[blue]In your entire time in Buenos Aires, what percentage of taxi drivers do you believe deliberately took a long route or otherwise tried to rip you off in some form?[/blue]
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[blue]In your entire time in Buenos Aires, what percentage of taxi drivers do you believe deliberately took a long route or otherwise tried to rip you off in some form?[/blue]
[QUOTE=Sidney]It is getting worse and worse!
I give them specific directions, 2 streets at a time. For example, Cordoba / Callao. Then Callao / Las Heras. Then Las Heras / Junin. It is not that they are all crooked, mostly just stupid. Works for me![/QUOTE]I was hoping you would tell us how you and other non Spanish speaking guys can do this. Tell us about your friendly and elegant manner of dealing with taxi drivers. :rolleyes: I'm sure they all miss you. Lol
If you are finished adding to your post, which you've done about 3 times now, I will reply.
I was just jerking you around when I suggested we talk about taxis, and it looks like I hit a nerve. Dang I hate that! lol. Man you can dish it out, but you sure can't take it.
Just a little FYI, I normally I go to BsAs for 3 week at a time and I've made 14 trips, so I think you should at least call me a 3 week "Tourista".
Quizás your vast amount of longevity (what 24 months?) In BsAs explains your fluent Spanish and your excellent ability to communicate with the taxi drivers. My hats off to you!
One thing I do know is you have had '100x' more problems with taxis than I have, and for that matter any other "long time resident in BA " that I know. And I believe if you get in a taxi with a condescending, or a this guy is going to rip me off attitude, well you are probably going to be treated in the same manner.
As for comparing our taxi experiences to you telling how to "manage the plant", well that's like comparing the DR to BsAs, [u][b] It’s not even in the same league![/u][/b]
Ok whatever, but that was one time. I've also had a lot of good taxi drivers and some who have helped me out. I think most of the time when these things happen, it's because they don't know where they are going, not because they are trying to rip you off. If I was so worried about the guy getting an extra peso or two, I wouldn't get my blood pressure up like you do; I would take the fucking bus! Hell your BP goes up just talking about it.
"You are an expert with a unique expertise." Not for much longer, I'm going to pull the plug and go live in the DR. I can fuck hotties all night and fuck with you all day!
I have been taking taxi's in BA for the better part of 6 months, I usually take about 2-3 taxi rides a day at least 4-5 days a week. I would say my knowledge is pretty good in that department. I also speak spanish pretty well. I can usually be mistaken for an Argie, but the minute I start speaking the proper Castellano instead or porteno " voseo ", they know I am not a local. I would say my experiences with taxis have been a 75-25 split, 25 % being bad. I live in Las Canitas, and sometimes drivers like to take me around the whole polo field instead of dipping thru Dorrego, I guess they call it the " scenic " route. It usually will cost me an extra 5-10 minutes and about 5-6 pesos more on the meter. I have also had some " accidentaly " either get the name of the street wrong or they pass the place I am going to " accidentaly " and are forced to do a few circles to get me back, lots of fun when I am going to Hard Rock Cafe on Libertador and they " forget " to turn on Puereydon. The honest ones will turn off the meter when this happens, the crooked ones will let it keep charging.
There are alot of dishonest cab drivers in BA, luckily I know my way around and I can tell when they are taking me for a ride. But for the average toursit, it can sometimes be hard. I think people should be aware that taxi rip offs do happen regularly. But for a 2-3 week tourist, a 100 peso total overcharge during a 3 week stay isn't that bad. But for a local who uses them constantly, we have to be a little more picky. So I can see and understand the differing opinions of El Sid and Punter. My opinion is, if you are a long term BA resident, fuck a taxi, buy a car. If you are a tourist, don't worry about it, you can easily afford the overcharge for 2-3 weeks, but try 6 months of it and it will start to get on your nerves.
Bad
I've spent about 30 weeks here over the last 3 years with an average of 1-2 rides per day. My positive experiences are more like 99%. I have to provide directions to more obscure addresses and usually have somebody I can call by cell if I think it is going to get tricky but that's about it. I've never had a serious problem with a driver.
Problem drivers clearly exist so I guess I've just been lucky. I'm guessing it helps that I usually stay in a well-known part of Recoleta or Palermo so there's little opportunity for long diversions on at least half my trips. On trips to places like Vicente Lopez and Avellanada, they seldom have any idea where they are going anyway so they are following my directions. Never had any problems with the money although I never need more than a couple of pesos in change 95% of the time.
The marginal mechanical condition of many vehicles and driving too fast late at night are my biggest complaints.
I've been living (or virtually living) here for almost a year, and I've rarely had a problem with taxis (although the more I'm here, the more I use the colectivos)
Generally, before I flag one down, I try to think about the best route to where I'm going. And then when I flag one, I make sure I'm at a spot that will allow for minimum confusion or misunderstanding. Even if I have to walk a block or two from where I am to make this happen, that's what I do.
Also, if I'm going somewhere new and really don't know the neighborhood that well, I'll look at the map first and tell the taxi to take me to the intersection nearest my destination that will also preclude confusion or misunderstanding. As we get close, if I feel comfortable with the driver, sometimes I'll tell him to continue on to the exact location.
Since I first started coming here in 2004, I've had four taxi "incidents." Two of those were definitely misunderstandings, and the drivers offered not to charge me. One was definitely an attempted rip off. The fourth could have been either. So in short, I don't consider the case of rogue taxi drivers to be much of a problem.
My experiances have been more like Straylights and less like Badboy, however I use public transportation so much more than taxis. Only once did I ever have a driver go out of his way and he really went out of his way. From Callao why Santa Fe going to Cabildo why LaCroze He went by way of Libratador through Belgrano, about 15 pesos out of our way.
Funny part was my Ex was in the cab with me. She was born here and has lived here all of her life so it wasn't a tourist thing. She kept asking him where he was going and He kept saying it was a faster way. They were fighting like crazy with Him telling her it wasn't a longer route when it so obviously was. When we got to Her place She deducted the 15 pesos, threw His money on the ground and called His Mother a *****. He said He would call a cop and She told him her apartment number and said go ahead just send them up.
My experiences are more like those of Straylight. I've been in BsAs a total of about 15 months and have used taxis alot, though increasingly I use colectivos. I have never had a "bad" experience, though maybe 2 or 3 times I noted that a slightly slower route was taken. On one occasion I am sure there was a fast meter. I always hail a cab, and the worst cab experience I have had was with a cabbie that I phoned for. Bored me to death with piquetero talk all the way to EZE in a cab that seemed to be on the verge of falling apart the entire time. To reference Stray again, it definitely helps to give cross streets, and I usually exit the cab at the cross street rather than the exact address. That also cuts down on the number of people who know where you live.
Not more than 5%. Usually not turning on the meter.
[QUOTE=Hunt99]Not more than 5%. Usually not turning on the meter.[/QUOTE]I didn't think of the times that they don't turn on the meter for a short haul from caberet to hotel, but then again I don't get ripped off with that. When they say it's for a propina I give them 2 pesos instead of the 10 or 20 they expect. Unless I feel it's an honest mistake (not coming from a caberet with a hooker in the car) then I give them an appropriate amount. So I don't think of this as a ripoff because they, not I, lose.
I've had a few complain about the 2 pesos until I ask them if they would rather I pay what's on the meter.
A lot of drivers don't know where addresses are in Buenos Aires, but that's better than I have experienced in DC, where one time the driver didn't know where Georgetown University was.