Originally Posted by
jsgoldbe
In SIN, going from Chinatown to Zoo. Didn't know the area. The trip took a very long time, we got on and off of expressways, the driver had the center armrest up and must have fiddled with the meter, because the drive there was about 3x the rate on the return trip. Should have gotten the drivers number, but was ignorant at the time.
Seriously, how is it that these guys never get caught? Even if 1 out of 100 reports them, they must get reported several times per year.
Depends on what time of day you traveled: motorists (cab owners and taxi passengers alike) who travel during peak/rush hours through and inside the central business district pay a "congestion" surcharge. It's very rare that Singaporeans will cheat.
I will add that a couple of years ago in Singapore I realized that I lost my wallet as I was about to check in for my flight. I called my hotel to find out if I left my wallet at the front desk (I didn't), so at their initiative called the cab company that picked me up at the hotel. Several minutes later, hotel called to tell me that the cab driver found my wallet in the back seat and was on his way back to the airport to deliver it to me.