I’ve had 2 odd taxi situations in a week and just thought I’d throw them out there so folks might not be surprised if something similar happens to them.
The 1st strange event was in Colmar. I had the hotel book me a cab to the station the night before departure. I was downstairs early (shocked, right?) and the lady at the desk asked me if it was OK if the guy picked me up early. I said sure. Then she said “it is a black car driven by a black man. It is a car they use to take people to the hospital so he doesn’t have a meter”. Then he arrives and there is another customer in the cab. He says. If you don’t mind, I will drop you at the station and then take her where she needs to go. I will charge you 13 Euro but I don’t have a meter so it is a flat rate. Uh, ok. I’d found a cab on arrival and it was 11E to the hotel so 13 was fine. The other passenger was a business woman and on her phone the whole time. She barely even glanced at me so maybe this happens all the time.
Today I arrived in Ghent and when I got to the taxi bay there was just one taxi! He took my bag then there were 2 other couples who’d arrived after me waiting so he asked if he could check with them to see where they were going and possibly take all of us. I said fine. One of the other couples was apparently going in the same direction so we combined. They turned out to be from California, had just finished a Gate 1 cruise and were getting ready to start another tour with them. Then the taxi driver who spoke excellent English asked about the tour companies, lol. He dropped me first and charged me 9.70E which was fair.
I wonder if a lot of drivers quit the business during the pandemic? Quite odd to have 2 strange taxi situations in a week!! Both of these locations are busy with tourists so it’s not like I’m visiting somewhere that a tourist wouldn’t be expected to go.
I didn’t mind sharing the cab and was pretty entertained by the couple today. Based on the other thread regarding tour mates, I’d probably enjoy being on a tour with them, lol!!