dishonest/rude/tricky cap driver
#1 Italy - (Specially Rome) The trick they usually play is, usually at night time, they switch the bigger bill/note that you pay to a smaller bill/note like magic, and try to tell you that you give them the wrong bill, so you have to dig out extra bills from your wallet. They also try to use the longer route if you they think you are not familiar with the area and try to charge you something extra that you are not supposed to pay for. When you complain, they try to pretend they don't understand English all of a sudden. They refuse to give you an official receipt in order to escape from any chance of official complaint.
#2 Dubai - They refuse to take you to a shorter/ congested destination by telling you they don't how where it is even though the destinations are popular and well known. They like to turn on the radio very loud with Indian/Pakistaian music or some religious praying music, that give you a serious headache with speakers right behind you. A lot of them are impatience, aggressive; they most have very sick driving manner, constantly tailgating, abusing car horn, speeding, etc. Some drivers have very strong body odor, so strong that you can not bear it and have to get off in the middle and find another taxi (Do not seat behind them!). Prepare enough coins to pay exact taxi fare since they don't like to give you change and like to pretend they do not have enough coins for change. These 2 years when I travel to Dubai, I don't use taxi anymore since they have the new, clean & chic metro system. Whenever I travel to Dubai, I choose to stay at the hotel near metro station. The Dubai Int'l Airport also has couple of metro stops at different terminals for visitors' convenience.
#3 Athens - They usually try to chat with you casually in order to figure out if you are the 1st time or frequent business visitor. If they find out you are a new visitor, then you will be in trouble. They try to charge you double or sometimes even more although they use the meter. They have the gut to charge you something like 40+ Euro even though the meter shows only 20. They also try to charge you something extra that you are not supposed to pay for.
#4 Bali - Some of them use rigged meter to make it run 2 or 3 times faster. When you complain, they play dumb. Some of them don't use meter by claiming to have a broken meter. You have to negotiate with them before you get on. I was told by the hotel concierge that some taxi companies are not reliable and dangerous.
The most courteous/honest cap driver
#1 Japan - very courteous and helpful although they do not speak English well. They do not expect your tips and some of them even refuse to take your tips. Some even get off the taxi with you and lead you to the destination/exact street number that cannot be driven into. Passengers usually have greater chance to retrieve their lost items left on the cap.
#2 Cannot even think of where, probably Switzerland and Austria.
You do not have to agree with me on the above, they are just my personal experiences, but most of them are not individual incidences, they constantly happen since I have to travel regularly to those places for work or need to use the cap regularly everyday for 4-5 days in a row even on the first visit.
Please post your own thought/experience, so frequent travel can learn and aviod those scams.
