Be Wary of Texting and Calling Taxi Drivers

(Photo source)

I just read an article on a newspaper today that get me really disturbed. So disturbed in fact that I just had to make a post about it.

The Philippine Star, a national daily, ran a a story about a Filipino-American, a Harvard law student at that, who got robbed in the taxi he was riding from the airport by the taxi driver no less. It was his first trip here in the Philippines and I'm really sad that it had to happen then. I bet my first thousand dollars on Sponsored Reviews.com( if I ever get to earn that much) that he will think a thousand times before he makes a second trip here.

From that article, I made the following tips for would be travelers, especially those hailing a taxi from the airport:

1. Ride in airport-affiliated taxis only, more so if your all by your lonesome. It might be more expensive but in the long run its definitely worth it;

2. Keenly observe the taxi driver for any suspicious behaviour (e.g. surreptious glances in the rear view mirror) most especially if he starts calling and texting (this is what happened to the hapless Fil-Am of this post), once this happens think fast on how to get off the taxi or at least call someone for help;

3. Have the security guard at the airport take down the license plate, taxi number and ID of the driver, if the cabbie refuses to give his ID, be wary and don't ride his cab (better safe then sorry);

4. Ride only those cabs with the drivers' identification prominently displayed on the front; and

5. Finally, to be truly safe, have someone pick you up at the airport.

Stories like this truly make me sad for it drives away people who would have come to see our beautiful country if not for this bad lemons in our basically friendly basket of hospitable people. I do hope the authorities catch these bandits masquerading as cabbies.