Taxi Bible

Okayh, im writing this because I think I am so experienced in taking taxis already. I used to take taxi to work, usually from UM to Tropicana City Mall, and sometimes I do take taxis from other places as well, for once I took taxi from Setapak to 1U, it cost me around 22 bucks. I know, so freaking expensive right, but sometimes there’s not much choice for us. I have alpha Talasemia, (though I know I don’t look like one), thus I have frequent headache and migraine. This happens all the time when I don’t get to have enough sleep, so if I get to finish my class at 2 something, I would go back to take a nap  then take a cab to office rather than rushing myself to take buses and lrt transits. It’s not like I’m a rich kid, or a spend-thrift, but I have a few experiences that the 15 mins journey took me up to 2 hours to reach my hostel from office just because I chose to take shuttle bus and public transports. You know you hate it so badly when the time you reached one station and the bus have just got off. Waiting is a kill of time, and I’ve got very low patience, I don’t like waiting, I don’t like wasting my life to wait. I know it’s expensive, but if I have car, I also would not like to spend so much on transportation. However, since I am still a property-less person, I’ll just have to continue taking public transports.

Today I’m here to share you a few important tips when you’re taking a cab, especially newbies who are still new to experience of taking a cab. I started taking taxis in my first year of uni, at first I was very nervous too, I have almost zero experience to it and my mum used to tell me a lot of taxi drivers are bad guys, coz there were too much of this kind of news in the newspapers. Somehow this is half true, I have met a few terrible and unethical taxi drivers. I don’t speak from an aspect of sexual harassment, but the ethics and attitude.

1.  Check the metre once you get in.

Until today, 3rd of February, it is still RM3 flat rate. First, make sure the taxi driver clear the previous amount and recalculate all over again. For some cases like you got in the cab at halfway, if there is another passenger in the cab and he said he is going to deliver him/her first, make sure you count your own miles and journey you have to travel to get to the destination, not inclusive of the journey taken by another passenger. LOTS of unethical taxi drivers tend to take a few passengers with diff destinations at one go and charged double or triple, pretending they are so kind, make sure you are not scammed or bullied. When the passenger get down, make sure he recalculates it or he deduct the amount, talk to him. If he refuse to do so, get down or start taking pictures with shutter sound on, scare him la. Who scare who? LOL, in Chinese we say, 跟他死过啦。Even if the amount is not much, you shouldn’t pay for what you shouldn’t pay. If you tolerated, there are only 2 consequences, first you get bullied because of not being brave enough, you pay for your c*wardness. OOPS. Second, you are not and always will not be the last victim, you’re encouraging the growth of the social problem. The words may have gone a little too extreme, but this is what that happens. Err, however, your condition might not be the same like mine, so you zap sang la.

2.  Metre-based

Confirm the taxi drivers are charging by metre reading always unless necessary. I can tell you for once, a taxi driver he kept driving extremely slowly, and when you complaint, he said he can go as fast as helicopter if you pay him 20 bucks. That was from Paradigm back to UM, I refused, and I insisted I want to be charged by metre reading, it ended up for 12 bucks ONLY, so you see the difference now?  

3. Car plate number and complaint channel

Whether the driver is good or not, you should jot down the car plate numbers for your own safety sake. There are car plate numbers around the car, dashboard and also on both left and right. The complaint channel to SPAD are on your left and right as well, keep the car plate number and file a complaint if you happen to meet unethical drivers. Well, the authority will not know about the terrible attitude the driver has if no one reports, right? Just take it as a civil responsibility.

4. Taxi? Yay or Nay?

I would encourage you to take taxi if you’re going out with a bunch of friend, aduiiihhh, don’t have to rush here and there just to save that 1 buck la, you drink one less starbucks can save you a lot already ok. HAHHAHAH, an example, you only have to pay RM 2 to get to Midvalley, but all time you need to spend waiting and the road you have to walk. Just get 3 more friends to go with you, then you only have to pay less than 2 bucks and walk less. HAHHAHHA, knowledge gained right? Sak qin lok lei doi a. I have good math. And please don’t take taxis during peak hours, you’re gonna cry. It’s gonna be so expensive. Usually I pay 4 bucks to travel from KK12 to LRT Universiti, and for once it was so jammed and I had to pay 8 bucks.

5. If no taxi, how le?

I believe the students nowadays all have a smartphone, go download apps called “My Teksi” and “Easy Taxi”, register it earlier, it is very convenient for you to call for taxi just that you have to pay extra 2 bucks and one good thing about it, it keeps a record or a history of your call. There is one cab named “Uber”, it’s all in black colour, just like a normal car, and it’s much safer because you can track your taxi drivers. This is what I heard la, but I still don’t have a chance to try yet, and I heard it’s more expensive compared to the ordinary taxis and apps, I’ll share the experience if I get to try. Or, if you still couldn’t call, let me know, I call for you, and you pay me commission xDDDD You should plan your route if let’s say you’re taking public transport to a place the day before, check all the schedule of komuter and buses, so you could save your time.

6. Why are the differences of the taxis of different colours?

Red, Orange, Green, Yellow are all normal taxis, charge on a flat rate of RM3.

**Blue is exclusive taxis, the flat rate is RM5 instead of RM3.  

The bronze colour Alza is 1 Malaysia taxis, I love it, coz it’s new, comfy and charge on a flat rate like normal taxis RM3.

***The Yellow Top taxis are usually taxis that got no metre reader, they charge by their own, and it’s not by metre reading. Beware of that!

7. Personal details

I am very safety conscious, I don’t always leak my information to the taxi drivers, precisely strangers. It is not because I discriminate their occupation, but because they are strangers. Everyone knows I’m from Kuantan, but when they ask me where I am from, I like to tell them I’m from Klang, or any other place, just to let them know that I’m local, I know everything, I know the price, I know the route, you don’t ever try to cheat me. But if you really want to learn the route and taxi driver happens to be really kind and ethical, you can ask about the traffic condition and the route to learn a bit. Next, do not disclose any information of you because it is not necessary and you don’t have to put yourself in danger. Stalker and pervert sometimes do not write on their face that they are one, you need to be extra protective! Sometimes I answer them, but the information are 70% faked, whatever, they just don’t need to know.

8.  Talkative taxi drivers?

I just don’t know the solution. I don’t know what to do, I’ve met a few and sometimes I’m so tired and I was forced to answer coz at the time I was resting, closing my eyes, he work me up by keep asking “Betul kan?” and he was literally driven away by his own enjoyment of torturing me with his stories, like I’m so interested. He talked about the traffic condition to his current occupation to his previous occupation and his future occupation then to life advices. TOLONGLAHHHH. However, I was grateful that I was calm enough to hold myself from bursting into madness. I still haven’t figure out the way yet, I’ll share you when I have found one.

Alright, I think these are all I could share with you about taking taxis, do not hesitate to leave me a comment if you have any question. :)

Kbyethx. Xoxo.