Philippine Taxi Drivers = Thieves?

After landing in the the Philippine Airports, the second thing passengers from the airplane might end up fetching a taxi. Unlike some other countries like Singapore, Hongkong, Macau, and Japan and maybe some other counties were you can ride  buses and trains going in  and out of the airport terminals, in the Philippines sad to say, your mode of transportation  is limited to riding taxis.

You can also ride a bus that is if you know the way or a Jeepney in some other Philippine Airports, this time I am referring to NAIA's 3 Terminals. Going out from the Arrival gates the first thing you will see are the Yellow Taxis. Some people tried to avoid the Yellow Taxis because their flag down rates are very big,  about 70 pesos. So what other people do, just like me I go at the Departure Gate Entrance area to look for ordinary Taxi. Simple reason  people ride a taxi going to the airport, so you will another option aside from the airport taxis. Ordinary taxis are more cheaper, flag down is 30 pesos now 40 pesos. So you are looking for a cheap way to go to your destinations.

You were able to call a taxi that you can ride on, then suddenly the taxi driver might do the following.

1. Ask for additional tip,, usually 50 pesos + the taxi's meter rate.

2. Tries to bargain with you, especially foreigners and pinoys who comes out of the international airports. No meter but you have to pay some certain fixed amount.

3. Refuse you because of, 

A. Your place is famous for traffic like Rosario, Pasig
B. Your place is famous for danger like Tondo.
C. It is simply out of the way and they suppose to be going home already.

What a shock it may be, being ripped off by Philippine Local Taxi drivers.
But it can't be helped you need to go to your destination.
So the Taxi Drivers in the Philippines got the very bad image, people do not do service the way it should be instead they are always in for the Money. This impression is also passed to the rest of the Philippines.

Maybe some of you who reads this journal of mine agrees with me, that Philippine Taxi Driver's are indeed like thieves.

Not all Taxi Drivers are like that though, there are some who simply let you in, and then ask you where to go and they start their meter and move on to bring you safe to your house or hotel. Sad to say these good guys are being overshadowed by the greedy types.

In every thing there is always a two sides of the coin. I got curios, I ended up talking to some taxi drivers. I got all the same answer, why there are bad  greedy taxi drivers.

There are two types of taxi Drivers in the Philippines, one that drives a taxi for an alternating 24 hours and one who drives a taxi every day for 12 hours. They have things in common, the taxi is not theirs and they have to pay for the boundary, like a rental fee for using the taxi.

I heard that they have to remit to the taxi owners 800 ~ 1200 peso every time they go out drive the taxi plus they have to return to the park the taxi in the compound of the owner full tank if they got it full tank.  Just compute for 24 hours driving if the taxi driver will remit 1200 peso, how many passengers he have to let in?

How to make an equation?

For flag down of  just 30 peso , it will take 40 people to ride the taxi, in order to make 1200 peso within 24 hours.  That 1200 peso is the amount to remit the taxi operator.

There are times when there are lots of passengers to ride on a taxi, but there are also times the taxi driver will wait or drive around and round in search of a passenger. There are times when the taxi driver get unlucky and find a passenger who turns out to be a hold upper.
As you see no matter the reason,  with or without any passenger, in the end the poor taxi driver will have to remit the 1200 peso to the taxi operator, or else some operator takes the poor taxi drivers' license.

I asked one taxi driver how much he can earn in a day, in average,,, he said 400 peso. It can get higher or lower, the lowest is zero if he got held up, but there are times for 24 hour driving minus the gasoline and the remittance for the operator the poor taxi driver can only take home a meager 150 peso.

To those who had experience a taxi driver who turned you down because

1. The route of it is out of the way & he needs to park it or bring it back to the operator's compound, do not be angry because if they bring the taxi late the poor taxi drivers are also fine with a fee.

2. Your place is known for hold uppers. The reason you already know, they  are just being cautious.  If you happen to be on those places, please lock all your doors.

So next time you ride a taxi in Philippines, please try to talk to them. Now the flag rate is 40 peso, I wonder who made that rule? I think it is better that there be a law, like the one I saw in a Singaporean Movie about a taxi driver. The rule is simple, if your locations is on the business district, automatically there will be an additional amount to the meter if you ask to be drop there. This is ideal but then again, some operators tends to be greedy, they might take advantage of this and just increase their boundaries ( rental fee).

FYI the taxi driver's do not have SSS, 13th month and some other benefits :(.

Don't you think that the taxi driver's in the Philippines are being oppressed too?