

Ask HN: why are taxi rip-offs so common? - opminion

My experience taking taxis in Amman, Athens or Madrid as a foreigner is running a risk of getting ripped off (in decreasing order). I doubt I'm the only one.<p>This is, of course, not a rule, as there are honest and dishonest taxi drivers everywhere, etc.<p>Why, if I take a taxi in Berlin or Manchester, I can relax, but not in those cities? It's not the same with other services.<p>What's failing in those markets, which could be fixed?
======
stephengillie
How is industry regulation different in those markets? When you get ripped
off, what is your recourse in Amman, Athens, or Madrid? What can you do about
it in Berlin or Manchester?

~~~
byoung2
That's the key...taxis are heavily regulated in the US, and the penalties are
strict for overcharging customers, not using the meter, etc. The cost of taxi
medallions in major cities is extremely high, so taxi operators take extreme
caution not to get in trouble.

In countries I've been to where regulation is more lax, or where bribes are
common to circumvent regulation (e.g. Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand),
drivers were more likely to try to rip you off, like trying to charge you a
flat rate that is double or triple what the meter would have been. In places
I've been where regulation is more strict (US, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan),
taxi drivers have been more honest (e.g. insisting on using the meter, not
trying to charge extra fees).

It tends to be the wealthier countries I've been to that are stricter with
regulations.

~~~
opminion
Regulations in Spain and Greece are somehow strict: a special licence, somehow
equivalent to the New York medallion is required.

Furthermore, at least in Spain, being "a taxi driver" is a form of cultural
identity. Typically, regulations specify that either the licence holder ora
first-degree relative should drive the car.

~~~
byoung2
I had good experiences with taxis in Spain (Barcelona), so it appears the
regulation works. We asked our hotel what the rates should be to go to certain
places, and the meter worked out to be in line with those. Maybe it's
different in Madrid...

~~~
opminion
In Barcelona I had a ride where the taxi driver spent the whole time moaning
about how short it was... (he claimed to have misunderstood the destination
when he received the request, implying that he would have refused).

No rip-off, though, just very poor customer service that time. Again, not all
were like that, but it's harder to come across a driver like that in Germany
or Britain. Perhaps it's just some superficial pattern of behaviour.

