Jump to content
Bill H

Bad Taxi, what would you do?

Recommended Posts

Bill H

After a wretched flight from the States and two lost bags, I went to the taxi stand to get a ride home.  One guy wanted $80 another said he'd do it for $70 I told them all the going rate was $50.  Two guys remained in the bidding, and I settled with one of them for $55.  In the cab, off we go for what I thought would be an uneventful ride home.

 

We were not two blocks from the entrance to the airport when my driver pulled into a parking lot and spoke with a man there.  I just wanted to go home and had already told him no detours, no stopping, just get me home.  The driver comes back to the cab with his buddy in tow and tells me this is his "brother" and it is his brother who will actually drive me home.  I don't like that idea, the "brother" is driving a POV, has no Taxi license, etc.  So, I tell the first driver no, that does not work for me, so if he does not want to drive me home, he can return my money, and I will find another ride.

 

Except he refuses to do that and informs me, it's his brother for the trip and if not no refund.  I'm not happy, but I haven't had any appreciable sleep in three days, so I don't see I have much choice unless I want to walk away from my $55, so I agree and get in the second car.  The driver seems nice enough and speaks better English than the first guy.  He also drives an SUV, so it's more comfortable.  Maybe this won't be such a bad trip after all.  Fool that I am. 

 

We are approaching the outskirts of the city with just a few more factories before we hit the more open section of highway four.  Without notice, the driver pulls off the road and tells me he's hungry, so he will stop to eat there.  Telling him to eat later does not work, so I wait.  While waiting, I look at the instrument cluster and see the gas gauge is almost at empty and the low fuel light is on.  After a long 30 minutes, the driver returns and I mention the gas situation.  He ignores me.

 

We drive a kilometer or two when he again pulls off of Highway 4 and heads down a side street.  I do not like this at all, but the driver remains cheerful and tells me this is a "short cut" to home.  This is a rather narrow street, and I'm not feeling good about this, and my gut is beginning to scream.  One of the things I learned in the Army is always to listen to your gut, that tactic has served me well most of my life, so I opted for the gut over the driver's soothing words and told him NO.   I told him to go back to highway 4 I did not want any shortcuts or detours or more lunch breaks, I just wanted to go home.  He refused to return to the highway, so at this point, I became adamant and demanded he return to the highway post haste.  We yelled at each other for a bit, but he finally turned the car around.  He was no longer friendly being more sullen if not mad.  Back on highway four, he began to yell at me; then he started driving like a maniac.  I've lived all over the world, and I've seen bad cab drivers, the one with a gun in Panama was one of the worse, but this guy was making a go for the number one spot.

 

I told him I was not happy with his driving and asked him to slow down and stop the histrionics.  He just yelled at me more and drove even worse.  Finally, I told him to stop, put gas in the car and drive sanely or I would terminate the trip.  He just laughed and drove even worse.  With gut screaming even worse I considered making a go for the key, but I was in the back seat, and it would be a stretch plus I'd have to remove my seatbelt.  We yelled some more to no avail, so I tried one last idea.  I stopped yelling, got very calm and proceeded to tell him that I was a third-degree Dan (black belt) in Tai Kwon Do, and if he did not pull over and stop the car in the next five seconds, I would give him a demonstration of just what a third-degree black belt can do.  He pulled off the road and stopped immediately.  I got my backpack and carryon bags and got out of the car and walked off.  He'd already told me no refunds and at that point I didn't care.

 

God was smiling on me, though, and I caught a bus within two minutes!  Slower to be sure, but the driver only charged me $5, so I was happy.  He also drove very professionally, for which I was very grateful.  In time we made it to a truck stop on the outskirts of Snookyville, and I caught a tuk-tuk for the final ride home.

 

My question dear readers, is what would you have done differently?  Does this kind of thing happen often?  I'm all ears; please do fill them.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Parrothead

 

 


My question dear readers, is what would you have done differently?

 

Never happened to me. 
 

As advised, NEVER pay up front.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Bill H

Lesson learned.  I did get the name and Taxi license number of the first driver and the car license of the second.  Question is, who do I give this information to?  Does anyone know?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
syzmic

 Question is, who do I give this information to?  Does anyone know?

 

 

Since you are talking about Cambodia, and you weren't robbed at gunpoint, you will find that nobody really cares.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
dicey eye

I always pay once I arrive at my destination - never, ever before. And if I'm dissatisfied with the driving I deduct from the agreed price - which I inform them during the journey.

Amazing how money can be used as a carrot-on-a-stick to motivate drivers.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • If you would like to join to begin posting and become an active member, feel free to click on THIS LINK, to register. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the Forum Operations / Issues forum. If you register, but then are unable to log in, please feel free to post concerns in the Having Problems Logging In? forum. We will address any and all questions, comments, or concerns, as quickly as possible. Welcome to the Living In Cambodia Forums! 

    Welcome to the forum!

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use & Guidelines. Here is our Privacy Policy.