Bad taxi experiences

Case 1
It was a rainy afternoon. I was trying to get a taxi to the airport. I approach one and agreed on the price with the driver. My schedule was quite tight.

Immediately after moving, the driver said that he has to fill up the tank. He took some time at the pump as his vehicle runs on LPG. Then he took the wrong route and has to turn back. This wasted further time. A little distance further, he saw an airport taxi stopped by the road side. He stopped his car near it and came down to talk to the driver. ( The rain has stopped by this time.) Apparently, he was trying to sell my trip to the other taxi. They couldn't reach a deal. He then grudgingly travels to the airport. I was already very late by this time.

All the way, he was on his cellphone talking loudly to someone. Worst still, his car was shaking badly beyond a certain speed. I sat nervously at the back and prayed that I will reach the airport safely.

I reached the airport way past the check-in time. Luckily, the flight was delayed and I managed to check-in and got home. However, the trip left me a bad memory.


Case 2
I hailed a taxi and told him my destination. (I am not familiar with the place.) He seemed not sure about the place too. He asked me to telephone the destination and he spoke to the other side. Still, he seemed uncertain. He took me to a wrong place ( a short detour). After that he seemed to know the place and brought me there.

While in the car, I noticed that the meter is blocked by a towel placed over the gear knob. I did not suspect anything. When the meter was revealed at the destination, I was a bit shocked by the amount. I paid the stated fare.

On the return journey, the fare was less than half of the earlier trip. Then, I knew for sure that I was ripped off by the first driver.


Generally, taxis all over the place are not happy with the fare they are supposed to receive. They always come up with some trick to sqeeze some extra dollars from the passenger. Why?