Awful taxi ride in Vienna, you should know equivalent 911 for Europe

You want to call 112 because you ripped off by a taxi? I don't understand.

Marie, would you call 911 in the US for a crappy taxi ride? No, you wouldn't and the police here in European countries also would not appreciate you calling them up for this minor inconvenience. If you knew how much the taxi should have cost, you should have asked the taxi driver up front what he is going to charge you to take you there.

So, Marie, how was lunch at the Cafe Mozart?

Maybe the OP was genuinely scared. I can begin to imagine after several missteps that someone might wonder, " Where is this guy taking us? What's happening?"

The driver took us off in wrong direction.
Pretended he did not speak English.
Had us on wrong side of Danube heading south. Took us to a place near a railroad track and told us to get out.

Just wanted others to be aware before trusting and getting in a taxi.
Lunch was fine. Ride back was scary!!!

One method that has worked for us, so far, is to carry a map and the address, show both to the driver. Sometimes a taxi cannot go in a direct line because of one way streets, traffic limited zones, etc., but the 50 Euro does sound excessive. Also, ask for the estimated fare.

I was on bus from cruise line night before. Took taxi from cruise to Cafe Mozart.
This driver took us for a "ride".
Very scary. He knew what he was doing.
Activated my cell phone and called ship to ask directions for him, but he hung up on them.

He KNEW what he was doing!
Hopefully just turning a taxi ride into more money for him?

OK, I'm getting a bit confused now, were there two taxies in this story - one for the lunch trip and one to do with the coach the night before????

The scary taxi ride was back from lunch!

Sounds like a bad deal, but glad you made it through it without any physical harm. I presume you didn't tip the driver!

Hope the rest of the trip is better.

If had our equivalent off 911, would have called.

Seriously? You would have called the police for being overcharged by a Taxi. And you said it was scary? Why was is scary? Did he drive too fast? Get threatening with you? How much did the ride to the restaurant cost? 11 euros or 15 euros?

A tip: Before traveling get the names and numbers of the leading cab companies in a town. Then never get in a cab in unless its one of those cabs, clearly marked as such. Still better, call the company and have a cab sent for you. This isn't always necessary everywhere, but as general advice it will save you a few dollars in the long run.

Sounds like she was nearly kidnapped. This wasn't just a wrong direction. Wrong side of the Danube, hung up the call to the ship, empty lot. I'd try to call for help too.

James it seems the overcharge was closer to 30 -35 euros , not 10-15 euros more. Excessive by most people's standards.

I was confused because the statement was that the taxi to the restaurant was apparently okay and I was curious what it cost, ten or fifteen euros? But it doesn't matter. Sorry she was kidnapped

Hi,

How many were in the car: two of you plus the taxi driver? It sounds as though he had intended to scam you right from the outset for the ride by driving all over just to jack up the price. Yes, he knew what he was doing: wrong address, wrong direction, wrong price, phony English? A pity you couldn't have barked at him....Alles verkehrt! (everything is wrong) No doubt you say it was scary since I bet he was driving fast, maybe even reckless.

You got the taxi in front of Hotel Sacher? I know the spot since I was there in May, picked the front of Hotel Sacher as a Treffpunkt (rendezvous point). I hardly ever take taxis in Europe, never have, as yet, in Austria, but when you want a cab, I suggest getting the preliminaries out of the way right way, such as language, approx. price, destination, even ask the driver if s/he knows how to get to the place, ie, come on at him that if you are not satisfied with his answers, you're going to wait for someone else or go somewhere else to catch a cab, ie. you're not the only one, pal. Where you were Hotel Sacher is not the only place to catch a taxi, (ie, a Taxistelle)

As others have pointed out, her big concern was personal safety, secondary concern about getting ripped off. Always appropriate to call the police if you are afraid you are in immediate danger. And it is good advice to know how to make an emergency phone call when visiting a foreign country. Thank you Marie and I hope your trip got better.

"Took us to a place near a railroad track and told us to get out." Kristen's reply is on target.

Unfortunate story about Vienna, but sometimes it does work out:

It was the fall of 2000 and the train arrived in Budapest about an hour before sunset. The Kelti station was a dark, soot stained, musty relic of the cold war, and upon leaving the train and becoming aware of our surroundings we were stunned. My wife gave me the, “what the heck have you gotten us into” look and I could only smile. A quick 360 degree spin and the only exit path became evident. Pushing the door open and looking out it was a beautiful day. Beautiful until I felt tugging at my suitcase. Some big burley, Russian looking commie guy was trying to nab my suitcase! No he wasn’t, he was a cabbie. He wanted a fare and he was going to get it by kidnapping our luggage. I pulled back, another cab drove up on the curb and stopped and a young kid jumped out and ran to what we hoped was our rescue. He and the commie began arguing in that same mystifying language we heard the soldiers with the machine guns using on the train (another story). How the heck could they understand each other, I thought. The struggle of the cabbies ended abruptly and they looked towards my wife and I for guidance. Easy, the kid was small and skinny, I could whoop him if need be, so I choose him to drive us.

Drive us where? After numerous attempts and numerous of responses of “no English” he began to understand that we just wanted him to drive around the town. Sort of an orientation tour was my intent. Budapest was lovely. As it began to get dark the cabbie began driving away from where the “action” seemed to be. He began driving higher and higher. Dear G-d he was taking us to some deserted spot to rob and kill us. I knew it. We should never have come to Eastern Europe! As predicted, on a high winding road he pulled to the side and motioned us out of the car. In the darkness I couldn’t tell if he had a weapon, but he must; all communist killers do. Once out of the car we turned to face him and over the roof of the car we saw the most magnificent view G-d ever created; Budapest with all its lights as seen from the top of Gellert Hill. Our cabbie was very proud he had brought us here and my wife and I were almost speechless. Realizing this was going to take more than the three days we had planned I whispered to my wife, “we're coming back” to which my wife responded that we had only just arrived.

