When in Rome, watch out for bogus taxis without meters. They charge a fortune for the ride, and have been known to drop you miles away from your destination.
I guess this also be useful in any other country you are visiting. I even fell into this kind of bad drivers in my own country.
I was seated already and thought that the meter was already running. When the taxi began to run, I noticed that there the meter was not turned on, I ask the driver to let me out but he wouldn't stop the car and said that he will just give me a discount because I told him that I'm a student. When I arrived at my destination, he charged me about $10 which if I rode a bus would only cost me $0.20. I just gave him $2 because that's all I have left and because I have a large baggage.
That was a lesson to me that everytime I close the door of the taxi, I make sure that the meter was on.
I agree with tourist. In many countries they don't have meeters. In such places it is crucial that you negotiate the price upfront and make sure that this is for the whole fare and not per person.
This was a common mistake in Peru. People knew they had to ask upfront and at the end the driver explained to them that this was the price per person. If they don't have meeters, there is always room for negotiation. I usually asked at the front desk of my hotel how much I should pay and asked them to call the cab for me and negotiate the price upfront.
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I guess this also be useful in any other country you are visiting. I even fell into this kind of bad drivers in my own country.
I was seated already and thought that the meter was already running. When the taxi began to run, I noticed that there the meter was not turned on, I ask the driver to let me out but he wouldn't stop the car and said that he will just give me a discount because I told him that I'm a student. When I arrived at my destination, he charged me about $10 which if I rode a bus would only cost me $0.20. I just gave him $2 because that's all I have left and because I have a large baggage.
That was a lesson to me that everytime I close the door of the taxi, I make sure that the meter was on.
I agree with tourist. In many countries they don't have meeters. In such places it is crucial that you negotiate the price upfront and make sure that this is for the whole fare and not per person.
This was a common mistake in Peru. People knew they had to ask upfront and at the end the driver explained to them that this was the price per person.
If they don't have meeters, there is always room for negotiation. I usually asked at the front desk of my hotel how much I should pay and asked them to call the cab for me and negotiate the price upfront.
Andre
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