Originally Posted by
too2early
How do I know if the meter has already been adjusted and not to pay the additional fare from the card?
Thanks for bringing this up, do the meters change over the same day with some type of internal clock or could a dishonest driver charge more from the card if his meter was adjusted before the others.
First of all, begin with the assumption that the taxi driver is the run of the mill honest family man out to make a living for his family, and not some scam artist primarily out to cheat passengers out of a few cents.
(yes, a few cents----ex: a typical fare GIG to Copacabana with some traffic could be R$60 --10% is R$6 = U$1.52 at today's exchange rate--Nobody likes to feel ripped off, but this is really pocket change. Can hardly buy a coffee at home for that.)
Afaik, if the fare on the card matches the fare on the meter, the meter has already been set.
As I understood it, the driver has to bring the taxi somewhere official to have the meter changed/updated. That is why there is sometimes a delay in getting all the taxis in Rio updated at the very same hour the fare change goes into effect.