Taxi RIP-OFF ALERT

[Gene]

Something is happening....over a period of about 1 week, two taxi drivers tried to cheat us, possiblity since we are foreign they think we are tourists....it happened so seldom in the past, we were not ready for it. But we argued and the taxi driver immediately gave in both time.

CAUTION: always make sure the meter is turned on when you get in the cab. If not, expect the taxi to request at least a double fare. If it happens, tell your driver that you KNOW that they are cheating. If you decrease the fare by 50% of or more you probably will not get much of an arguement.

[kuzukuzu]

Hey Gene, I have been using Ekipažas (based on your recommendation) a multitude of times since I arrived here three weeks ago. I've always phoned ahead and have not encountered any problems (or "broken" meters) whatsoever. Would you mind stating what company/ies this was with?

[Gene]

It was not Ekipažas. We never had a problem with Ekipažas drivers cheating. Problem with them is that many of their taxis do not have seat belts. Since we have a baby, we are being more careful about that. I was trying to be polite and not mention their name. But interestingly, I wrote an email to the company in question to ask inform them. Not surprisingly, I got no response. This is the Taxi company which is supposed to be able to communicate in English, does that tell you anything?

[Rhayader]

I commonlys use the service of that particular company and never had any major problems with them....
I do think it fairly important that their cabs are in more than reasonable condition and their drivers usually
not pretending to be F1 race car drivers......

[Gene]

Rhayader
Yes, you are right. Their cabs are in better condition then most and since their fares came down about a year ago, we started to use them frequently. However, after 3 "cheating" events in the space of about 2 weeks we are getting cautious and felt the need to warn others. Just watch to make sure that their meter is on when they take off and you should be OK.


PS: While there is a difference in the condition of the taxis, I have not noticed any difference in driving skills.

[Rhayader]

Thanks for the advice Gene, i'll certainly keep an eye out One thing i have noticed over the years is that some taxis tend to take a 'scenic' route once they notice their passengers are from abroad, and sometimes when i notice they are taking a little detour, i point out that the shorter route would be a lot cheaper Frankly, for first time visitors there is no way of knowing....