WengOnline

As a regular cab rider, I thought that I had mastered the art of estimating the taxi fare from point A to point B. I have managed to estimate a ceiling price for a certain destination. To be more accurate, I tried scouring the net for tutorials or how to or what nots, but I got . For a country that is proud to be a tourist destination, we must make sure that these taxi cab meters be routinely checked.

First, a few tips to remember once you get on a cab.

1. Make sure the driver flags down the meter. There are some cab drivers that will negotiate a price with you or ask you to add a tip. I’d rather tip if and when I feel like the driver deserves it (no haphazard driving and braking). I usually tip by rounding up the fare or adding Php 10-15 to the bill.
2. Make sure you have small bills and coins. There are times when unscupulous drivers will tell you they do not have change. Do not ride a cab with a Php500 bill and expect change. I make sure I have several Php 20 and even coins to pay as close to the metered fare as possible. See Tip #1.
3. Do not sleep while in transit. I’ve seen some cab riders sleep while riding. This makes you prone to a fast meter or even holdups. Your taxi driver might even take advantage of you while you are asleep.

Second, the rates:

1. Flag down rate. As of writing this, the current flag down is Php 30. This shouldn’t change for the first 500 meters.
2. Regular travel. Php 2.50 for each succeeding 300 meters.
3. Full stop/Waiting. Php 2.50 for every two minutes of waiting.

Parts of the meter. (I’ll get pictures some other day)

1. Idle/waiting timer (upper left corner) - the taxi must be at full stop for this to increment. The standard rate addition is approximately Php 2.50 every 2 minutes.
2. Odometer reading - the cab must run approximately 300 meters for this to increment by Php 2.50
3. Total Fare - the middle part where the largest numbers are. Your fare must be in Php 2.50 increments regardless of the distance.

Any other tips you’d like to add? Feel free to post them.