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Turbo
Taxis
If
anyone has taken a taxi in San Jose you've come across a
"turbo taxi".
What is a turbo taxi, you ask?
A turbo taxi is phrase coined by other "taxistas"
as those that have their meters or "marias"
adjusted, charging up a fare, in some cases, almost 50%. A
turbo taxi can take a simple ride home cost almost double
the usual cost, and that is in marked and licensed taxi
cab and not a "pirata" or pirate taxis.
This happens usually in the late (or early depends on your
point of view) hours of the
night when the driver assumes that I am a tourist or new
to the country or can't speak any Spanish, so he pushes a
button or two extra (I think) and the maria clicks by
faster than average.
My short ride from downtown that usually costs about 800
colones, now will cost me a 1.300 or more.
Most times I just grumble and complain, handing over to
the driver what I think is the "right" fare,
that means handing over 1.000 colones as I will certainly
will not get any change back, it without a discussion.
Others will grumble and mutter something
or other back at me.
One driver got pretty nasty, threatening to
call the police, etc. if I didn't pay what was on the
meter. Rather than continue arguing, in the small hours of
the night and wake the neighbors with all the commotion, I
retorted that I would take his plate number and I would be
the one reporting him.
He quickly sped off into a dead end street, turned his
lights off and charged back to get to the main road. I
didn't catch his number as it was too dark, and would have
probably not reported it either, but felt good to make my
stand that I wasn't just some dumb tourist or foreigner
who would be taken.
Who knows how many times it had been done before and by
how many different drivers?
To be fair, most of the drivers I have come across in my
years of living in Costa Rica are decent, hard working
people. They provide a good service, sometimes good
conversation and a great insight of daily life in San
Jose. I have even have had to guide some 'rookies' to well
known places downtown, as they let me know that they are
new to San Jose.
I prefer that to being led about town, in all sorts of
routes and turns, where the driver has no real idea of
where he is going. I always get on the defensive when I
see that happening, as I think that the driver is just
trying to run up the meter and is some cases that is so,
as I politely let them know that I know my way around town
very well and let's cut out the bs.
If you've come across a 'turbo taxi' or have a story or
two that you would like to share with others, write me at rico@insidecostarica.com.
I will publish those letters/stories in a future columns.
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