Nice story James. Thanks for sharing.

After we got back I googled. It was recommended to know equivalent of 911 for country visiting.

This is highly unusual for Vienna, but can happen.

All taxis in Vienna are part of a larger company - did you happen to notice the name? Also, each driver is required to have his id visible. Did you notice that? If you remember any of these details, it would be a very good idea to report this driver.

I take the occasional taxi and once had a very strange driver who went on an anti-American rant as he claimed he was imprisoned in the US. He then locked the doors so that I couldn't get out. Fortunately, we were in a well-populated area I was familiar with and I had my phone handy. Eventually, he unlocked the door after the rant was over. I reported him.

All the more reason to rely on Vienna's excellent public transport system. I am guessing your ship was docked near the U1 Vorgartenstrasse stop, which in hindsight would have been easier, cheaper and safer.

Driver had ID.
I should have taken picture?
He was about 30. Blond, blue eyes. Had his left hand wrapped in gauze. His picture on ID had longer hair.

My personal taxi techniques:

1. Know at least how to ask if they speak English in the local language.

2. Know about how much a cab ride should cost. In this case, I'd ask my waiter/waitress (could also be hotel desk clerk, concierge, manager, etc.) how much it should cost to take a taxi to the cruise terminal.

3. Ask the cab driver how much it will cost to get to my destination?

4. If it's unreasonable, say so and tell him you will take a different cab. Only get in the cab if the price is fair.

5. Know the local currency. Once in the cab, I prepare cash - including tip - for the driver.

6. If the cost goes over the stated amount, the driver is burning their tip. If they burn the entire tip, so be it (Americans tip too much anyway).

7. When I arrive, I count out the money as I give it to the driver then leave.

Hi,

Good advice above, esp on getting clear on the price for a specific destination. Don't hesitate to be blunt or rude when negotiating the price. "They" are used to bluntness.

I want to just add a bit to this conversation. Knowing how it is in Frankfurt, Berlin or any other large city, there is constant construction, meaning detours are unavoidable. Right now, one of our bridges is under construction and you have to go way out of your way to get to the next bridge. If you don't know the language, how would you know that this is why the taxi is taking a different route? There may have been an accident up ahead and he wanted to avoid sitting in a traffic jam, which would have cost even more money. When I look at the traffic jams last week in Frankfurt caused by them finding a bomb under the autobahn, then this is a distinct possibility. Many drivers wear a blue tooth and if they hear something is happening up ahead from the taxi control center, they try and go around it.

How do you know that the driver "pretended" not to know where he was going? If you are that knowledgeable about the city, this was the point where you could tell or ask the driver why they are going in that direction? How do you know he put the wrong address in his GPS. If you saw this, why didn't you say something?

I also wonder how one can know when people "pretend" to not speak or understand English. On what are you basing this knowledge? Posters claim this rather often on the forum and have always wondered about this.

Perhaps I am playing the devils advocate here, but the speculations about this taxi driver and his ulterior motives flummox me.

Another illustration of why Uber and the like should not be allowed to "disrupt" a highly-regulated business. I have submitted written complaints to the TLC in New York City, and if you wrote down the license number, you could have done the same. Someone with a special license has a lot to lose.

@Brad, not bad but keep in mind:

1. Know at least how to ask if they speak English in the local language.

Sure, or you could just ask them in English if they know how to speak English and the answer you get will be self-explanatory. Might be better than trying to say “Beszél angolul” in a manner that stands any chance of being understood by a native speaker.

1. Know about how much a cab ride should cost. In this case, I'd ask my waiter/waitress (could also be hotel desk clerk, concierge, manager, etc.) how much it should cost to take a taxi to the cruise terminal.

Sure, that should give you a range. But what if they are incorrect? Also know if that front desk clerk called the taxi for you my guess is you will pay more for the ride than if you called the cab yourself.

1. Ask the cab driver how much it will cost to get to my destination?

You suppose he knows. That he can calculate in his head, time and distance, and that moment’s traffic conditions between two points that he may have never connected before. “What if I tell this American wrong, will he fight me or pay me?”

1. If it's unreasonable, say so and tell him you will take a different cab. Only get in the cab if the price is fair.

Presumes you know what is “reasonable” in that particular city or town; and for that particular trip; and all of the issues in number 3 come into play. Did you know that crossing X bridge at that time of the day takes 30 minutes? The cab driver probably does.

1. Know the local currency. Once in the cab, I prepare cash - including tip - for the driver.

I do this too. But only so we don’t spend a lot of time on the side of the road and so I don’t flash my cash in public.

1. If the cost goes over the stated amount, the driver is burning their tip. If they burn the entire tip, so be it (Americans tip too much anyway).

Again presumes the “Stated Amount” was a good guess by the taxi driver and relies on a lot of assumptions by you as stated in 3 and 4 above.

1. When I arrive, I count out the money as I give it to the driver then leave.

My guidelines

Call a taxi from a reputable company you have researched before leaving on your trip.

Know the rates (generally on the seat back in the car in most cities)

Look at the meter when you get in to make sure it only has the starting fee on it.

Watch the meter to be sure he turned it on. Kindly remind him if he didn’t.

Have a general idea of the route you will be taking. Even pull out a map and point to things along the way. “Hey, there is the Eiffel tower, the hotel is about two blocks that way”, I say to my wife so the taxi driver has an idea that I know where he should be driving (I do this pretty often).

Be friendly and respectful to the driver.

Say thank you and tip him.