Are all taxi drivers scamming barstewards?

[Pondlife]

<rant>
Generally when at home we dial the local cab company using any combination of numbers 7 and 5. They turn up after the obilgatory 2nd call to be told the driver is 'just around the corner', then they take you where you want to go by the quickest and most direct route.

Whenever I get into a taxi (rather than private hire) the driver seemingly always tries to take the pniss with the route.

Every week I get a taxi from the airport to office. Route through town is €30 and takes about half an hour or alt route on Motorway €50 and takes an hour. Every tuliping time the first thing they say on hearing the destination is 'motorway probably best then'. Like tulip it is!

This morning, taxi from hotel to office. Get to set of lights and I notice 'drive' is in the wrong lane. I point this out to be told that there are many ways to get there. Since I work on the opposite side of a big tuliping river I know there are only a certain number of crossing points, none of which are in the direction he wants to go.

I ask him which way will be quicker and he agrees that my way is. FFS!

It seems to be a UK/Euro thing as nowhere else in the world is it so relentless.
</rant>


Discuss...

Or degenerate into another slanging match, I don't care.

[poser]

you want to try the taxis in cyprus, you'll be lucky to get there alive in the clapped out old merc which has got holes in it so you can see the floor, and a drunk driver!!!

oh an yes they all take the p1ss with the fares, when in bratislava did the same journey countless times with prices ranging from 4 - 12 quid!!! then we found out its legal for everybody to carry guns. so naturally we didnt argue about price.

[BA to the Stars]

<rant>
Generally when at home we dial the local cab company using any combination of numbers 7 and 5. They turn up after the obilgatory 2nd call to be told the driver is 'just around the corner', then they take you where you want to go by the quickest and most direct route.

Whenever I get into a taxi (rather than private hire) the driver seemingly always tries to take the pniss with the route.

Every week I get a taxi from the airport to office. Route through town is €30 and takes about half an hour or alt route on Motorway €50 and takes an hour. Every tuliping time the first thing they say on hearing the destination is 'motorway probably best then'. Like tulip it is!

This morning, taxi from hotel to office. Get to set of lights and I notice 'drive' is in the wrong lane. I point this out to be told that there are many ways to get there. Since I work on the opposite side of a big tuliping river I know there are only a certain number of crossing points, none of which are in the direction he wants to go.

I ask him which way will be quicker and he agrees that my way is. FFS!

It seems to be a UK/Euro thing as nowhere else in the world is it so relentless.
</rant>


Discuss...

Or degenerate into another slanging match, I don't care.

Yes. Next

[TimberWolf]

Yes. Next

Talk to the hand.

[BA to the Stars]

I always avoid using taxis where possible. Mainly for the reasons that Pondlife has described.

[Sockpuppet]

The permies over here (poland and czech repulic) learnt in thier "awareness training" that the taxi drivers like to nail it so you dont think they are taking the piss.

Personally I'd like to do less than 100 over cobbled streets.

[DimPrawn]

you want to try the taxis in cyprus, you'll be lucky to get there alive in the clapped out old merc which has got holes in it so you can see the floor, and a drunk driver!!!

oh an yes they all take the p1ss with the fares, when in bratislava did the same journey countless times with prices ranging from 4 - 12 quid!!! then we found out its legal for everybody to carry guns. so naturally we didnt argue about price.

It is illegal to drive sober in Cyprus.

Taxi drivers are just ex-cons with attitude over there.

[daviejones]

I got a taxi in London and asked the cabbie to drop me off at the DLR..he took a dodgy route and then said "I had no idea what the DLR is"...loonie.

[threaded]

I ordered a taxi once from a taxi firm in Roskilde. Asked the driver to take me to Roskilde Cathedral. He didn't know where it was. Talk about being new to the job...

[HYpno27]

"It seems to be a UK/Euro thing as nowhere else in the world is it so relentless"

Had the same kind of thing in New York, with a yellow cab driver who knew less of the way than I did, and I was navigating based on films and tv