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Taxi
Maybe it's time to post some help to anyone using taxi in Ha Noi.
There are many taxi companies in Ha Noi, some are real companies, that own cars and meters, and hire the drivers. Some others sell simply licence numbers, and do not care that much if the meters are real or fake ones. Some rogue companies rent to the drivers cars and meters, and do not care about the accuracy of the meters.
First, most taxi in Ha Noi will rip you, badly. Here are some tips from my experience:
- Mailinh Taxi is quite expensive/km, yet their meters are accurate. I tend to prefer that company, as some others taxi with fake meters will be cheaper/km, but with 1km=600-700m...
- Hanoitouristaxi is another quite reliable company, expensive/km, but accurate meters.
- Duc Phuong Taxi never ripped me off, they are very cheap/km, but unexplainably hard to locate.
- Long Bien Taxi are amongst the cheapest/km, but some have fake meters.
- The taxi in front of Trang Tien Plaza, near the Opera, near the Church, and all around Bo Ho (the 'Old Quarter') tends to be all cheaters, their meters are fake.
My post may seems stupid, but this very morning, I took once more a Phu Gia Taxi (some OK, some not), to be charged nearly 130.000VND between the Opera and the Sofitel Plaza ! Usual is about 30.000.
How does it work for the meters?
There are 2 categories of fake meters:
One that will count 100m=10x7 real m, or 1km=700 real m.
One that allows the driver to 'push' from time to time, or does it automatic. I have seen plenty, especially when I am in hurry and take the first taxi coming. 4.1...4.2...4.3... press the trigger, and 4.4567... 4.8..., or 4.1 4.2 4.5 4.6 4.8 4.9, then the 5km series is correct, then the 6km again, 6.1 6.2 6.4 6.6 6.7 6.9 7.
I had once friends from Sheraton to Central that have been charged more than 200.000 VND too. They picked up their own taxi near Westlake.
There are some golden rules to avoid being cheated by the taxis:
- Never take a taxi that try to catch you. Choose your taxi carefully. Try to get the companies I listed as 100% reliable. If not, jump in, check if there is a price/km written somewhere, on the meter or on a paper. If not, run out of the taxi immediately.
- Do NOT discuss with the driver, and look carefully at the meter. I noticed that most cheater drivers will speak with you, so you do not look at the meter, and they will push the trigger at that time. Watch carefully the meter, see if it is running regular. If not, ask to stop, and take another taxi. The time meter should stop when the km meter is running, or it will add both (time + distance)
- If you have been cheated, ask the driver for an invoice, with the addresses of departure, arrival, the km, the price, and the number of the taxi, along with the ID of the car. They must do it by the law. Do not accept invoice from other companies, if you take Phu Gia taxi, you want a paper from Phu Gia, not another one.
Some taxis are dangerous too, some are completely fake, with fake car ID, fake taximeter, fake paintings. Some months ago a couple of tourists has been beaten and left without money when they took a rogue taxi. Try to stick to the few popular companies, ask the hotel to call a taxi for you, it is sometimes better, or the restaurant you stay in. They will be more careful.
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