Let’s face it – this happens or has happened to all of us at least once in our lives if not more often. And this is not at all country specific in the slightest but rather a worldwide phenomenon on the whole. Even the hardiest and most determined negotiators tend to fail and crumble before the undying will of a taxi driver who will simply not budge an inch from the price he has asked.
Once that happens, one has little to no other choice but to simply agree to the exorbitant price and get in the car. And if you happen to be a tourist, then of course the chances of this happening to you are even higher. You could be taking a taxi anywhere in the world, it does not matter as the problem is invariably the same.
Then again a lot of times, the simplest solution is to take some form of public transport, but even that depends on a myriad of other factors. Depending on which part of the world you are in, that could be an easy or a very difficult task as in this particular regard, things are not uniform in all of the worldwide and famous cities, as much as we would prefer it to be. On that note, let’s take a good look at some of the most helpful tips on how to avoid being ripped off :-
Educate yourself on the place you’re going to visit: For any person who has been a traveller for a while, this is pretty much a no-brainer. Ask as many question as possible on online forums as well as people who know the place about the transport scenario there. Do they have many modes of public transport? How safe is it to be out at night and ask for a cab?
The Broken Taxi Meter Myth: Sometimes a lot of travel books might tell you otherwise about the taxi meters being non-functional but that is really not the case in most of the cities. In fact, it is that very myth that leads people to think that they need to ask the cab driver the rates which in turns leads to them getting ripped off.
Just remember this the next time you’re in an unfamiliar city – get into the cab and tell him the destination. More often than not, he will put the meter on and stick to that.
The same principles work all across the world: Yes, that is pretty much an established fact. You may be in Delhi, Bangkok, Beijing, London, New York or Kuala Lumpur for that matter, but as far as standard rates are concerned, the cool way to beat getting ripped off remains pretty much the same in all cities. Of course, in heavily touristed areas in particular this is unlikely to work, but still.
Also it may be worthwhile to know that if you happen to know the language of that particular country, striking up a casual conversation with the driver really wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Of course, this can officially have the opposite effect since they could think that you’d be friendly enough to accept and pay any price, butt then again if you happen to enter the cab with a hostile and negative attitude, the chances of them seeing through that and then subsequently charging a higher fare are much more likely.
