Taking a taxi in Cairo... aaaah, I could make a documentary about it. Serious! Since Cairo taxi's don't work with metres it is a bit of a Wild West.
I decided to post this blog as I think people should definitely share in my experience.
When I arrived here (Nov 07), I discovered taking a taxi can be quite an experience; the state of the cars (Thank God, the new traffic laws - don’t allow taxi’s older than 20 years), the Shumacher-style-driving, many stares/questions at/about my missing wedding ring (in Egypt people expect a golden ring on the left hand) and the ‘free market pricing system’. I found out a lot, by just sharing taxi’s with locals. I saw what they did and just copied them.
Overall I find most of the taxi drivers very much ok, considering the conditions they have to do their job in. Could you image driving in Cairo-traffic ALL DAY??!
A lot of these men are just trying to make a living (most of the time pictures of their kids on the dashboard). You will even run into some over-qualified people, who work as taxidrivers in the weekend, just to make a bit of extra money. But of course there are always some exceptions to look out for. Here some do’s and don’t’s:
- Do not share taxis unless you are in a hurry and can sit with a FEMALE in the back
- Women never take a seat in the front
- Always carry a map. Only if you drive around between the 5star hotels, Egyptian museum and pyramids, you don’t need one. If you’d like to go to other places, you better know your way.
- Taxidrivers always say 'yes' is you ask them if they know how to get there, a lot of times they don't. Cairo is big, I think you can’t blame them.
- Know the exact adres, have it written down in Arabic and look it up on the map yourself
- Have a phone number of the destination ready, call them if you circle around too long and let them speak with your taxi man.
- Know your On-The-Road-Arabic, so you can explain in simple language where to stop(BASS), left (SHIMEAL), right (YIMIEN), numbers etc. Not all drivers speak English.
- Do not start conversation if they ask you anything in English (especially the subject WHERE ARE YOU FROM? They will switch to more indecent proposals)
- Put sunglasses on and pretend you are reading EWasseet (don't hold it upside down :-) Or (pretend to) be on the phone
- Taxi’s don’t have meters, so DYI. It is best if you know how much you have to pay, ask around. On the website of CSA are some estimations http://www.livinginegypt.org/
- Have exact fare ready (do not pull out you wallet in front of the taxi driver, I usually fold the notes a few times) and if you know you have paid the right amound, walk away, ingnore complaints (especially if they demand 'bounds' in English).
- If you do run into a good driver, get his number
Good luck!
3 comments:
Great suggestions and tips! The hard part is knowing the correct fare. Our friend who speaks Arabic definitely gets to save a few pounds per trip vs me who can only tell the driver to go left or right.
We once had a taxi driver disagree with teh amount paid and he followed us into the bar we went to! LOL
Oh yes and apart from the experience - which will take a few months - all you need is CONFIDENCE. Step in that car thinking: I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING. IN the beginning I was a scared chicken and got ripped off all the time, now they know DON'T MESS WITH HER!! ;-)
The fare is just a matter of trying a few times, comparing drives paying different amounts.
I usually negotiate a price BEFORE I get in the car - how much to Tahrir Square? Gives me an idea how much money I need, and an immediate feel for the driver. If he grins that idiotic leer, you know the one, and says "For you, no problem!", I say, "No thank you! La Shukran!" and move on to the next taxi.
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