Saturday, December 20, 2008

Thank you Steve!

Last night I was waiting at the taxi rank at the Shopping Center in Puerto Rico. There was a huge numbers of taxis waiting there. There were still four cars in front of me when a man (little bit drunk) opened the door and got into my taxi.
Sir, you have to take the first one over there! I said to him. He said: No! I don't want to take the taxi! I owe someone of you guys money and I want to pay.

So Steve took a taxi from the Europa Center to the Shopping Center and had not enough money to pay for it. He told the taxi driver to wait as he was going to a cash dispenser to get some but when he came back the taxi was gone...

OK, Steve, how much did you owe the guy?
I don't know! Here are 5€. Can you please give it to your friend?
I'll do that, Steve! Thanks!

He got out of the car and up the steps into the center.
I took the radio and asked who made a trip from the Europa Center to the Shopping Center and did not get paid. He was grateful to get his money :)
Awesome, Steve! Thank you very much.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Ripoffs happening more often

Unfortunately this is becoming something real in Gran Canaria:
People take a taxi from the airport to their destinations in the south of Gran Canaria and wonder about the price shown in the taximeter. Normally a trip from the Gran Canaria airport to Puerto Rico costs about 56 to 65€ depending if it's day or night time or a bank holiday. Some people have asked me about the price for a taxi to the airport and then wonder why they had paid 90 to 100€ for the trip.... I'm sorry sir: you've been ripped off.

Sometimes there are transport investigators at the airport checking our taximeters when we arrive there so it's more difficult to get ripped off when you take a taxi from Puerto Rico to the airport than the other way around; no one checks the taximeters of the taxis coming from the airport or other locations to Puerto Rico or elsewhere on the island.

Be careful! When you take a taxi from the airport to Puerto Rico 56 to 65€ is a normal price. If it's much more than that what you've been charged make sure to ask for the bill from the printer, not the one made by hand. The driver will probably refuse to give it to you. At the hotel ask the reception to call the police and do not pay the taxi to make sure the driver waits till the police arrives. If he leaves.... well... good for you, huh?

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Working in a Taxi

Working in a taxi makes you meet lots of people every day and sometimes see and/or live strange and/or funny (or maybe not so funny) situations.
I thought a blog could be a great way to let people read and comment some of these situations we live on a daily basis here in Puerto Rico (Mogán).