What do you do when the cab driver lies?

[Dan G]

"Locals" meaning people living at that resort town or American only?

I have came across countries( Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand etc) where foreigners being charged more but never "locals discount".

Locals were people who lived there.

 

[deepsea21]

OMG 14 pages worth of this now? Very simple, know the rates and the zones and if you can't do that expect to be screwed.

Get in the cab and sit in the front passenger seat if you're alone and go where you need to go and leave a little tip. If you're traveling with others they go in the back seat and you sit in the front passenger seat beside the driver as you are paying. You are not going to get screwed if you know what you are doing, you understand the culture, and you don't come across as yet another dumb American that is ripe for the picking.

I don't even like to refer to myself as an "American" these days but prefer "USA citizen". There are North and Central and South American citizens. Today, if you say you're an "American" it is assumed you reside in the USA and that discounts everyone else who lives in the Americas. That is wrong. Just my opinion.

 

[DandyDon]

Very simple, know the rates and the zones and if you can't do that expect to be screwed.

I knew the rate and zone, but he lied. I guess you missed the title.

 

[Jafo19D]

OMG 14 pages worth of this now? Very simple, know the rates and the zones and if you can't do that expect to be screwed.

Get in the cab and sit in the front passenger seat if you're alone and go where you need to go and leave a little tip. If you're traveling with others they go in the back seat and you sit in the front passenger seat beside the driver as you are paying. You are not going to get screwed if you know what you are doing, you understand the culture, and you don't come across as yet another dumb American that is ripe for the picking.

I don't even like to refer to myself as an "American" these days but prefer "USA citizen". There are North and Central and South American citizens. Today, if you say you're an "American" it is assumed you reside in the USA and that discounts everyone else who lives in the Americas. That is wrong. Just my opinion.

I wouldn’t get too wound up on the “American” terminology. I’m half Colombian and live in Bogotá and here people will refer to people or things from the United States as Americano/a. It’s not a big deal unless you run into a bitter extreme leftist who will correct you.

 

[GameChanger]

I have a buddy whose family owns a cab in Coz. I simply text him and within minutes he or his Dad, brothers, or uncle arrives to drive me anywhere on the island. If I need to do provisioning shopping, they will drop me off at Mega and wait for me with no waiting fee. Try to get that service in the USA! They even come from town to Residencia Reefs when I stay there, which I will be doing as of tomorrow (Sat). I never worry about getting ripped-off because I pay them above the posted rates anyway. If you are a frequent visitor to Coz I highly suggest getting to know a good cab owner/driver. (I even get invited to his kids' birthday parties...LOL!).
If you are interested in a referral, just ping me.

 

[ggunn]

I wouldn’t get too wound up on the “American” terminology. I’m half Colombian and live in Bogotá and here people will refer to people or things from the United States as Americano/a. It’s not a big deal unless you run into a bitter extreme leftist who will correct you.

Years ago I had a job that took me to Peru for a while, and one of the things the company I worked for advised me was to not refer to myself as an American as opposed to the people who lived there. To this day I remain sensitive to that.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I have a buddy whose family owns a cab in Coz. I simply text him and within minutes he or his Dad, brothers, or uncle arrives to drive me anywhere on the island. . . . If you are interested in a referral, just ping me.

I don't know how it works in Coz, but I recall many times elsewhere in the world a cab driver handing me his business card and encouraging me to call him whenever I needed a ride throughout my stay. I'm sure a cab driver who gets to know a customer doesn't try to overcharge that customer. So, sure, I suppose if you're willing to wait for your cab driver of choice to show up, or are able to plan and call in advance, you're all set.

@GameChanger , do you tip him?

 

[ReefHound]

OMG 14 pages worth of this now? Very simple, know the rates and the zones and if you can't do that expect to be screwed.

Get in the cab and sit in the front passenger seat if you're alone and go where you need to go and leave a little tip. If you're traveling with others they go in the back seat and you sit in the front passenger seat beside the driver as you are paying. You are not going to get screwed if you know what you are doing, you understand the culture, and you don't come across as yet another dumb American that is ripe for the picking.

I don't even like to refer to myself as an "American" these days but prefer "USA citizen". There are North and Central and South American citizens. Today, if you say you're an "American" it is assumed you reside in the USA and that discounts everyone else who lives in the Americas. That is wrong. Just my opinion.

You are a citizen of a country. There is no country called Central or South America. There is only one country in the world with America as part of it's name. Continents do not have citizenship. American is the proper term for somone from the United States of America. American isn't what people from the USA insist on, it's what the rest of the world insists on. Mexicans refer to us as Americanos.

United States and US is what is misplaced. Other countries have "states" as part of their name. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, for instance.

 

[GameChanger]

I don't know how it works in Coz, but I recall many times elsewhere in the world a cab driver handing me his business card and encouraging me to call him whenever I needed a ride throughout my stay. I'm sure a cab driver who gets to know a customer doesn't try to overcharge that customer. So, sure, I suppose if you're willing to wait for your cab driver of choice to show up, or are able to plan and call in advance, you're all set.

@GameChanger , do you tip him?

Absolutely! And well!

 

[mediumone]

Years ago I had a job that took me to Peru for a while, and one of the things the company I worked for advised me was to not refer to myself as an American as opposed to the people who lived there. To this day I remain sensitive to that.

So what did they advise?
I get it, and agree, but find the alternatives awkward/cumbersome.