Tales about taxi driver scams were shared online after a video that supposedly caught a driver taking advantage of a passenger in the act was uploaded online.
Lyka Barista, a disc jockey of 101.1 Yes the Best FM radio station, uploaded this video on her Facebook page on February 7. It quickly gained buzz on the platform.
“‘Yung nagmamadali ka pero mas nagmamadali yung metro mo?! Watda,” Barista said in the post.
The short footage showed a taximeter or fare meter running numbers for the fare in a fast pace.
The video has since garnered 21,000 views so far. Several Filipinos were amused by it as it garnered 402 laugh reactions.
In response to another Facebook user, Barista commented that she did confront the driver about it.
The driver, however, made excuses to supposedly justify the high fare.
“Sinabihan ko siya pero sabi niya ‘ay mam trapik e (pero hindi naman ganun ka-trapik), ay mam hindi po sakin taxi to, ay hindi ko alam bakit yan ganyan.’ Okay na? Satisfied ka??” Barista wrote.
The DJ neither revealed the plate number nor name of the driver in her post. She also did not provide further details about her destination when she took the video.
How it resonated with other commuters
Barista’s experience, meanwhile, resonated with several commuters. They also recalled similar experiences when they rode taxis with alleged tampered meters.
“Naalala ko yung taxing sinakayan ko from DILG QC [Quezon City] to U.N. Avenue, umabit ng P300 dahil ang bilis ng metro,” a Facebook user said.
“Na subukan ko narin sumakay ng taxi mula airport. Ganyan kabilis yung metro,” another Facebook user commented.
“Ako nga eh yung taxi ko sinakyan PITX [Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange] to MOA [Mall of Asia] haha. Kala nya di ko alam diskarteng ginagawa nila. Kung tutuusin bill ko nasa around P70 lang yata yun or P80. Haha. Pero yung metro ko P80 nasa MOA arena. Pag liko ng pag-liko palang malapit sa drop off sabay pitik ng P100,” one commuter shared on Facebook.
Other commuters pointed out that the frequency of these scams is the reason why some people prefer other transportation options over taxis.
“Kaya hirap na magtiwala sa mga taxi driver,” one Facebook user said.
“Tapos sasabihin bakit wala sumasakay sa kanila,” another Facebook user pointed out.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has previously warned public utility vehicle drivers and operators about overpricing or overcharging commuters, regardless if they are foreigners or Filipinos.
This statement came after Joshua Hong, a member of the Korean group Seventeen, made headlines for his complaint that a taxi driver in the Philippines overcharged him during his short trip in Manila last October.
Joshua told viewers that he paid the driver three times more than the usual fare.
READ: Fare overpricing, taxi drivers, Joshua Hong: Topics that gained buzz amid Seventeen concert
In response to this, the LTFRB warned PUVs about scheming against commuters.
“Kailanman ay hindi katanggap-tanggap sa LTFRB ang ganitong panloloko ng mga PUV drivers sa kanilang mga pasahero – lokal man o dayuhan,” the agency said.
LTFRB encouraged the commuting public to report to them any erring PUV driver or operator, including taxi drivers, through its hotlines, social media channels and email address.