So I’ve spent the past couple of days in Doha (thanks for the condolences). The city is about as exciting as watching paint dry, and that’s being generous.
It’s somewhat rare that I take taxis nowadays. I always try to stick to public transportation or Uber when possible, as I find taxis to just be a pain. Either they rip you off or are so nice that it’s suspicious.
But I took three taxi rides in Doha, and all three of them left me confused. When I got in the taxis they didn’t turn on the meter. When I asked them to, they said “don’t worry about it, you just pay what you want.”
What is this, Lyft? At least unlike Lyft, no fisting was required (can’t say I’m really into fisting or sitting in the “front seat,” which is why I stick to Uber).
So I really wasn’t sure what to make of that. On one hand, they weren’t ripping me off, per se, so I can’t really fault them for it. At the same time, I didn’t know exactly how much taxi rides should cost (other than really cheap), so did “round up” based on my expectations.
What would you do in this situation? Should I have pushed and demanded that they turn on the meter, should I have just been happy they weren’t trying to directly rip me off, or should I have low balled them when it came time to pay, given that they’re trying to take advantage of passengers?
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.