Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations

A Better Future for Czech Taxi Rides

The Jaunted blog caught a good story on New Czech Taxi Rules slated to be implemented and in place by 2009. The rules include an age limit on vehicles, required air conditioning, and a coat of yellow paint. If the changes actually stick, it will be a bright new day in Prague.
Among the many ways visitors to Prague can find themselves ripped off, taxi rides usually top the list. Perhaps this quoted driver sums up the attitude best: “Every taxi operator should be able to set his own fare. The fare you set is part of your business strategy, and no one should interfere with that.”

In other words, the more gullible the tourist, the more they should have to pay. This is a good reminder that in cities where drivers don’t use the meter (or don’t even have one), you need to ask someone—a local or a traveler who has been there a while—about how much the fare should be from where you are to where you’re going. Then you know about where to end up in the negotiations, before you take off. If the amount quoted is double or triple that and he won’t budge, time to get out and find another cab. (Amazingly, the fare often quickly reverts to the proper level as soon as the door opens.) Bargaining for a taxi ride may feel strange at first, but in much of the world you’ll need to get used to it. Otherwise you’ll get reamed again and again.