"Before you speak to the driver of the cab you called, make sure you know your destination by heart."
...............
No matter what you do you are going to be ripped off by cab drivers. It is a lost battle. This rip-off is of course easier when you look foreign and lost.
I paid $18 for my trip from Reagan International to the Ritz-Carlton on 22nd Street. A week later, at about the same time of the day, I paid only $11 for the return trip. It has been hard for me to explain to the difference in fare.
Okay, this was a blatant case of overcharge. Less blatant than two months ago in Lisbon when I paid 12 euros (plus a generous tip) for a trip from my hotel, the Sofitel on Avenida da Liberdade, to the docks, and surpringly ... 5 euros on my trip back, five hours
later.
In both cases, I made the same mistake. I handed to the driver a brochure with the address on it. He knew then I had no idea where I was going.
On both return trips, I behaved much more confidently; I sounded less like a pigeon...
(The Traveller, Saturday, April 27, 2002)
04-27-02, 02:28 PM
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