Taxi Fare Conundrum.

[dave50]

Two couples and one person on their own (because their other half doesn't want to join us) are sharing a taxi and it has to be a six seater because of the extra person. The total fare is £18, do we split it three ways, £6 per couple and £6 for the one person, ie three separate families. Or five ways for five people. Meaning each individual couple pays more to subsidise single person. If the single person was not there and we could use a normal car, the total fare would only be £12, £6 a couple. 

 

[barry1010]

Are they all traveling to and from the same place?

[rockyracoon]

5 ways

[DDIL]

Divide by 5.

its 1.20 a couple more stop quibbling over pennies.

[dave50]

All going to same venue.

[ToraToraTora]

£3.60 per person.

[naomi24]

Personally I'd just pay it - I hate petty fussing over bills - but if you want to divide it add a couple of pounds for the driver's tip and divide the resulting £20 by five.  £4 each.

[Maydup]

Agree with Naomi. Either one person pays it or it's £4 each. 
If you didn't have room for the 5th person or weren't prepared to pay extra for the larger car you should have said! 

[Togo]

//I hate petty fussing over bills//

Snap. Imagine the heart fluttering when it comes to drinks rounds or a meal tab. 

[Canary42]

Much Ado About Nothing

[New Judge]

It's £3.60 each.

Nobody is "subsidising" the single person. If you make him pay £6 he would be "subsidising" the two couples as they should pay £7.20 for two.

"If the single person was not there..."

But he is. You are where you are, not where you'd like to be. You need a car for six and the five of you have to pay for it.

The alternative is to wish him a Happy Christmas but tell him he can't come because the four of you cannot afford an extra sixty pence each.

[naomi24]

Restaurant bills are the worst, Togo.  Eating with people who count the separate cost of everything that everyone has ordered - and who had an extra glass of wine.  We avoid them the next time.

[Tilly2]

What a fuss. I'm glad I'm not your friend.

[DDIL]

@naomi as they are fussing over a couple of pound I suspect the driver may not get a tip!

[New Judge]

"Eating with people who count the separate cost of everything that everyone has ordered - and who had an extra glass of wine."

Whenever I eat out with anybody - no matter how big or small the party - I make it clear from the outsett that I will not be gettting involved in any of that nonsense. The bill will be divided by n, where n is the number of participants. Those wishing to do their own thing can ask the waiter to provide a separate bill for them. 

The last thing I will be doing at the end of a nice meal out is going through an itemised bill and atttributing each item to one of the guests.

[Canary42]

I agree newjudge - talk about how to spoil a nice meal out !

[drmorgans]

 

Half the bill for "families" (£3 each) and half for each individual (£1.80 each) so that's £6.60 for the couples and £4.80 for the singleton. Call it £6.50 and £5.

 

[Bazile]

I agree about the food 

However what if some are having lots of 'expensive ' drinks and others are not ?

[New Judge]

Why should the singleton pay more than each of the others? Is he to be punished because his partner does not want to go?

What a farce. Almost as bad as the "share out" in the film "It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world". For those of you who haven't seen it, a group of people witness an old driver going off the road and plunging down a ravine. They scramble down to the wreck to see if they can help, but when they get there he is on his last legs. But before he goes, he manages to tell them about a buried treasure.

The rest of the film follows their exploits in trying to locate it. But not before they discuss how to share out the bounty:

 

 

[Prudie]

How odd no-one else would agree wth my answer. The 3 factions pay £6 each. The 2 couples in a 4 seater would pay that anyway if the 5th person wasn't coming.

Think yourself lucky you can even get a taxi ride for £6, that would be unheard of in my area.

[drmorgans]

 

"... everybody has to pay taxes, even businesses, that rob and steal ..."

There's me thinking it was a screwball comedy, not kitchen-sink drama.