Sort of a sticky post I will update whenever I encounter scums behind the wheel of a cab here in the big city.
Signs of a batingting:
1. Tampered or missing meter seal
2. Meter only displays fare and not the distance and waiting time (if present)
3. Taxi name, plate number and operator contact number erased in the cab insides
4. Driver is clicking a switch hidden somewhere
4. Driver would not usually argue/complain if you pay the usual fare since they know what they're really equipped with a faster-than-a-speeding-bullet meter
"Terrorists" behind the wheel:
04/09/07 2100HRS ROMCAT TXA554 SM North to Roosevelt (P57.50 normal is P45)
11/27/06 0700HRS M. STA MARIA TVR420 QC-Pasig
09/24/06 2330HRS JONELENE PWW800 QC-MKT 4553736 (i never learn)
09/05/06 1900HRS MUNICH TWK261 Manda to QC
08/21/06 0008HRS DOLLAR TWD183 QC-MKT
08/13/06 2300HRS ROMCAT TWZ330 QC-MKT
08/09/06 2330HRS JONELENE TVL802 QC-MKT
08/03/06 2340HRS R&E TVY158 QC-MKT (not sure R&E but it's yellow/green)
06/25/06 1000HRS JR AND MARY PVR894 (tried to pull a fast one by turning off meter)
05/03/06 2300HRS DOLLAR deleted the plate number on my phone :(
12/10/05 2200HRS WILKY PXV934 QC-MKT
09/29/05 2200HRS CORNER STONE TWP618 QC-MKT
How to Detect a Tampered Taxi Meter:
The current rate for Metro Manila is a flagdown of P30 for the first 500 meters plus P2.50 for each succeeding 300 meters. Additional P2.50 for every two minutes of waiting-- full stop -- your fare should not increase so much for slow moving traffic.
as an example, my regular (about 3 to 4 times a week) commute from Munoz, QC to Makati is 13.5 kilometers. Using the above rate this will amount to only about P140 and there're only 2 stops: JP Rizal and Makati Avenue since EDSA is now a freeway and fast moving at night when I make my trips.
There are times when I encounter a relatively slow meter but I always make it a point to pay my regular fare :)
Also noticed LTFRB contact number 09214487777 to call or text if there're problems? Forget it, they don't even reply to my complaints.
UPDATE: Starting July 2008, an additional P10 on top of the meter rate is mandated to offset the rising cost of fuel
Wow! You are quite serious.
ReplyDeleteBe careful...you never know when you encounter a real bad guy...
Hey Sidney,
ReplyDeletesee my letter to the Philippine Daily Inquirer here about taxi meters.
also bad guys are everywhere on this planet...just have to really be careful all the time
thanks
Wow! You are serious about those taxi meters.
ReplyDeleteBut you are right. If everybody would act like you there would be no more abuses.
arg... ok itong information na ito ah, panu mo to nakuha?
ReplyDeletefoobarph, learned those things through experience. I'm a regular cab rider. that plate number collection is mine. I log all taxi information whenever I ride one even sending them to someone
ReplyDeletethere's no update since I no longer take that long taxi ride. Most of my rides now are in the P50 range
some bating-ting are also installed there by people inside LTO or those companies on Malakas St, Pinayahan QC at the back of LTO. makes me wonder :(
Watch out for the taxi with plate number TWT 405 (TWT-405). The following is my complaint to LTFRB.
ReplyDeleteMy ride was from UP Diliman to Katipunan and the driver demanded that I pay P250 per km kasi airport taxi daw pero when I got out of the taxi wala namang marka. May metro din sya. May metro ba ang mga airport taxi? I suspect he is a dupe.
I just reported a complaint on the taxi with plate number TWT-405. I did some search and it appears that this taxi should have already been impounded: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/77051/14-of-85-impounded-taxis-have-spurious-engine-number---LTO Why is it still plying the road? Thanks!
Hi there, had the same experience today. Regular rate from visayas avenue to libis is about 120-140 but the taxi meter of the guy read 180 by the time i got out.
ReplyDeleteplate number is twn643 and im not sure wat the operator name is but if im not mistaken, it's shumi.
how can we report this to ltfrb if they don't answer complaints? im serious about making the guy pay big time...
Last August 1, 2011 I encountered one. I came from PAL Cargo to only Edsa, Pasay at Grandprix hotel..at 1:00am One yellow metered taxi stops and ask where I'll go, I told him my direction and asked how much. The driver mentioned that he will use meter. Knowing that the distance is near I said ok. But to my surprise in just a few hundred meters the amount is running fast. The meter registered 310 when I arrived at the hotel since he don't have change I ended up paying 350. According to honest drivers I spoke it should only register 170 to 180 pesos...so beware of the yellow/orange metered taxi at the airport. @ Terminal 1 they have a parking there...better go for per trip charge...at all cost avoid the metered one to be safe although of course not all of them are doing it but the problem is we don't know who...
ReplyDelete@ pardillo2000
ReplyDeletesiguro nasakyan mo is ung Airport taxi.. kasi kung yun nga, ang starting rate nila is 70php and i think mga 7php ang patak... :)