There have been several threads recently about the cost/convenience of metered taxis vs. car service on the one hand or public mass transit on the other. Of course these are often not the only available choices, but I'm wondering what your (RS community) tips are for feeling like you're getting value for money from a taxi ride.
I have a particular story to share (surprise) and will do so below.
In Mazatlan for an experiment in leisure travel (the experiment was an alloyed success), I paid for a set taxi at a walk-up kiosk at the airport to get to the resort area. Chatting in Spanglish with the driver on the way, I said I had heard of the local golf-cart-style cabs called pulmonias, and I wanted to know from him how much I should expect to pay for one. He said that the usual fare is 40 pesos -- drivers will ask for more, but they typically get 40.
My experience was exactly thus -- I would hail a pulmonia, tell the driver where I wanted to go, he would say it is 60 or 80, I would ask if 40 is ok/enough, he would say yes, and off we'd go.
A few days in, I was climbing down from the lighthouse as the cruise crowd was just making its way up, and I asked a north American couple how they had gotten here -- the man said that there were plenty of golf carts waiting at the dock, that the driver said it was 80 pesos a ride, so "when we got here I just gave him a 100 peso note and told him to keep it". Seemed like a good deal to him -- about US $10 for a cab ride for two people.
This incident flashed in my mind this morning when I read the article here on RS written by Rick himself about Ugly Americans abroad, in which Rick explicitly says that overtipping calls attention to your affluence more than it helps the local situation.
The cruise vacationer who pays more than double the going rate (I'm under no illusion that the 40 pesos I was paying was any kind of hard bargain) is throwing the system off balance, don't you think?
uh.....no, it doesn't. You only paid 40 pesos, didn't you? Also, Im sure those people you met weren't the first Americans (or whoever) to pay double what you paid---or more. And Id bet there are some wheeler-dealers out there who paid LESS than what you did. Each transaction is a new action. Sounds like you made a pretty good deal for yourself. Don't sweat it!
I don't consider it to be an "ugly American" situation to tip well in the USA or foreign countries nor is it showing off. I know how poorly these service people get paid ($3.50 an hour for doormen at the most expensive American hotels in some states) and believe me, no service person will think you are showing off if you treat them kindly and tip well. They will appreciate it greatly and think highly of you for your kindness. Tipping well does help the person who receives the tip to take care of himself/herself and the family and it will be spent locally. RS just wants to justify not tipping well as a budget traveler to make stingy people feel better about themselves. The cruise travelers sound like generous-hearted people. They aren't setting anything off- just refusing to be cheapskates in favor of helping those a lot poorer than them. There is nothing arrogant and no service person will think anything bad about you for giving a generous tip.
Tipping is just one of those classic YMMV things. Some folks chronically overtip, and some barely tip at all. So I guess everything balances out somewhere on the cosmic scale.
Everyone has to do some self-analysis and figure out what their tipping comfort level is. Rounding 80 up to 100 is a bit much for some, they would be more comfortable rounding to 85 or 90, and others would say well he quoted me 80 so that's what he's getting.
I think folks who work around American travelers know that we tend to tip, perhaps a bit much, so they come to expect it. Other cultures are probably known for no tipping, ever, at all. Part of the job.
The article by RS that I referenced above is here:
http://www.ricksteves.com/press-room/ugly-american-sentiment-abroad
I should clarify that the cruise-ship couple I talked with at the lighthouse were not giving the $100 peso note to their cabbie because they were generous (I'm inferring, of course, can't be certain) but because to them a $100 peso note seemed like play money.
I should also clarify that my effort to pay the going rates and not more, or less, was not motivated out of cheapskate-ness but because I work for my money, too, and every trip I take is the result of certain economizings and savings the rest of the year. (My income comes from salary, not so much from return on investments)
Back on the OP topic, I don't think I'm reading this forum wrong when I say that people have mixed results when taking taxis, and there must be a lot of good advice and stories among us about times when things worked out well and times when they didn't?
