[Anonymous]

[Cedric_Statherby]

I have recently returned from a visit to Tallinn. Almost every aspect of my visit was most enjoyable, except one, which is that at the airport I was unlucky enough to get into a rogue taxi which hugely overcharged us. The taxi looked official, had an official taxi sign and was using the taxi stand at the airport, and had a meter. But the meter ran very fast (€4.90 flag fall and €4.90 per km), with the result that the short journey to the Old Town Centre cost €33. (I later learnt it should have been around €7).

This is quite simply unacceptable and I am amazed that the city authorities in Tallinn have not stopped this process. In the third world one expects taxis not to have meters, and one expects the drivers to try to defraud tourists who do not know what the rates should be. One knows this, one bargains, one agrees a price before the journey. But when one arrives as a visitor at the airport in a civilised country and takes an official taxi with an official meter from the official taxi stand, one does not expect it to be such a rip-off and running at such excessive rates. Moreover, even if one is a little surprised at the amount, one does not realise the fraud until the next time you take a taxi – and then it is too late to take the first taxi’s details down.

The whole affair is a disgrace to an otherwise very civilised country I enjoy visiting and have great affection for. Quite simply, this devalues the experience of any visitor and leaves a very nasty taste in the mouth. Moreover, I gather this is a known problem – my hotel commented to me that “this is a problem we have in this taxi business – it is true that meter rates are not regulated by the city or state, meaning if they have taken the taxi which had a sign with 5 EUR per KM, then it’s client’s fault”. A city which knows it has a problem and even so does nothing to stop it is simply failing in its duties to protect the public from fraud and thieves.

So do go to Tallinn, it is a great city and you will enjoy the experience, but do be aware that the city authorities tolerate criminals in the taxi business and do not police adherence to the official rates, even for taxis with meters.

[NTarrant]

Cedric, sadly it is not just places like Tallin where you can get ripped off by taxi drivers. Only three weeks ago, my wife and I along with my sister and her friend we were all ripped off by a taxi driver (or rather two between them) in Hong Kong.

Even here in the UK it happens. Sadly it is the culture of taxi drivers and the lack of control and regulation not just in the UK but world wide. I have a dislike for taxi’s, when you see the type of people that apply for a taxi licence, people that would certainly not get a license to drive a bus

[Cedric_Statherby]

NTarrant – I’m sorry to hear of your experiences, not least as I am a native Londoner who has lived in HK, so I have an affection for both cities. And usually the taxi services in both are very reliable. (Expensive, maybe, but reliable and fair).

In what ways were you ripped off? The standard ways a taxi driver rips one off are (a) a roundabout route to add to the mileage, and (b) unexplained extra charges such as “for the bags”, or “because it is peak time”, or even (this has happened to me in Paris) “because there are two of you”.

What was most unusual for me in Tallinn was that the meter was set at an illegal rate, way above the authorised rate. There is a taxi authority in Tallinn but it is simply not doing its job controlling the rates taxi drivers programme into their meters (in the UK the taxi drivers have no access to the rate-setting parts of their meters, which are behind a local authority seal). That is my main surprise – not at criminal taxi-drivers, which as you rightly say exist everywhere, but at the lazy and incompetent city authorities who do nothing to curb them, and who thereby get their city a bad name. Tashkent – I’d expect it. Tallinn – I am genuinely surprised and annoyed.

[samuel95]

@ NTarrant – I would strongly suggest that you contact the government departments / authorities responsible for the Transportation Network here in Hong Kong (especially if you have the registration plate of the taxi, but even without, just leave a general comment). They take complaints about taxis very seriously.

http://www.tcu.gov.hk
http://www.td.gov.hk

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

The taxi meter speed scam is also active in Prague.

[Potakas]

Also in Greece, and Turkey

[BlackTower]

And Vilnius.

not using meter rampant from lisbon airport too.

Get out refuse to pay say you are phoning Police.

Works for me but I do radiate violent nutter when challenged this way.

[NTarrant]

Thank you Toyotaboys95 for the web site details. It is now nearly three weeks ago but I have completed the form giving the details. If they can do something fine.

My wife and I along with my sister and her friend arrived at the Ocean Cruise Terminal, off our P&O cruise (we had started in DXB) and we were heading for the Wharney Guang Dong Hotel in Lockhart Road. We had to have two taxi’s as all our luggage would not fit in one. The guy that took us arranged with the other taxi and he said that as they were Kowloon taxi’s they would have to transfer us to another taxi. At Hung Sum station this happened.

