Taxi tales


Throughout my journey in life ,I had been on many taxi and in my home city , where driving could cause you serious heartache and being in a snail motion of traffic jam while taking trains usually cost time and being treated like you're a sardine stuffed in a tin can, taxi is the best option at least for me.
Taxi drivers in Malaysia have to wear white shirts and they have to display their identity card in the car interior. Taxis in Malaysia mostly are Proton, our national car .I met some taxi drivers who are nice and polite like Abang Joe (Abang' is brother in Malay).When I booked him to take me somewhere, I tip him, when friends from abroad came to visit, I got him to take my friends for sightseeing and that's business for him.

But there are numerous times that I had downright scary experience such as taxi driver making eye contact with me on the mirror while licking his lips in a very perverty' manner while giving me a wink and...

A taxi driver who looks like Randy Jackson told me to pay him triple the journey’s price on my way to home, and he said that I look hot like 5 times on that 5 minutes journey, and...

A guy who was like 100 years old told me about his sexual preference, oh where do I stop?!!(rolling my eyes)This is only half of what I had experienced.

What did I do to get this? some might ask but this is typical of what girls in Kuala Lumpur or any cities have to face .Taxi meters being shut, asking for silly amount of money for a short journey and other weirdness. I am reaching out for my sisters and say ,be strong girl! take your pepper spray with you and always inform someone that you are on your way preferably stating the registration number and say it on the phone when you just boarded the taxi. There are also fake taxi drivers, where a guy rob a real taxi driver's car and pretend to be a taxi driver instead,
This is downright scary and numerous rape cases had been reported done by 'fake' taxi drivers.




Dubai taxi drivers... their cars are mostly Toyota's and some hotel's one are Lexus .One night , I boarded from Buddha bar wanting to go to Dubai marina, and the driver were nice at the first place and was joking and all and later he got excited and talk about his religious beliefs and ideology that I think was much better kept to himself , but the main issue was, he started questioning me on various issues and all the questions ended with "I know its none of my business", because I had my men with me ( I won't say anything if I were on my own)..I said to him that its true all those are none of his business and few more inches of preach that shuts him off. I am glad that night at a place called Boudoir I ended up with bumping into 50 cents as in 50cents the rapper, we smiled at each other and I can't stop talking about it till today at least that calms me down ( a bit).

Where I stayed in England, taxi drivers are mostly nice but I am seldom on one too, they would open the door for ladies and take their bags to the doorstep and maybe only once, a taxi driver said to me that he is on Prozac and need me to watch his driving and temper

Nevertheless they are not all are ugly robbers, some are very nice and some are funny .But some of them especially in Kuala Lumpur who often ask for 50 ringgit just from Bukit Bintang to the Hilton which is like 5- 10 minutes journey, I know they work hard and money does not come easy for them but just like any business you are doing, taking care of your customers are essential.Happy customers are repeat customers.

It's Saturday and its grocery shopping day, I am off now and I am not driving (ever in Kuala Lumpur) my mum is. See you all later xoxo

Note for the ladies: Always be alert when you board on a taxi , look at the registration number and if the driver is acting weird , stop at a police station half away or just say you forgot something and wants to get down.Trust your instict when it says the driver is a loony.This is a reminder for me too.

Comments

Trix said…
Hi..I just made my daughter a cup of tea..and some coffee for me.Now I am taking an early morning moment to read your blog.Its 8:30 am...and I love all the pictures here..its like sharing a different world..which is exactly what it is.
Seems like the taxis that side are almost as bad as the taxis on our side,lol.Ours are horrendous. I urge you to take care and always be aware of your surroundings.Still,it looks like you are already taking precautions,which is the only way to go.I agree we must trust our instincts..they are often right about things.Be safe...and have a great day :)
ps...thanks for the link exchange !
Karen ^..^ said…
This was a very scary story. I do not have to worry about these types of stresses here, but I know that women in Manhattan do. Stay safe, stay strong, and hold on to that pepper spray!!

I have enjoyed your blog posts tremendously.
Anonymous said…
hey you, i dont generally take a cab in KL i prefer driving ( with jam and all) unless im club hopping ;P

but, if im away in other countries, i have no choice, but to take one ( when i go out on my own that is - otherwise the Company's driver will do the deed hehehehe).

So far, they are OK, the Dubai ones are generally nice and i usually will call them back to pick me up when im done shopping.

no scary scary one so far,usually i will be damn busy with my phone -i will just call a friend and talk all the way........rather than talking to the cabbie..... ;P
Anonymous said…
I didn't know cabbies could be so scary in KL. You definitely have to watch out. We don't really have this problem in NY. It's pretty safe. But i took cabs in Shanghai and it was the scariest thing ever. Their driving was awful. Going the wrong way on a one way street for example! haha
It reminds me of cab drivers in Egypt in their driving...its not really safe but they are not robbers...they could be nosy sometimes....I once was with my wife (girl friend) at that time and I remember taking a taxi, and the driver had a long beard and gave a very scary impresseion, half way he told me to let go of my wife's hand because its not decent...... so we got out of the Taxi and I paid him nothing after a little fight surely.
I pitty these people.... anyway
Nice to meet you :)
saxyphone said…
i have had taxi drivers overpricing me when I am in KL. But usually, I would try to ask if they are running on meters. And them knowing we are tourists usually end up in me overpaying for the fare.

Though I have never been asked to pay 50 ringgit. Which I am thankful for. Thank you for the advices on taxi drivers there in KL. I still love KL though. The taxi drivers dont make me think otherwise. :)

Besides, I usually stay in Concorde Hotel, so its still walkable to Bukit Bintang. The place I love to go and shop! hehe. Im missing the amusement park in Berjaya. :(
Jesse , my pleasure for the exchange and sharing.I hope to go to SA one day and thanks for sharing the taxi story.

Karen,Im glad women in your city do not face such dangers.Im glad you enjoyed mine as much As I enjoyed yours.
Azra,
Lucky YOU! I was called 'adik manis' by creepy people !but yeah some are really nice and some aren't, just a note to take more precautions when you meet those that are not.
Zen chef,
wow ,that was scary!I often have this "perception"that NY aren't a safe place maybe because I've never been. :(
Thats what I'm talking about doudy, keeping your opinion to yourself because you are paid to drive at the first place.I pity them people too.You did the right thing bro':)
saxyphone,
Concorde is one of my favourite hotel for many reasons.and its only few minutes away from my house.Thats what I ve been saying , I hate when people try to rob me like that.Its best to get one by the hotel's poch and ask for metre to be switched on.
Anonymous said…
People sometimes think NY is not safe but i never had any problems. But i got robbed in Paris! Go figure. :-)
Unknown said…
Kl and china is the worst place to take a cab.I was one of the victim in kl where the taxi driver charged me rm20 for within bukit bintang and lot 10.:(