Taxis in Syria are the cheapest form of tranport, that is, if you know how to wrangle with the taxi drivers. Each taxi has (or should have) a meter, and the fare is determined by the length of time you spend in the taxi. To put it mathematically: cost of fare=length of time in taxi. This uncomplicated formula seems to work in many of the countries I have visited. However, the equation cannot come into play if the driver fails to turn on the meter. If you arrive at your destination and the meter has not been running, the driver can insist on any price he wants. Of course, you can pay only what you believe he is owed, but that could result in angry cursing. One night, a driver actually followed me, crossing over two lanes of traffic and shouting, "Unti haram!" (You are bad/wrong!) Better to avoid any scenes by only entering vehicles with openly operating meters.
The other day, I watched as a taxi pulled up to the curb and a young Syrian women paid the driver 25 Syrian pounds. The meter read 22. Figuring that the cab was safe, I jumped in the back and directed the driver to my destination. "Shuggal aadaad?" I asked, pointing to the meter. (Does the meter work?) The driver raised his hands to the sky and glanced upwards. "Inshallah!" he said. (God willing.) As I had just witnessed the metered working, I decided to insist. "Inshallah. Walakin, shuggal aadaad?" (God willing, but does the meter work?) He shrugged. "La." (No.) "Khalas," (Enough) I said, pointing to the curb. I wasn't going to play his game. Scuttling out of the taxi, I threw one last disapproving look at the driver. Again, he shrugged. It was clearly out of his hands.
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2 comments:
Marie…seems your Arabic is getting better, of course not talking about the language as much as your surviving behavior...By the way,have heard meters are to put customers at ease not be used for real over there!
That's a classic! I am glad you are standing your grounds and negotiating. That sounds like Morocco sometimes.
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