Many of the quiet ways to beat shady taxi drivers I mentioned in Part 1 take place before you ever meet the driver. The hardest part of not getting ripped off by a dishonest cab driver is when you are actually sitting behind them. I once read that being silent hides your ignorance and the less you say the more you convey.
As long as you are conveying the right things you can get a strong message across that you won’t be hustled easily.
Be Cheap Not Stupid
Go with whatever ‘official’ taxis there are and don’t try to save by going in an unmarked vehicle or one that doesn’t feel right (as I almost did in India). In many parts of the world there are official or government cars. These official vehicles might be a bit more expensive but aside from fixed prices you’ll also be safer.
Lose The Sympathy
I can’t tell you how many sob stories I’ve heard from some drivers, in particular the older ones. They try to make you feel sorry for them in hopes that you’ll leave a big tip or be OK with a drive that’s an hour longer than it should be. Be heartless and convey it by not responding much. (Don’t engage in conversation!)
Scope The Meter
Just because a meter is off doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work. Ask the driver to turn it on and if there is a problem with it confirm the average price you researched before the ride. Based on your prior research if working meters are common don’t get in a cab without one.
Mind Your Manners
- Be Nice Without A Smile – It almost goes without saying but be polite. A smile might give you away as naive though because in many places it’s an international faux pas.
- Eyes Up and Speak Up – You won’t notice the 10 left turns a shady taxi driver has taken if your nose is buried in a guidebook and he or she certainly won’t stop it if you don’t say anything. Trust your gut and ask why the driver is taking a certain route or to speed up if you feel like you are being taken for a ride.
- Dan mentions that you should pay once you are outside of the taxi either through the driver’s window or face to face after unloading your luggage. That way the driver can’t hold you up in the cab if you refuse to pay the fare being asked. (Thanks for the tip Dan.)
Don’t Let Your Guard Down
I know I’ve made taking a taxi sound like a horrific experience but it never has to be. None of these quiet ways will work if you don’t stick with them. Like anyone else trying to scam or hustle you out of some money a shady taxi driver will work all of the angle he or she thinks will work. Stay quiet and be firm and learn to blend in. A few minutes of Googling, a straight face, and a tight lip will go a long way to keeping your fare fair.
[photos by: Who.is.Bill.Posters?, lumierefl]
I totally agree with that. Iam actually one of those people who hate taxi conversations. I hate where are you from? have you ever been here before? its irritating from taxi drivers. or when they linger before they give your money waiting for bigger tip when you had to help them getting your bag in and out of the car. Thanks for these tips because what happens is I am too polite to be tough. but I will try your tips more strongly from now on.
Me too! I just want to get where I’m going. Besides the driver is either very bored or trying to get some information and charge you some extra money. The lingering is awkward too, and I just make the abrupt ‘thanks’ and head off.
It’s hard to be tough for many people, especially when the driver tries to make you feel guilty about it!
After a few times it will become second nature.
I am a cab driver in Canada and from my experience, 80% drivers are fair to their customer and they always take the shortest route. The other 20% are crooks and they’d do anything to get an extra quarter out of their customers. Some good tips there.
Good to know and adds to the good reputation that Canadians have!
OK.
So I hope you caught part I of my reply because sugar it ain’t over.
Here are some UNFOUNDED complaints I hear about taxi driers all the time.
THEY
DO NOT TAKE THE MOST DIRECT ROUTE
DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH
DO NOT KNOW THEIR DIRECTIONS
HAVE A TAXI THAT SMELLS
WERE RUDE
IT’S HOT IN THE TAXI
DO NOT TAKE THE MOST DIRECT ROUTE:
This is utter crap.
Taxi driers have one thing on their mind THE FASTEST WAY TO GET YOU THERE!
What idiots, Im sorry, I mean tourist forget is that the most direct path is RARELY the fastest. Maybe if its 3am in the morning and there is not a police officer around to harass you and trust me, if you are in NYC they were trained and certified to harass taxi drivers because this is their first taste of power and taxi drivers are open targets because most of them are not from this country worshiping the star of whatever. if you want to tell a driver that you are in a hurry DO NOT EXPECT HER TO TAKE THE MOST DIRECT ROUTE UNLESS YOU ARE CRIMINALLY INSANE.
Also, most people who say the are “IN A HURRY” expect the driver to use her skills to get you their fast, burn up her $4.00 per gallon gas to get your slow butt to your la-dee-da meeting and then you only tip them $2.00 bucks for doing it. Some of you cheap BITCHES actually ask for Coins back when you know damn well that the taxi driver usually DO NOT carry coin.
CAN YOU BLAME HER FOR TAKING HER SWEET TIME? I DON’T!
DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH,
I hate to break this to you but a lot of these drivers were doctors, lawyers,nures, scientist accountants and other things most of us cannot comprehend, they do not speak to you because you may be too stupid to talk to. TRUE STORY.
BESIDES, if the person spoke English, will you tip them more or treat them nicer. If you are one of these women on park ave ask yourself this RIGHT NOW.
TAXI DRIERS WHO DO NOT KNOW DIRECTIONS:
Simply put, if you do not know your directions, why should they?
BUY A MAP!
If a taxi driver does know his directions or has a GPS, shut up and stop giving directions, you may have taken the route for the past 30 years but he drives on the streets everyday. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ANYONE HOW TO DO THEIR JOB. again YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ANYONE HOW TO DO THEIR JOB. again YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ANYONE HOW TO DO THEIR JOB. again:
YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ANYONE HOW TO DO THEIR JOB.
YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ANYONE HOW TO DO THEIR JOB.
YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ANYONE HOW TO DO THEIR JOB.
YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ANYONE HOW TO DO THEIR JOB.
YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ANYONE HOW TO DO THEIR JOB.
YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ANYONE HOW TO DO THEIR JOB.
Taxi driver smells
Usually a taxi driver smells better than the person that gets in it. If the taxi smells, Get the number of the taxi and then complain that the company is not cleaning the car. I hate those damn partitions myself because of this reason. Customer after customer gets in the car and they smell like Roses that have been pulled out of a toilet pipe. And then another customers leaves their smell and another and another and then you get in with your smell and smell everyone else that has been there. This is not the taxi drivers fault. Its obviously the customer that leaves this nasty smell because the driver does not spend time back there in a DIRTY TAXI. SUre it gets clean but you cannot stop the smell of a rotten customer.
TAXI DRIVERS ARE RUDE…(read please)
Here is the gist.
Taxi drivers are actually quite friendly.. TRY ENGAGING THEM IN THIS STUFF CALLED “CONVERSATION”!
They will tell you were things are if they know, they will tell you what the weather will be like, they will also tell you where there is a sale at penny’s and let you in on tid bits ofthe city. THey also tell you about famous people that has gotten in the taxi you are riding in. THEY REALLY ARE FRIENDLY PEOPLE, however if you do F’ed up shit like this write up is telling you to do and of course do the NYC tradition of giving the cheapest tip possible to a taxi driver day after day, customer after customer year after year, I CANNOT BLAME THE NICEST TAXI DRIVER FOR BEING AN ASSHOLE……..THEY DESERVE IT!
ITS HOT IN THE TAXI.
Taxi drivers have to pay for EVERYTHING including gasoline.
DO NOT TURN ON THE AIR WHEN YOU GET IN…
ASK FIRST
DO NOT TURN ONT HE AIR WHEN YOU GET IN…
It is probably already on, just give yourself a moment to cool down and feel it. You dont get in a car and its MAGICALLY 20 degrees cooler and you want it to be 40 so you go pushing buttons. What would you do if some stranger came to your job and started messing with stuff or telling you how to do your job and on top of that you dont say much but they want to “get you fired” because you just looked at them funny?
yeah, its like that for a driver so back the hell off the A/C !
Look, There are a lot of things as customers we can do to make our ride nicer but do not think for a moment that taxi drivers are “OUT TO GET YOU” I dont know who thinks of this Anti-Semitic stuff but one thing I know for sure is this. There is some taxi etiquette we are overlooking.
lets go over a few rules.
1. Get in the taxi and then tell them where you are going unless its rush hour.
2. If a driver says NO I CANNOT TAKE YOU THERE and she clearly has her OFF DUTY light on, DO NOT COMPLAIN.
3. SO NO EAT IN THE TAXI
4. ASK, yes ASK if you can use YOUR PHONE in HIS TAXI. If you dont like it when he uses his phone then you should not use yours.
5. Tell him exactly where you are going and shut up and enjoy the ride, IF YOU SAY “IM IN A HURRY” or “IM LATE” or start giving directions. Pay double tip as mentioned before and do not complain if he makes you late because he didnt………YOU made YOU LATE!
6. If you do not talk to the taxi driver, you have no reason to complain about her/him being rude. You are being JUST AS RUDE as THEY ARE!
7. If you do not leave a good tip, you are encouraging the driver to expect rudeness for the next passenger and that next passenger COULD BE YOU!
8. Ask yourself…. Why do I want to tip everyone else well but not a taxi driver who actually pays out more money for his job than any other tipping profession.
9. DO not ask her to change the radio station. Shes there for 10-12 hrs per day, WHY SHOULD THEY BE UNCOMFORTABLE, THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE DRIVING!
