We all ride a taxi every now and then, and most of us (if not all) have experienced a letdown on a few of them. In this Fast Five, we take a look at some of the inconveniences we have experienced and hopefully will be addressed in the future.
Social media and news outlets have been flocked with posts of erring taxis as of the past few weeks, and we can’t help but notice the common faults they always do. With help from a few of our friends, social media investigation, and our editorial team’s own experiences as well, we list down some of the top faults we find in these white-colored cabs.
Table of Contents
https://twitter.com/dokgyunsoo/status/680238672097067008
Ah yes, we’ve probably had those moments that the taxi you’ve just hitched is a lot hotter compared to the metro breeze, oftentimes being described as a ‘sauna’. They really make you wish you rode the jeepney or the MRT instead, as these run-down cabs definitely need to have a repair.
The author has ridden a few of them: One during July 2015 in transit to the World Trade Center for a press launch, and another when he went home from a hotel inaccessible to other forms of public transportation.
https://twitter.com/SupItsCat/status/512565516578209792
Here’s a rule of thumb for most of them: If your destination is a bit distant, a tight traffic shall be encountered (I mean, where wouldn’t we?), opportunistic drivers ignore that little black box called the taxi meter and opt to offer passengers a verbal arrangement of the total fare to your destination. You’d often get the usual script — It’s too far, they can’t pick up a passenger on the way back, the traffic is heavy — all at the same time. This seems to be the case for most of the airport cabs, according to friends who have ridden them.
On a personal experience, a normally Php180-200 taxi ride from SM North Edsa to a tricycle terminal in San Mateo would oftentimes be requested for an additional tip, leading to a whopping Php250-350 for each asking offer.
Remember that news lately of a taxi driver verbally abusing its passenger? Chances are, you also have encountered them one way or another. There were drivers who do not show courtesy to their passengers and have been arrogant and unpleasant to deal with.
And if that’s not enough, they even decline to let you in because of the destination’s distance, which they deem as ‘too far’, ‘not on their route’, or ‘they have to fetch somebody’. Yikes.
https://twitter.com/ImChenLepania/status/694748734454824962
https://twitter.com/EjDacillo/status/688380585299972096
When you don’t know your public commute to a location, we oftentimes use taxis to lessen the hassle. In some cases, this is seen to be an advantage by opportunists. This can also happen to people who hail cabs for convenience and speed, which in return don’t exactly get what they wish for.
https://twitter.com/keirealubit/status/696907390990446592
https://twitter.com/krizhialyne/status/696675424923811840
Now, really, who haven’t experienced this? Rounding up our list are those speedy meters that make us glued on the taxi meter in hopes that our hailed cab is not one of those that tamper the boxes and speed up the fare counter when you’re not looking. Quite scary, as you may get to pay more than what you normally do.
We know these are just some of those inconveniences we experience on our taxi commute, and hence why Transport Network Vehicle Services such as Grab and Uber have soared in popularity over the past months — you get to have a fair calculation of your fare, have options for more convenient access at the touch of your phone, and heavily-screened drivers that do not take advantage of their position to make more profit.
While the news as of the late seems to paint the taxis in a negative light, please do note that there are still good cabs that offer their best customer service — fairness, honesty, and transparency — for their passengers’ convenience. Hopefully, we see more cabs get their acts up and redeem themselves from all the criticisms by providing a better overall service to all their passengers.
What are your worst taxi experiences? We’d love to hear them down the comments section below.
YugaTech.com is the largest and longest-running technology site in the Philippines. Originally established in October 2002, the site was transformed into a full-fledged technology platform in 2005.
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H says:
In Metro Cebu and Davao, taxis use the meter most of the time. I can’t recall the last time I rode a taxi in Cebu and the driver tried to negotiate a fixed price. Maybe fifteen years ago? If Duterte becomes the next president, I wouldn’t be surprised if sooner or later he’ll do something to correct the common practice of Metro Manila taxi drivers not using the meter.
BlowMeLouie says:
Ano kayang sunod na article dito: Fast Five Bus Inconveniences…, Jeepney Inconveniences…, Tricycle Inconveniences…, Motorcycle Inconveniences…, Habal-habal Inconveniences…, pedicab Inconveniences…, Shoes Inconveniences…, Slippers Inconveniences? I’m so excited, I can’t wait to read it!
IS says:
Exactly why I rely entirely on public transportation to get around. And when that fails? I have two, perfectly-working feet.
Sapul says:
Destroyed ka no? Mag-isip isip ka kasi bago ka mg-sulat.
Carl Lamiel says:
Not really. We do transport beats too, icymi.
justsayin says:
if i were an enterprising taxi operator with a lot of units, i will develop an app for my drivers ala uber/grab. same features – will approximate the price, will record the details of the driver, will have a feedback system and probably a surge pricing (if ltfrb is willing). then maybe, just maybe, ltfrb will allow me to be part of tnvs.
justsayin says:
well, who hasn’t had problems with any government agency?
Imagi says:
then you also get the problems that uber/grab encountered with LTFRB.
BlowMeLouie says:
Yugatech – Philippine Technology News and Reviews. Taxi? OMG. Wala na ba kayong maisulat?
ratist says:
Why not? I don’t see any downsides with that.
OTOT says:
Di naman sa pamimilosopo sau ha…yun ngang makapag comment ka ng malaya at makareply ako ng malaya sa post na ito – SULAT na ang maitatawag dun (in fact nababasa mo/ko/nila/natin). Ngayon, kung may idea ka na makakatulong sa YUGATECH i-share mo na yan….biruin mo iba ibang klase ng tao sa ibat ibang lugar nakakabasa nito pero nakakapag ugnayan sa isa’t isa sa pamamagitan nito. Yan ang tinatawag natin na TECHNOLOGY!!!