Originally Posted by nono1973
Try to get a full day taxi if you have friends with you,which will cost from 250k onward (up to 500k/night stay,depending on the number of nights you are staying in Batam and how you bargain). Better still if you have a buddy/s system to split the cost.
Let the taxi driver knows your day itinerary. Example,go booking joints,lunch/dinner at certain places,the places of interest you wish to visit,shopping,massage etc etc. And you let him quote you the price before you counter bargain. Do not pay him in advance but divide your total amount to pay base on the number days/nights you are staying in Batam.
Example : If i book a full day taxi for 2 nights at 300k/night. 2 nights will be 600k,i pay him 1st night 200k,2nd night 200k and the last day when he send me to ferry terminal,another 200k. Total payment 600k.
Dont forget to take the taxi driver's phone number the moment you booked him. If you have no Indo sim card phone number,it is ok to ask the hotel receptionist to help you make local calls (in case language is a barrier). Most time,its free. Most hotel rooms however will also have a phone for local calls too.
For the beginners/1st timer and for safety reason/s,if a full day taxi is really needed,try getting from Hotels instead. While it may cost more (please bargain down too),it will become lowered on your next trip to Batam when you can communicate directly with them bypassing the "middleman" (hotel bellboys,receptionists,security guards etc).
Side note : It is however best in my opinion for beginners to learn to walk around Batam
I often share with my friends who are with me,there is no such thing as a reliable taxi driver. In Batam,finding a taxi driver is very much easier than finding a girl to bonk,hehehe...and after finding a taxi driver,it will almost guarantee you will find at least a "bonk" (if you wish to but at times will cost more due to them drawing commission). Bypassing the taxi driver at most time will likely get you a better price for some good bonks.
When you become more familiar with Batam,you may also bypass both the OKT and taxi drivers to get to your "bonk/s" directly too. And i am not referring to wechat/BBM/watsapp girls from any multi-media app-chat source.
Do take baby step a time. Keep your pace slow and steady to enjoy Batam. Keep your expectation low for starter,be humble,be nice,be patience,dont show off and speak politely minus-ing the loud tone.
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