and the person I choose to be in my group.

"I'm always on soft drinks, tend to have a drink every third or fourth round"

That's a bit hard if there are only four of you out and you only ever have a drink when it gets to the fourth poor sod's round!

I've had this battle as a single mum going out with family members on day trips.

They wanted to share the cost per family. It is Obviously cheaper for me and my one child to pay for our tickets than combine with a relatives families with 2 adults, 2 kids.

Every damn time they do this and essentially want me to subsidise their arrangements. The last time they tried this I pointed out I could book my own caravan, train tickets etc and still spend less than the amount spilt between the families. I did book my own lovely caravan, travelled by train and had a fab weekend away whilst my relatives moaned I was being tight and unfair

So no, I don't think you are being unreasonable at all to want it split equally by the number of adults.

It can be complicatd.
A LP might have one wage coming in. A couple might have one wage between them.
Some people have more money than others
Sharing is not simple.
Ak any three year old.

Oh hang on. If this taxi journey doesn't involve any of the three going "home", but instead it's part of a work journey from (say) the office to another office, then it should be split 3 ways.

If it's dropping people home at the end of the shift then I think 50/50.

This is a difficult one. In that circumstance, yes it makes absolute sense that yes, you should all pay a third. However, I remember my OH and I going to a meal with a group of friends, all who were single. OH and I ordered one pizza between us, both had tap water and didn't have a dessert or starter. We were one of the few who didnt order alcohol, a starter or a dessert but we still had no qualms with the bill being split between everybody. I was a bit miffed we were asked to pay fork up £30 each when our pizza had only cost a tenner(ish!). We ate as one so didn't see why we should pay as two.

Fair point ADish I try and organise it so its on my dh's round, unless I'm really really needing a drink.
Still something to think about though. :)

YANBU.

It's a tricky one but I think it should be split 3 ways because you're saying it would be cheaper for you to get the bus than the taxi, whereas the bus would be more expensive for the couple based on a 50/50 taxi split.

In these circumstances everyone should be very aware that it's a shared cost and no one should be seen to be profiting which you could argue that the couple is.

You could say that in future you're going to take the bus as it's cheaper and see where that leaves you .

That's a bit hard if there are only four of you out and you only ever have a drink when it gets to the fourth poor sod's round!

I agree! That round where you have a drink should be the one you/DH pays for.

Oops! I see you have already thought of that

Felicity If personal financial circumstances mean that you are unable to contribute, or are grumpy about stumping up your fair share, you should decline to join in.

ElleGrace I have had that too! I usually go for veggie dishes when out because I'm cheap and I don't drink like a fish. Often my own personal bill would be around £20-£25 for a meal, dessert and a couple of drinks but more often than not I end up having to fork out £45 for a meal instead

there was this article with this to say

They set up three scenarios for a group of six diners: paying individually, splitting the bill equally, and receiving a free meal. Unsurprisingly, the average bill is smallest in the first case, with diners ordering 1.67 dishes on average. Move to splitting the bill equally, and average meal cost jumps by 36%. However, that's nothing compared to the free meal scenario, where participants ordered 3 dishes on average and the meal cost skyrocketed to 220% the cost of paying individually. Something to perhaps consider, before offering to pay for dinner on your next birthday.

I always enjoy a good dining split thread myself, but it's a bit different from a taxi .

Good point bettyberry
There is a pool of contentment between the extremes arguing over who had half a glass more than everyone else and having to subsidise others' extravagant intake when you've just had a bol of noodles.

Felicity I don't think income matters that much in most cases.

It might matter when choosing a restaurant / trip / event (I wouldn't want to suggest something that was out of reach for many of the group).

Once something's agreed to though, other people's budget is not my lookout. That may sound harsh and in truth I don't mind quietly subbing in some circumstances, but I wouldn't like it to be expected (and in fact am much less close to someone who did expect it because 'we were a couple and earned more'). Equally many of my friends wouldn't be highly offended if I suggested I pay more because they were LP / had a lower paying job.

In this instance I would split 50/50 as if OP didn't share it would cost her twice as much

But that's twice as much as an arbitrarily decided fare based on how the total is split between the three people travelling. All of which is irrelevant anyway as the OP has said that if she wasn't travelling with this couple she would get the bus which costs less than half of the taxi fare, so sharing the taxi in this way is actually costing her money.

"If i get off a plane and there is a family of four heading from the taxi rank to the same place I am going I don't only pay 20% if we agree to share, I pay half the fare same as they do as that is what each group has saved"

So you're squashed into the window with a family of four, but you would pay the same as if you had half the space?

Also, it's not the same situation. These 3 people work together and decided to travel together. It's not OP asking them to join her.

I know it's a principle we're talking about here, but it would be interesting to know the actual financial amounts.

If the difference was say less than a pound per trip, then I'd be inclined not to mention it and enjoy the extra comfort of the taxi over the bus for that sum. If it was more than that then I'd probably want to mention it as it would mount up, along with my resentment, over the course of the year.

I think suggesting you're going to get the bus as it's cheaper is the best option OP, that way it forces the conversation round quite neatly to your point.

I think if there is one journey ut should he split 3 ways. If you were going to each of your houses then 50/50.

I think the rounds thing is a nightmare and I would much prefer dh and I to opt out and buy our own drinks. I think some people might assume I am not buying a round if dh is the one who actually goes to the bar and orders, but all our money is shared so it doesn't make a difference who physically queues at the pub. We do buy twice what we would expect single friends to buy though, but that might no be noticed when people have all been drinking.

In this instance I think it should be split three ways.

If you were out as friends and the taxi was to take you home, I would agree it should be 50% as the taxi is making two stops.

If I am driving somewhere and someone asks for a lift I would not expect them to pay petrol money, I am going anyway. If it was every day to work that might be different as I am saving them a regular commute cost eg train or bus or their own car. But not for a one-off trip or very occasional, it makes no difference to me whether I have a passenger or not.

If someone asked me to take them somewhere as a favour and I wasn't going anyway, it would be nice if they offered petrol money, but again if it were a one-off, I'd probably not mind. If they wanted a lift every week, I'd want them to pay for my petrol.

I hate drinks rounds and am mighty glad that I don't really encounter group drinking situations very often.

My pet peeve is the group kitty where everyone puts in the same amount regardless of how much your drink costs and how many you want to have. It invariably results in me getting drinks too fast for my slow speed and then as I usually leave quite early ending up out of pocket.

Much better system in Austria where everyone got issued a separate bill for what they ate and drunk.

Anyway - not a taxi situation.

I hate couples who for the purposes of bill splitting or money saving count as one unit. 3 people in the cab. 3 volunteers. Each pays 1/3. YANBU.

"My pet peeve is the group kitty where everyone puts in the same amount regardless of how much your drink costs and how many you want to have. It invariably results in me getting drinks too fast for my slow speed and then as I usually leave quite early ending up out of pocket."

I would just completely refuse to do this.

FelicityFunknickle and many people are living to strict budgets. I know I do so it really riles me when I set aside cash for a night out, have a rough idea of restaurant costs then some decides to split the bill and orders a £30 steak and £50 bottle of wine. I'm often the only one saying.' No, I'd just like to pay for my own thanks' with looks of disgust and as though I'm tight fisted. I'm not. I'm just a carer relying on benefits to top up my earnings and nights out are rare :(

Same goes with taxi fares. I'd often leave early and get the bus to save money. I'm a killjoy

It's hard though gwen when it's with work colleagues or ex work colleagues. I don't want to appear stingy for the sake of an extra fiver.