This is a series of story and also a blog post about my encounter on different taxi drivers during the whole day. I rode 3 different kinds of taxi and heard lots of interesting stories from them, most of the story are about the new taxi flag down rate and the new calibrated meter machine, the corruption of some cops and the LTFRB.
more story below
Taxi 1 - The big tip and the new calibrated meter machine
I rode the taxi in coastal road and my destination is Greenbelt 1 in Makati City. The I checked the meter machine of the taxi and its still the old one and not with the new version that generates printed copy of receipt. I asked the taxi driver when will he get the new calibrated meter and then he said that his taxi car plate ends on number "6" and their schedule for the replacement of the new calibrated meter will be on March 2011, and he also added that the schedule might go beyond March, because there are lots of taxi who still haven't got their new meter for January 2011 thats the taxi car with end plater number of 1 and 2. But he shared to me that most of the new applicants for the new calibrated meter are the taxi car with end plate number "1". But the registration and pick up of the new taxi meter will go beyond February for "end plate 1" and goes with "end plate 2" for the 2nd month of the year. Because there are lots of taxis and the test of the new meter will run the whole day before the LTFRB sealed it and authenticate it.
I asked the taxi driver if their taxi operator will increase their boundary, and then the driver said that their operators announced already the increase of it, because it affects their profit after buying those new calibrated meter and also stocks of paper for the receipt. Then the taxi driver shared to me that he is lucky for now with passengers who rode with them, because lots of passengers are picky and avoids the taxi that roams the street with end plate number 1 and 2.
The taxi driver shared a tip to me and said that if ever I like to ride a taxi cab and skip paying the P40 flag down rate with the new calibrated metered taxi, all I have to do is check the plate number of the taxi that comes infront of me .If the taxi has an end plate number of "1 and 2", all I have to do is avoid it and never ride with it, because they have the new calibrated meter machine, with a new P40 flag down rate ,and a 3.50 pesos charge for every succeeding 300 meters. The taxi driver also said that this is just a gimmick of the new people at LTFRB to do business and earn lots of money from taxi operators, they can just use the old system that they post stickers on our taxi and let the passenger pay an additional P10 for the flag rate and instead of give another financial burden to us and to our operators, in other end, we taxi drivers always suffer from the boundary increase. The good solution to this is to lower the oil price.
Manong taxi driver 1 is very talkative when he shared this to me, but I'm happy that I know more about this new metered taxi and the P40 flag down rate. I guess I'll just avoid taxi with end plate 1 and 2 or...I'll leave early at home so that I can ride ordinary vehicles and save money my transportation budget.
Taxi 2 - encounter with a new calibrated meter machine
From Makati, after attending an event there. I rode a different taxi and went to Jupiter st. to pick up my wife who was waiting for me in a clinic. I noticed that the car is brand new and saw the new calibrated meter machine inside the taxi. I was sitting at the back and then I slammed my head under the seat and forgot to check the plate number first of the taxi before riding it. But I let it go and observe if the new calibrated taxi meter is too expensive or still affordable for me. I talked to the taxi driver and asked some questions,but before that I told him that I noticed the new calibrated meter machine and he said that he got the new meter few days ago and still a pain in their operators wallet for purchasing the new meter and also the paper for the receipt. I checked the new meter and saw that there's an old receipt hanging on top of it, he said that the machine is a complete failure, whenever he pulls the receipt the other end stays intact to the machine, so in order to get a complete copy of the receipt, all he have to do is print the receipt two times and cut the first print and leave the 2nd print receipt for the next passenger.
I asked him on how it works, and Manong taxi driver 2 shared to me that there's a memory box inside the machine that can generate full report for the operator and it will show how many pesos it earned and how many trips it received during the whole day. Then he shared to me that the boundary of his taxi is around 1,300 pesos for a day. Their taxi operator didn't announced anything about any boundary increased, but if ever they have an increase, he will just leave the taxi company and be a bus or jeep driver, he said that bus and jeepney drivers are unaffected to this new system and it can generate more money than being a taxi driver if the boundary increases.
Then after I reached my destination, Manong taxi driver printed the receipt for me and he showed me how a complete failure of the machine when it comes to printing, he handed me the receipt and I payed an amount that is not normal for me.
I finally learned that riding the new metered taxi is very expensive for me, the normal rate of going around Makati for only P60 last year is no longer possible, because if you go to another street in Makati riding the new metered taxi, you will pay more than P60, or pay around nearly P100. After that 1st experience, I will never ride the new metered taxi ever again.. masyado expensive na eh.
Taxi 3 - "Foreigners vs. Cops"
Manong taxi driver 3 shared to me this scary story about this encounter with some cops, I didn't know why our conversation reached that topic and it could be that I asked some directions going to the National Statistics Office in Macapagal Ave. Then he shared quickly that there's a British foreigner rode this taxi and they went around in Ermita st. to find this building that the foreigner wishes to visit. The taxi driver knows the building but he forgot the exact location, he spotted a copy nearby standing and plans to approach the cop and ask for directions. But before the taxi reach the cop, he suddenly tells the foreigner that he needs to ask the cop first and they might now the building, then the foreigner went into panic and ordered the taxi driver not to stop and forget about asking the cop to help them, the taxi driver didn't know what to do and he just heard from the foreigner that cops are bad and they we're warned by their friends or travel agent by not to deal with Philippine cops or police.
Then another incident was shared by the taxi driver to me, a shocking story. A Japanese tourist rode his taxi and went to Quezon City, in nearly inside the heart of the city, already dark at night. The taxi was caught up by this check point in a quiet street of the city. Cops checked the taxi cab and after they spotted the Japanese foreigner inside, one cop ran away and went back to their mobile car and invited 3 cops to approach the taxi cab. The cops told the taxi driver that it is a check point and they need to check his foreigner passenger and he could be an illegal alien. Then the taxi driver reacts and said that if they have power to do that even that they are not from the immigration office, then the cop got mad and said that they can do that because they are cops.
then the Japanese foreigner got afraid and shouted "okay! how much?", then one cop said "P5,000 only". The Japanese foreigner handed the money to the cops and then they went back to the taxi driver and said "you didn't see anything, now go!". Then the taxi driver went mad and cursed those cops.
After hearing those news, I strongly believe that cops today are so corrupt. Not all of them, but we have lots of scalawag cops and it sucks that they now victimize foreigners. hay .. Pilipinas kay ganda talaga.
Lesson of the day
so what did I learn from today?
1. never ride the taxi with end plate 1 and 2 for Jan-Feb
2. Always check my time and leave early so that I will never be late in my appointments
3. avoid riding taxi cabs
4. save money
5. avoid cops
6. dont act like a foreigner, because cops can extort money from you.
taxi car photo credit: http://www.pusangkalye.net/
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