 The creep driving cab number 1195 should be avoided.
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For a one mile ride to the hotel from this spot near Central Station this cabbie demanded 15 Euro ($19). This is ridiculous since licensed cabs should be using the meter. Most cab rides in Amsterdam were oriented towards gouging the tourists. The Amsterdam government should put a stop to it. Why bother even licensing these cabs if they can do whatever they want? This was cab 1195 (above). I simply got out and some new sucker (above) came along.
A lot of the cabs are a rip off in Amsterdam, many rely on tourists not knowing their way and their often take the longer router or simplt go round in circles sometime.
The best mode of transport is those guys on the pedal bikes with the carriages behind, they are cheap and you can smoke in them.
It sounds like, you did the right and smart thing, you “simply got out”. You also paid attention and was aware of your situation, as it where.
If only every one, would exercise that simple and eloquent right; the right to object and do something meaningful.
People need to stop being sheepish sheeple.
Jee wiz, wouldn’t the world be a better place.
Simple rule: Don’t trust taxi drivers.
#3 – Alfred1 – Calling the cab company with the cab # or name of driver…probably would have resulted in immediate action…maybe even a free ride…
Not in a cab company where all employees are relatives of the owner.
Well i’ve had the same thing just a couple of days earlier. Within the ‘ring’ you should pay 7.50 and outside that it should be 15 euro’s. When you hit a ride a bit further it should be more. Cabbies in Amsterdam suck donkeyballs, that’s for sure.
I’d report him, but it is not clear as to who to report to.
The going taxi rate in Amsterdam is:
Per kilometre: max. €1.94
That converts to:
Per mile: max. US$4.14
JCD made the right choice.
Travel much? This is pretty much epidemic all over the world.
You have to do your homework. Find out the given rates ahead of time and ask up front what the price will be to a given location.
A cab driver in Bucharest tried to pull this shit on me. He wanted 30 Euros for a fare I knew was worth 5. I paid him 5 and he started mouthing off at me. I told him to call the cops, on his cell phone, and I’d be happy to listen to what they had to say about the matter… he grumbled a bit and then drove off.
Screw these guys. I know it’s naive, but I wish that you could count on people being honest and fair. I hate the fact that I always got to be on the look out for scammers and thieves, instead of enjoying myself.
It’s very, VERY simple to rectify. Just pay them what it’s worth, not what they ask. What recourse do they have? Will they call the cops on you? LOL!
Me and my friends got so pissed off at a driver in Budapest once, that we just threw our pocket change at him.
Oh, and when you find one that’s honest, get his business card. They will be more than happy to pick you up. They won’t always be on call, and you might need to wait a little longer if they are, but it’s worth the extra hassle.
http://taxiklacht.nl.
oops, no period at the end
http://taxiklacht.nl
There is an excellent solution that me and my sisters use when this happens to us, yes – fucking nuns can you believe it? Anyway, when we are asked this ridiculous fare we request to be driven to a church at another location and then proceed to leave a massive, steaming, intestinal sculpture on the back seat. Revenge is sweet!
#16 Hi – And no www.
Know what I like about SE Asia? Certainly not the taxis. If you DO find one with a meter, the driver will likely tell you it’s broken. But, at most of the international airports, you’ll find a taxi kiosk. Tell ’em where you’re going, they’ll tell you the price which you usually pay right there. They give you a ticket and assign you a taxi. So, the driver works even harder to get a tip from you.
9,
Well, why don’t you just contact the number listed in his cab for complaints? Or, call the Taxi company directly? or the tourist bureau. Perhaps you require a card that says “John, if you need to complain about price gouging, please call this number.”
One thing that is standard in N.A. cities is gouging… but on parking. You go to a lot near a major sporting event on a non sport night and parking is 6 bucks. Go on a sports night and it’s 25. I guess that’s OK since it’s not a cabby trying to gouge customers on the most touristy day of the year in Amsterdam.
The government licenses taxis (and whatever else it can) to raise revenue. And as a barrier to entry, providing the license holders at least a partial monopoly.
The question you meant to ask is why don’t they regulate them, perhaps by spot checking and weeding out those who abuse their passengers? Simple: To do so costs money. See the first reason taxis are licensed.
No different in any country I have ever visited. Tourists don’t vote and are therefore fair game.
It is TERRIBLE when the richest people in the world (tourists) are given a bargained for price for services to be rendered and they can accept it or not.
Just terrible.
When I’m all jet lagged or forget the currency exchange and get cheated, I think its all part of the travel experience.
Grow Up.
John, go to a ‘coffee’ shop and relax a while
Of all the places I’ve traveled, India had the most rip-off taxis.
(ten years ago, anyway, but I doubt it’s improved much)
I’ve had them take me to the completely wrong hotel, (because they got a kick back there) and then charge me for going to the right one!
As a habit, I always snap a photo of the taxi card with my mobile phone whenever I get in to a cab. There are two reasons for this. (1) If I forget something I can tell the company what cab it was. (2) In case I have to file a complaint later.
Don’t iPhones have GPS? Has someone written an app that tracks miles and time? That way you can verify distance/time against the taxi meter.
Amazing how some can politicize anything – esp. a taxi ride. Corruption is corruption – cheers to John for posting this!
I find it hard to believe that the travel worn John C. Dvorak would even get into a ripoff cab. I used to get ripped off by cabbies. A few simple rules can avoid it. 1. Don’t get into a cab where the cabbie doesn’t speak a language you do. 2. Negotiate a flat rate per destination or insist on using the meter, before getting in. 3. Ask about any ‘extras’ – baggage, airport, bridge, highway, nocturnal, urban, etc… Cabbies feed on tourists. It’s a good thing to control the situation from the start.
Very good that you just got out. If you would file a complaint with the taxi company then that usually would result in a much more direct action then the Amsterdam governance could ever do.
But… You could probably have avoided this hassle by taken the tram or bus instead of a (usually expensive) cab.
You should’ve known this simple rule. Do not ever, I repeat, DO NOT take ANY cab near the Central Station. This applies to every country, but especially near Amersterdam, because there’s been a war going on between cab drivers for years.
Their latest trick is to tell you that they don’t have any change e.g. your fare is 25, you give them 30 and they say they have no change or no 5 euro notes…..if your appointment is time-sensitive, you don’t always have the time to argue with them, but this is the latest in the thieving bastards’ armoury of tricks.