We then had to shell out $400 per car and the guy said that the next car was paid for. How stupid we were, of course it was not and our driver wanted another $84 and the other car $73. Lucky the concierge managed to sort out the drivers for us.

My sister later found a leaflet she had been given on the ship as to what the taxi fares were likely to be and we should not have paid more than about $150.00 with luggage charges. Of course the leaflet does not tell you where to complain.

I have been to HKG before but have always used buses, MTR, trams and ferries. Needless to say we used the free bus to airport station and the train back to the airport. The funny part about it all is that P&O wanted £62.50 per car to take us to the hotel from the quayside. So even though we were ripped off we still got it cheaper!

[FinnFlyer]

If travelling to Tallinn, only use taxi companies Tallink Takso (yellow cars) or Tulika Takso (white cars)… both are very reliable, use meters and use newer cars. All other taxis, stay away.
Safe trips!

[stevescoots]

I use Taxis all the time in HK and never had a problem. all taxis have set rates on the doors with the charges for extras (bags, passengers, toll booths, cross harbour) in HK if you are sure he is trying to rip you off then refuse to pay and tell him to call the police.Toyota boy is right, HK take taxis very seriously.

alos if a taxi has a for hire sign they are not allowed to refuse a fare if al long as its not outside thier region (red island kowloon etc) green lantau, blue NT. I got in one at LKF to go to Shatin, he refused , I told him I would report him, so he took me. haha.

taxi scam is prevalent in Prafue although they have done a lot to control it. If you go to prague a lot I have a driver I have used many years, and if he is busy or i dont want to ask him to drag me out of a bar 🙂 Always use the yellow AAA taxis.

[SimonRowberry]

Hi Cedric,

Really sorry to hear of your experience. I’ve been to TLL many times (I used to live in Helsinki) and, probably by pure luck, never had a problem with taxis.

I fully endorse what Finnflyer says.

Having said the above, I got shafted in a similar way in Sofia on Sunday. My mate and I were going to lunch and the taxi meter ran about four times faster than in any of the God-knows how many other taxis we’d taken last weekend. For example, I’d taken a 15 minute ride across the city at 05.15 on Sunday morning back to my hotel. The driver spoke faultless English, was good company and I was embarrassed that the meter showed BLV 2.80 (about GBP 1.30). I actually felt bad and gave him BLV 10.00, which was hard to get him to accept.

That was at 05.15. At midday, Ramon and I grabbed a cab off the street. We went less than a kilometer and the tab was BLV 8.00 (on the meter). As it was so little money in real terms, we just shrugged it off. We wouldn’t if it had been €30 or so!

I guess the motto is “beware.” I have to say that I’ve been very lucky. Everywhere I’ve expected to be ripped-off (including places like Riga, Vilnius, Bratislava, Baku, Tbilisi, Istanbul) I never have been. But having said this, I probably will be. In Birmingham tomorrow morning I expect…..

Cheers,

Simon

[MartynSinclair]

The beauty of this forum is that we can all share experiences. i think it was Potakas (spelt corrrctly this time), who once asked for prices for a transfer from LHR to LCY and more recently somewhere in North Africa.

As a simple suggestion, for any new destination, ask the Forum what should be paid and I am sure that among us someone will be able to provide an accurate taxi fare price for any given destination.

[Potakas]

Maybe it is just me but i hate taking a taxi (except in UK). It is one of the worst experiences that you can have and it really annoys me to be ripped off. Before I start my trip I usually compare taxi and car service prices. I am willing to spend even 20% more and take a car service than to be stressed and wondering what I should pay.

For example my next trip will be to NYC (very easy destination), probably i will not use the subway/train they have from JFK to Manhattan because of the luggage that i will carry. So, I started checking the prices, Taxi fares are flat on 45$ + tolls and probably gratuity, I found the same price from ”Tel-Aviv car &Limousine service” for 40$+tolls+gratuity, total 55$.
I’ll go with this option and I won’t have to wonder or to be nervous for the fare or if I should give gratuity to the taxi driver, the car driver will even know my address.

[Peter83]

For your travels in Europe (the problem is not only in Eastern Europe) try a trusted referral service, for example a free mobile app TaxiPal, that lists only trusted taxi companies in all bigger cities.

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