The overwhelming majority of taxi owners are not suspicious and the vast majority of taxi journeys pass without incident. However, there have been concerns at home and abroad, so it is worth taking fundamental safety steps. The added difficulty when using a taxi abroad, obviously, is the language and cultural barrier.
The purpose of this piece is to make you aware of your safety whilst taking a taxi abroad, but these safety pointers should be applied equally in your own country. Safety, particularly personal safety, ought to become one of your paramount worries.
The first piece of advice is to take a taxi from a taxi rank. Do not take a taxi from someone who is touting his taxi service outside the airport or the train station. Most countries have a system of organized taxi ranks, but there are always rogue taxi drivers attempting to by-pass the certified system.
If there is no taxi rank enquire of one of the police, that can be seen standing in every public transport building. If that does not work, go into a hotel, restaurant or bar and request the proprietor to phone you a taxi. Before you get into the taxi, commit the registration number or number plate of the taxi to memory and write it down once you are in the cab.
If you are arriving in the location from a long distance away, know the location of the building you want to visit. This is easily done by going to Google Earth, typing the location in and printing off the map. Then you know if you are being taken for a ride literally. Do not permit yourself to get taken anywhere you do not want to go. Sit in the back so that you have the upper hand if you require it.
Keep you precious luggage near you, then if you have to make a run for it, you will have your essentials and the details of the taxi that you wrote down beforehand.
Does the car look like a taxi or does it look like someone's private car? You have more likelihood of being ripped off by a private hire car than a firm with a boss and a license to lose. Most legitimate taxis will have the firm's phone number written on them, so request a card or jot it down.
If you are travelling alone, try to share the taxi with another foreigner. Most foreigners are searching for a place to book into when they arrive, so this is not as hard as it might sound. Do not allow another local to share with you, because you do not know who they are - they could be a team.
Finally, do not be into a car that is in very poor condition. If the driver is on the level, the car will be clean and the windows and the door handles will work. Do not get into a car without internal door handles..
The purpose of this piece is to make you aware of your safety whilst taking a taxi abroad, but these safety pointers should be applied equally in your own country. Safety, particularly personal safety, ought to become one of your paramount worries.
The first piece of advice is to take a taxi from a taxi rank. Do not take a taxi from someone who is touting his taxi service outside the airport or the train station. Most countries have a system of organized taxi ranks, but there are always rogue taxi drivers attempting to by-pass the certified system.
If there is no taxi rank enquire of one of the police, that can be seen standing in every public transport building. If that does not work, go into a hotel, restaurant or bar and request the proprietor to phone you a taxi. Before you get into the taxi, commit the registration number or number plate of the taxi to memory and write it down once you are in the cab.
If you are arriving in the location from a long distance away, know the location of the building you want to visit. This is easily done by going to Google Earth, typing the location in and printing off the map. Then you know if you are being taken for a ride literally. Do not permit yourself to get taken anywhere you do not want to go. Sit in the back so that you have the upper hand if you require it.
Keep you precious luggage near you, then if you have to make a run for it, you will have your essentials and the details of the taxi that you wrote down beforehand.
Does the car look like a taxi or does it look like someone's private car? You have more likelihood of being ripped off by a private hire car than a firm with a boss and a license to lose. Most legitimate taxis will have the firm's phone number written on them, so request a card or jot it down.
If you are travelling alone, try to share the taxi with another foreigner. Most foreigners are searching for a place to book into when they arrive, so this is not as hard as it might sound. Do not allow another local to share with you, because you do not know who they are - they could be a team.
Finally, do not be into a car that is in very poor condition. If the driver is on the level, the car will be clean and the windows and the door handles will work. Do not get into a car without internal door handles..
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on several topics, yet is now concerned with RX Safety Glasses. If you want to know more, go to our site at Safety Glasses Bifocal
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