Malaysia is ruled by taxi drivers Comment
Lets face it, if your malaysian or live in malaysia you know its true. The taxi drivers job is not like any other, they are there own boss, and apparently they are your superiors too.
In Malaysia, the taxi drivers job, comes with a lot of perks, or sure there are laws, but hell very few drivers follow them. They get to choose who you want to take, where they want to go, and for how much.
The first step to get a taxi here is to stop and negotiate, you tell them where you want to go, then they stop, and think about it for a while, you will have 50% chance he would agree (on a good day). If not you have to try the next one.
Then you would have to ask them “Meter?” , or more often “How much”? (This is a metered taxi, sign is there for decorative purposes, it doesn’t really do anything). The driver will then give you a quotation, if you are lucky you can negotiate it down by a few ringits.
There are many other ways the taxi can charge you, if its the rush hour, driver will ask for more money, if your going somewhere more than a few miles away he will ask for the fare back ( because they are territorial, eg:- taxi drivers in bukit jalil don’t take passengers from anywhere else). Then there is the bus fare rule, this applies if there are more than one passenger, he charges you separate fares, fixed amount each,i.e the taxi works like a bus only more expensive.
Each taxi driver is limited to knowing 4 condos, 3 shopping malls, and 2 high ways, Anywhere else they would not know the way even if they been a taxi driver for more than 20 years. They just don’t have the ability to memorize anymore so you better know your way around town.
They don’t shower ( i think this one is universal), they eat , sleep or do what ever else they have to do in the taxi. I have seen bra’s in glove compartments of taxi’s.
In Some parts of KL, if your know where to look, its now possible to get a taxi to go for meter, But in places like cyberjaya, shah alam, serdang, KLCC, sunway, (to name a few) you are out of luck.
(oh yes! and in know there is this number to call or text, to report the the unlawful taxis, i have tried it, it doesn’t really do anything either.)
Enjoy.