No haggling allowed but...
"THIS is a metered taxi. No haggling is allowed". Is this sentence familiar to you? It is found on a sticker on the passenger door of almost every city taxi.
Have you ever wondered if this message is meant for you or the driver?
The phrase is so assuring -- if only all taxi drivers would abide by it.
After all, which passenger would haggle the price unless he or she has been overcharged, and how can taxi drivers overcharge except when they do not charge according to the fare displayed on the meter, or when they have not turned on the meter in the first place?
I am sure the taxi drivers who impose support the policy of "no haggling, please".
Passengers, who generally feel that they have been taken for a ride, will oppose to it.
Our part-time photographer was recently charged RM8 to be ferried from our Bandar Baru Uda office to Angsana Johor Baru Mall, which is hardly three kilometres away.
It is no wonder we wonder if the drivers truly understand what the phrase, which is written in English, means.
Singapore taxi drivers do not haggle, as they charge according to the fare displayed on the meter. They know very well the consequences should they charge an extra ten cent, or even one cent, for that matter.
I have no worry of being overcharged when in a taxi in the republic, although I prefer to use the MRT most of the time because it is a cheaper means of getting around.
Their drivers do not give me the look a vulture gives when looking at prey.
Back in my homeland, I find that I am not so lucky. Most of the time, I pay more than required for a taxi ride. I do not do this out of my own free will, but the will of the taxi drivers.
If I were to argue, these drivers would give me a look that could easily be interpreted as to mean, "If you can't afford to take a cab, why don't you walk or take a bus?"
In Johor Baru, the situation of haggling at the JB Sentral may be as bad as, if not worse than, Pudu Sentral in Kuala Lumpur.
If you are taking a chartered cab from Johor to the republic, some drivers will charge you in Singapore dollars although they are compelled to use the ringgit.
But do not let me spoil your day by highlighting the bad apples, as there are also many good taxi drivers around.
I have also come across taxi drivers who do not ask for the 10 or 20 sen owing, but round the figure off to the nearest, lowest fare.
I have come across some drivers who complain about their counterparts for tarnishing the image of the industry through overcharging and haggling, among others.
I have seen taxi drivers sending old folk to the clinic. They even go the extra mile by bringing taking them to the registration counter, although their duty ends the moment their passengers alight from their vehicles.
These are some of the fine examples of good taxi drivers. We need more of them than bad apples.
Share with us your good and bad experiences as well as your suggestions to enhance the quality of service that taxis provide.
Call us at 07-236 1582, to share your experience.
Land Public Transport Commission officers stop a taxi near Sutera Mall to check the meter.
~News courtesy of New Straits Times~
"THIS is a metered taxi. No haggling is allowed". Is this sentence familiar to you? It is found on a sticker on the passenger door of almost every city taxi.
Have you ever wondered if this message is meant for you or the driver?
The phrase is so assuring -- if only all taxi drivers would abide by it.
After all, which passenger would haggle the price unless he or she has been overcharged, and how can taxi drivers overcharge except when they do not charge according to the fare displayed on the meter, or when they have not turned on the meter in the first place?
I am sure the taxi drivers who impose support the policy of "no haggling, please".
Passengers, who generally feel that they have been taken for a ride, will oppose to it.
Our part-time photographer was recently charged RM8 to be ferried from our Bandar Baru Uda office to Angsana Johor Baru Mall, which is hardly three kilometres away.
It is no wonder we wonder if the drivers truly understand what the phrase, which is written in English, means.
Singapore taxi drivers do not haggle, as they charge according to the fare displayed on the meter. They know very well the consequences should they charge an extra ten cent, or even one cent, for that matter.
I have no worry of being overcharged when in a taxi in the republic, although I prefer to use the MRT most of the time because it is a cheaper means of getting around.
Their drivers do not give me the look a vulture gives when looking at prey.
Back in my homeland, I find that I am not so lucky. Most of the time, I pay more than required for a taxi ride. I do not do this out of my own free will, but the will of the taxi drivers.
If I were to argue, these drivers would give me a look that could easily be interpreted as to mean, "If you can't afford to take a cab, why don't you walk or take a bus?"
In Johor Baru, the situation of haggling at the JB Sentral may be as bad as, if not worse than, Pudu Sentral in Kuala Lumpur.
If you are taking a chartered cab from Johor to the republic, some drivers will charge you in Singapore dollars although they are compelled to use the ringgit.
But do not let me spoil your day by highlighting the bad apples, as there are also many good taxi drivers around.
I have also come across taxi drivers who do not ask for the 10 or 20 sen owing, but round the figure off to the nearest, lowest fare.
I have come across some drivers who complain about their counterparts for tarnishing the image of the industry through overcharging and haggling, among others.
I have seen taxi drivers sending old folk to the clinic. They even go the extra mile by bringing taking them to the registration counter, although their duty ends the moment their passengers alight from their vehicles.
These are some of the fine examples of good taxi drivers. We need more of them than bad apples.
Share with us your good and bad experiences as well as your suggestions to enhance the quality of service that taxis provide.
Call us at 07-236 1582, to share your experience.
Land Public Transport Commission officers stop a taxi near Sutera Mall to check the meter.
~News courtesy of New Straits Times~
I have taken taxis a great deal in JB and have had almost no problems. I have discovered there is a systemic flaw where taxis forced to wait to pick up fairs (Zon mainly, and 1 other place I can't remember) often refuse to use the meter. For foreigners they still hardly ask for any extra (in my experience in maybe 5 times I was quoted a fair they came to less than 2 or 3 MYR extra - under US$1).
ReplyDeleteI really think the problem is more that they need to just charge a 2MYR fee or something (I don't know the right amount but something that is fair) at those locations where the taxis have to wait to pick up fairs). At CIQ the set fees are about 5 MYR over (AND they can put other passengers in your cab going somewhat close to where you are) for the short distances (maybe they don't have the same extra amount for longer fares) I have traveled so it isn't like this concept isn't already in use.
Obviously you can see the issue for a taxi driver if they have to wait 20 minutes and then get a 5 MYR fair.