Quote:
Originally Posted by nono1973
I have not heard of 40k per hour taxi trip so far,i may have overlook. I use a 30k to 40k from Point A to Point B theory for single trip (50k occasionally).
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Very good. I second that. This is the regular amount to pay for short standard trips (say around Nagoya). Period.
Most notable exceptions are:
1) 50k from Harbour Bay to Nagoya or vice versa (the driver has to pay the parking fee);
2) 50k from disco or club back to hotel at night (they claim they charge a "night fee"; the point is that if you are with a girl, you might want to cut bargain short; additionally, taxi drivers at night are way more aggressive).
In general, I would advise foreign visitors to not overpay, but neither be stingy with taxi drivers or ojek drivers.
Those men are NOT rich. They have a family to sustain. They LIVE (in some cases survive) on the money from tourists. When one pays 500k for drinks in a club and 1M for a girl, he can surely afford adding 10k for a taxi ride. I am happy to support the local people, because if I am happy in Batam it's also because the local people is friendly with me. I love Batam and I love local people.
One more thing. There is a way to avoid the scam by fraudulent drivers "Hey the ride took longer than expected, pay me 100k!":
never pay when you are still sitting inside the car.
First exit, then approach the driver window and give him the money with a big friendly smile. If you are going back to your hotel, even the most aggressive fraudulent driver will not dare to scam you openly in front of the doorman of your hotel (for sure, this is valid for Formosa).
Never show you are unsure about that is the appropriate price. Learn first what are the regular fees, depending on distance, then be very confident when you talk.
(Nono, you understand the "you" is generic and not directed to you personally. You know all these things very well)