Originally Posted by
Shimon
I still think you are wrong about this. There is no requirement for the driver to accept you as a passenger. The meter is there to protect the driver as much as the passenger. If not using the meter was legal then most drivers would require a deposit before departing the city.
Actually, yes, there is a requirement in nearly all municipalities, that a driver accept you as a passenger if the journey is within jurisdiction. Of course, we all know that cabbies routinely violate this everywhere, but few people bother to report them. The main dispensation altering this rule is for a driver on his way to shift change to turn in his vehicle, when the fare would take him in the wrong direction and cause him to late return his cab.
There is no requirement for a driver to accept a passenger wanting to go outside the normal limits of his territory, such as a Hangzhou-based cabbie going over into Shanghai. Driver can refuse. Driver can also ask for a deposit, though as a matter of course, it is rarely asked for.
You may believe I am wrong, but my track record on this forum of being right is pretty darn strong.