Malaysia has world's worst cabbies

I didn't know whether to post this in Malaysia or Thailand, as it is somewhat of a victory for Thailand- of sorts...

Open Road which is the organ of the NRMA Motoring body in New South Wales, has an article in its latest issue.

Apparently a survey of 200 foreigners from 30 countries conducted in Malaysia by The Expat magazine concluded that Malaysia's cab service rated as the world's worst- inferior to that of both Indonesia and Thailand.

One of the main gripes is the basic refusal to use the meter and to offer a flat fee instead- then charging double what the meter would have run.

There's no mention in the article about running under-sized tyres, using late-night tariffs during daylight hours, taking the "scenic route" and so on- which are often cited as being major issues in places like China and Vietnam.

there are shietload of bad taxi in every city, even in NY

chingy_, on 2009-03-11 15:00:54, said:

I had a gig as a casual cabbie in Sydney about 15 years back. There was a story going around about some out-of-towners getting into a cab at Circular Quay wanting to go to the Opera House (a five-minute walk away, had they known) and ending up 10 Km away by road in Kings Cross with 15 bucks on the meter!

I've spent a fair amount of time in Malaysia and have always been very happy with the taxi service there. The rates were very reasonable, and the drivers were pleasant and a good source of information on things to do and places to see. They were also prepared to wait around to bring you back again if you went somewhere out of the way and would have trouble finding another taxi later. Admittedly this was mostly in East Malaysia, and it may be a different story in KL.

Jakarta is another story. People who I tend to believe have told me that the taxi drivers there pose a real threat to their passengers. All except the Blue Bird group - as long as you stick to them you'll be OK.

I personally think taxis are much worse in some major American cities than in Malaysia. The Boston taxi drivers are masters of taking the scenic route, getting stuck in traffic, etc., to run up the fare. There's no small talk with the passengers either.

Uncle Gweilo, on 2009-03-11 11:39:29, said:

I think Bangkok taxis have improved noticably in recent years. I recall being a newbie and flagging down a cab at Don Muang airport, rather than join the queue. That guy drove like a maniac and the vehicle was in such a poor condition, you could hear the whine of the gears meshing... and I'm pretty sure I could see the tarmac rushing past under my feet.

These days, I find them to be much better maintained (generally speaking) and recently, I've noticed a lot of brand new vehicles, even with meters that give you a printed receipt.

so how do you call for a cab around your house mand.

I think the nearest metered taxi is in Chiang Mai
We've got a car.

Malaysia is fine if the cabby is going your way and the traffic isn't too bad, he'll use the meter. However, I've had plenty of occasions when, because of traffic, the driver has declined the fare or off erred a flat rate only. I think this has improved as traffic congestion has improved, but it's still not uncommon.

I wouldn't put them top of my list, Moscow cabbies take some beating, and Bangkok taxis are also likely to decline the fare if the traffic's bad.

Regarding Jakarta, confirmed, stick to the Blue Bird taxis, they're very good, new reliable vehicles and they use the meter, no funny business. Silver Bird is limo part of the same group.

Orang_Puteh, on 2009-03-11 15:09:49, said:

Like you, my own experiences with cabs in Malaysia have basically been positive. I hopped into a cab on the northern side of KL to get back to Chinatown as it was late and I was Jatz crackered. The driver was an Indian and we chatted away in English after I'd suitably impressed him (tongue in cheek here!) with my 100 words of Malay and one greeting in Tamil. I mentioned the issue of the meter and he said he always ran his and even gave a quick quote on the fare for good measure. And he was pretty close to the mark, and went basically the shortest route as far as I was aware.

The only problem I can remember was trying to get a driver to get me to my hotel from KL railway station and he got muddled up by the changing to one-way thoroughfares and so on of several streets in Chinatown, and seeing as it was two years since my last visit I was of no help. But seeing as it was from the station where cab fares are pre-paid and you take the next cab off the rank and hand him your voucher (or at least they were at that stage), I wasn't overly concerned about it.

Also shared a long haul cab from Kuantan up to Rantau Abang with two Canadian lasses. The girls struck a deal with the driver on the fare despite their non-existent Malay and his very limited English (this was back in 1991) and off we went. Our only surprise was him pulling off the road and stopping, then he shot out of the car. I saw him trot into a mosque for evening prayers, and he soon popped out as cheery as you please and we were back on our way.

I suppose it's all in the way you treat people, really. You sound like you treat people with respect, Puteh, so you get it in return by them not overtly trying to rip you off. Cut a rod for your own back by acting like a dick, and you'll surely get beaten with it.

Take a look in the Philippines, its horrible there aswell