Hiring a driver

[Possum]

I have almost uniformly had bad experience with Manila and Quezon taxi drivers both as a foreigner alone and with my wife who is Filipino. They either do not want to turn on the meter or go the long way around and in certain cases just come up with BS. Last year we were in Manila on business and my wife asked the hotel to call us a cab. He flagged down a cab and assisted in putting the bags in the back. When I came out the driver told my wife that there was an extra charge due to traffic of 100. She said just use the meter he said no, extra 100.  She noted that he didn't mention this extra charge until he saw me. {Love the Philippines as tourist slogan says} We didn't take that cab. Also, unless you want to stand in a long line at NAIA the  extortion is about the same for taxis. At one time it was easy to get Grab at NAIA but it can be a long wait now, I guess the NAIA mafia got to them.

Therefore we use Grab almost exclusively when not at NAIA and when there we arrange for transport in advance. With Grab you know upfront what you'll pay, the cars are clean and you can track your route on the app and there is no argument on turning on the meter. As far as taxis being regulated here? File a complaint and see how that works out

[JJReyes]

10 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Is Grub a sister company of Grab but the filthy one as the name implies 

Sorry.  I must have been thinking of Grubhub, a food delivery service.  

[MikeyD]

Thanks for everyone's replies.  Just as an update, we did wind up purchasing a vehicle and my wife decided that she was going to try driving here in Cebu.  She has been driving in the US since 1987 but never here until last month.  Anyway, long story short, she has done pretty well and seems to naturally take to the ebb and flow of the traffic driving patterns here.  The only thing she hasn't mastered yet is the art of parking in tight spaces, especially backing into the parking spots the way everyone else does here.  I have used Grab food delivery and Grab Mart but not Grab Car yet.  I have the app ready to use in case my wife gets upset with me when we're out so I can get a ride home on my own .  The other Grab apps worked well for me and I can see on the app the route the delivery driver is taking and can see when he is nearing and I can pay for the delivery and tip on the app without having to handle cash.

[RBM]

On 9/4/2023 at 3:03 PM, MikeyD said:

  The only thing she hasn't mastered yet is the art of parking in tight spaces, especially backing into the parking spots the way everyone else does here. 

Common issue which i just went through.

Solution.

Borrow a kids peddle car, fit 2 mirrors, have her practice over and over, she will soon get it.

[craftbeerlover]

On 7/25/2023 at 9:30 AM, Possum said:

I have almost uniformly had bad experience with Manila and Quezon taxi drivers both as a foreigner alone and with my wife who is Filipino. They either do not want to turn on the meter or go the long way around and in certain cases just come up with BS. Last year we were in Manila on business and my wife asked the hotel to call us a cab. He flagged down a cab and assisted in putting the bags in the back. When I came out the driver told my wife that there was an extra charge due to traffic of 100. She said just use the meter he said no, extra 100.  She noted that he didn't mention this extra charge until he saw me. {Love the Philippines as tourist slogan says} We didn't take that cab. Also, unless you want to stand in a long line at NAIA the  extortion is about the same for taxis. At one time it was easy to get Grab at NAIA but it can be a long wait now, I guess the NAIA mafia got to them.

Therefore we use Grab almost exclusively when not at NAIA and when there we arrange for transport in advance. With Grab you know upfront what you'll pay, the cars are clean and you can track your route on the app and there is no argument on turning on the meter. As far as taxis being regulated here? File a complaint and see how that works out

They have tried to negotiate prices with me in the past (while driving), all the while I am telling them to turn on their meter.   After 2 or 3 requests if they dont turn it on, I pay them what I think the fare would/should be.   It normally goes something like this:  We arrive at the destination and he says 400 pesos, I give him 150 pesos and get out of the car.   

[hk blues]

1 hour ago, jjcabgou said:

They have tried to negotiate prices with me in the past (while driving), all the while I am telling them to turn on their meter.   After 2 or 3 requests if they dont turn it on, I pay them what I think the fare would/should be.   It normally goes something like this:  We arrive at the destination and he says 400 pesos, I give him 150 pesos and get out of the car.   

We know exactly how much the fare should be so it's rarely an issue. The driver asks for an extra 50php which we reject unless there is some specific reason.  Only once have we got out the taxi as the driver wouldn't budge on the price.  For a short while SM City had signs up stating meters MUST be used but this lasted about 2 weeks. They never use the meter as we live just outside the city perimeter.  

We lived in Hong Kong previously and they are strict there - they often have undercover cops posing as passengers to catch scamming drivers. 

[Possum]

1 hour ago, hk blues said:

We lived in Hong Kong previously and they are strict there - they often have undercover cops posing as passengers to catch scamming drivers. 

Five years ago I sent a written complaint to the management of NAIA concerning the taxis there and suggested the same thing. They responded and wanted me to supply the name of the taxi drivers. Love the Philippines

[Dave Hounddriver]

2 hours ago, hk blues said:

We lived in Hong Kong previously and they are strict there - they often have undercover cops posing as passengers to catch scamming drivers. 

That makes me smile, as Hong Kong was the worst taxi ripoff anywhere for me.  The driver took me half way to my destination (late at night) then asked me to pay.  I offered the fare and he says "Oh no.  It is in US dollars not Hong Kong dollars.  If you cannot pay I must drop you off here".  I paid.  Your experience was undoubtedly different.  They can tell the noobs.

[hk blues]

3 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

That makes me smile, as Hong Kong was the worst taxi ripoff anywhere for me.  The driver took me half way to my destination (late at night) then asked me to pay.  I offered the fare and he says "Oh no.  It is in US dollars not Hong Kong dollars.  If you cannot pay I must drop you off here".  I paid.  Your experience was undoubtedly different.  They can tell the noobs.

I wouldn't say the worst - that title belongs to Thailand IMO. 

Funnily enough, I had started to add to my original post that despite the strictness there are still a lot of drivers ripping people off but I decided against it as it wasn't really what I wanted to get at.  The sheer number of taxis and tourists there make it just too hard to really stop but the HK government at least do try to do something, that was what I really wanted to get at.  I was often the target of a rip-off because I looked like a tourist but as a resident was able to laugh it off and pay just the correct fare.  

 

[Lee]

10 hours ago, jjcabgou said:

They have tried to negotiate prices with me in the past (while driving), all the while I am telling them to turn on their meter.

If they won't turn on the meter at the start of the ride, then I simply get out of the car and get another cab. Arguing with a cab driver and misunderstandings about fares could get you dumped off somewhere that you really don't want to be.