Originally Posted by
whackyjacky
It's MNL for me. These guys are world renown thieves. They'll quote you one price and will stop in the middle of nowhere and demand 2 or 3X as much. I got a taxi at MNL and the tariff was $12 (500P) within a mile. I've never seen a meter spin like that. I had him pull over beside another cab and threw him a 100. He was not pleased, but overpaid still. wj
Yeah, the problem here is that any MNL taxi driver who quotes you a price is by definition dishonest. Honest taxi drivers (and they
do exist) will switch on the meter without hesitation although you may want to agree to give them additional if traffic is really horrible. It's much better to leave the minute you see any hesitation at using the meter.
As for the rigged meters, they do exist and are a problem. On the other hand, if you know your way around the city, it's very easy to deal with them. At the end of your trip, smile, say, "your meter is running a bit fast" and pay them the correct amount. I've never had a driver argue with me because if you act like you know the city, they will be afraid of you and the prospect that you might report them. Manila taxi drivers are afraid of the police and will back out of any confrontation very quickly.