10. Turn off that damn television in the back, its enough to drive anyone to go home and kill their families.
As you can tell, I have actually talked to taxi drivers and I am not some prissy intern that barely finished my “ba-mitz fa” and decided to go gung ho on taxi drivers everywhere. I actually try to see their job as a profession and not just some place where we can just go take a dump any time we please. Id like to see the author of this try to do their job for a day and see how they make out.
Taxi drivers go through rigorous training (at least in NYC, London and other places). why do they have to be the gum off of our shoe? They deserve respect just like anyone else.
Well, usually if the cab driver isn’t in an English-speaking country, they won’t speak English. The rest of what you wrote is completely off topic – I never mentioned anything like that in the post.
A lot of this sounds like personal issues, but hey, thanks for the candor.
That was an awesome reply. And by “awesome”, I mean I hope you get the help that you obviously need :-O
If your wife dislikes her job as a cab driver, perhaps she should look into another line of work?
I thought that was an awesome reply too.
It dosen’t sound like this guy/girl is speaking out of “personal issues” or even out of anger. I think what he/she says makes a lot of common sense. He/She is a good writer and got the point across unlike the original write up that sounds like a bunch of scare-tactics, and basically bringing attention and undue press to taxi drivers. I read carefully and when I take taxis they always treat me nicer when I talk to them and NONE of them have taken me for a ride (honestly, do not talk to them and give them vague directions? Im sorry but that is BS..LOL).
I’m not sure where the “wife” reference came in but it dosn’t sound like he or she HATES their job, if it’s their job at all (from what I read it dosen’t say they are a taxi driver) but it sounds like they see it as I do a real profession.
Anyway, good luck with your column.
Scare tactics they are not. I have traveled to many parts of the world and from time to time encountered dishonest taxi drivers. Many of the travelers who read this blog have often said they’ve had similar experiences.
Of course, it’s up to your judgment. You’ll hear this advice (try not to engage in conversation, get more specific with your directions as you get close to your destination) echoed in many other places.
These are good tips especially in some parts of the world outside of NYC. But we can agree to disagree – I appreciate your input.
You know. I can say one thing about this write up and you as an author.
At the end of your articles it says, “speak your mind” yet, when someone actually does speak their mind you go off on the ATTACK.
This guy was just speaking his mind as you say and he makes A LOT more sense then you do.
Why would you publish this and tell people to speak their mind if you are just going to try to censor them right after. You are just like the country of Iran and George W. Bush rolled into one.
Laura how was anyone censored? Where did the blog author attack anyone? He did not delete the ranting post reply above, even with all of it’s insults. The blog author replied with perhaps a very slight amount of sarcasm. In response to being called all those names and being e-screamed at by that commenter, I don’t see where you came up with this analysis, but your insults in fact do say quite a bit about you.
Dont worry, I won’t leave anything else just to be part of your “SPEAK YOUR MIND, but be sure you only say GOOD THINGS or else I WILL SPEAK BADLY OF YOU” repertoire.
Look, The man had valid points and in my opinion gave insight to a witch hunt disguised at somewhat humdrum of a write up.
Have you thought that maybe you would have more subscribers if you wouldnt personally attack them for stating their opinion.
RANT: That was hardly a rant. read it again and then rewrite your article.
I was not being insulting, but since you think I am anyway, LET ME OBLIGE YOU…
You see, your write up was stupid because it was not based on fact but your own so-called “personal experiences”, you left no room for any other options other than what you made up in your tiny little head. Furthermore, There is no way of proving anything that you say. I simply agreed with the guy who wrote his opinion and instead of just letting it be you come and do a witch hunt for me too… That my darling is censorship, you want to muffle anyone who has a different opinion than yours… see how that works? (dont answer, I wont be replying).
Maybe you should stop and take a step back and realize that other people have opinions too and when you leave it open for discussion it may be different from yours and in fact, you may even be wrong.
Im out.
Laura B.
Laura Montz, you realize I am a different person than the person who wrote this blog article? You seem to be confusing my replies with those of the blog author.
The author did not censor anyone, did not attack anyone, did not say that someone could not reply or speak their mind, even if they disagree.
Why are you also resorting to insults and attacks, all while claiming that is what the author is doing? Only you and your husband posted insults and attacks.
I think you have missed the point that this article was written with regards to taxi experiences around the entire world. Your experiences are likely in one place (New York City was suggested above, but it not the only place to hail a cab). This article did not criticize cab drivers around the world as all being bad people out to get everyone. It simply addressed some valid concerns about issues from around the world in many places when dealing with taxi drivers.
Nobody claimed that the Montz family are terrible cab drivers. Like every job, I’m sure being a cab driver has it’s downsides. D Montz listed several dozen in that reply above. I don’t think the article’s author intended to include every cab driver or insult you specifically.
I don’t want to stoke the fires but Rick Steves mentions overcharging cab drivers as one of the more common European scams you’ll encounter:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/traveltips/07/07/europe.scams/index.html