I try to avoid taxis in favor of public transport as much as possible, unless the rates are clearly posted, the meter is used, I know with some clarity how much the going rate for that ride is, and there are no viable alternatives at that time of day. Differential pricing based on gender, race, or nationality doesn't sit well with me, nor is "getting taken for a ride" (all over the block before reaching the final destination). I'm a big fan of public transport and like to figure out systems around the world, so taxis never really become an issue.
Some Americans over tip because they don't know better, or sometimes they just can't do the math in their head and realize that they're tipping well in excess of 25%. The residents come to expect that, so my take is to follow the customs of the country you're visiting (not the one you're coming from). Well-healed tourists do distort the economies of poorer areas and open up opportunities for business owners (local and non-local) to rake in higher prices and potentially profits. Having said that, if the money somehow flows to those on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder, I'm OK with that to a point (e.g. higher employment of locals is a good thing).
We have used taxis in Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine. I have never known a taxi driver to take advantage of us. On the few occasions I have tried to tip the driver handed me back the extra money. On two or three occasions I made sure they kept the tip if the weather was miserable or on two occasions they had taken out to the country and my wife insisted they take a tip. On one occasion the driver got back out of the car and handed me the overage.
There is a difference between western and central Europe where most of you go and some of the places we have we have been.
But remember Rick's rule that sometimes it's worth spending MONEY if you can save TIME, because the latter is generally in short supply on a trip.
As a usually single traveler, public transport is much more my go-to option than are taxis. But when I have taken taxis in Europe, I felt that I got fair, metered rates, sometimes after reminding or insisting that the meter be used. I have also seen firsthand that the warnings are true of taxi drivers trying get more out of tourists in places such as Tangier and Sofia, where they are counting on foreigners to think of any price as cheap, even when it's much higher than the going rate. A guidebook that addresses the rate system for each city can help you know what to expect. Common sense will probably tell you to insist on the meter, unless you're trying to negotiate a discount for an unusually long distance.
On our recent trip to the UK, we encountered a 'one in a million' taxi driver. We arrived at our pre-booked B & B in Inverness at 7.00pm on a cold, drizzly evening. It was the Sunday night of a Bank Holiday weekend. We caught a taxi from the train station. He dropped us off and left. We tried in vain for several minutes to get into the house. when we got in we couldn't raise the owner. To be honest I am glad we couldn't because it was a dump. One of those establishemnts which looks nothing like the pics on the internet. We decided we would look elsewhere. There was another taxi down the road. We told him about or accommodation problem. He drove us to a couple of larger hotels. No luck with accommodation but they managed to find us a double room at the lovely Glen Mohr hotel on the River Ness. Our driver took us to this hotel. When I asked him how much for the fare, he flatly refused to take any money. He said he had finished for the day and was happy to help us. I wish I had got his name or number. What a truly wonderful man. This set the tone for the rest of our Scottish adventure. We found the Scots to be delightful, helpful people. Also we both agreed Scotland in our opinion, is at the top of our list as a destination. Such spectacular scenery.
I do my research in advance and decide if it makes more sense for me to take the metro or a taxi to my hotel; in London and Vienna the metro was a piece of cake and my hotels were within a 5 minute walk. I won't deal with trying to get on a bus with my luggage. By the time I've arrived in a foreign country I am usually tired, possibly frazzled and just want to get to my hotel ASAP without a lot of fuss and bother, so one of my travel rules is to recognize when it's time/makes sense to call a taxi, and I always know in advance how much to expect the fare to be--so far this has worked well for me.
Recently used Uber in Budapest - highly recommended!!!
We got a taxi from the train station into the center city at Bratislava, Slovakia. We got a really good and rather expensive tour of the city.
The direct route is a straight shot into the city--maybe 1 1/2 miles.
We suggest calling for your own taxi when arriving in Bratislava.
