Transport Scams In France � Important Guide For Tourists

So, you are in Paris enjoying your vacation, or you are about to visit it. You are going to travel a lot there, and for this purpose, you are definitely going to hire taxi a lot. There are a lot of taxi services accessible along with a vast number of taxi stands. However, you need to get aware of the transport scams that the tourists have faced. In this way, you can save yourself from being in the troubled water.

You may notice that there are a lot of taxi services and the outlook of the cabs is not the same. Some taxis are licensed while others are not. Now, the question arises how you would understand if the taxi cab service is licensed or not. There is a license plate on the outer side of the taxi, at front right wing. It shows the license number of the taxi. So, you can always check it. In case of any problem, police may not help you a lot if it was an unlicensed taxi driver who dragged you down in the issue. They may whip you via the following ways:

They may overcharge you

Sometimes, unlicensed taxi drivers drive tourists to some isolated place and lock the cab. They don’t unlock it until tourists pay them whatever they ask.

In worst cases, the driver may kidnap you.

Meter rigging

Do check the meter before getting into the taxi. Sometimes, taxi drivers rig their meter to overcharge from you. In other cases, they may not have a meter at all. In this way, they charge whatever they want and will not let you go unless you pay them. So, do not hire a taxi if it does not possess a meter. If you really need to do so, do search some online fare estimator such as Uber. In this way, you will not be looted. 

If you are hiring either a taxi from a crowded taxi stand during rush hour or heading towards a metro station, stay alert from getting ruined your day in the hands of the pickpockets. You should wear a money belt or grip your purse strongly if you get stuck in the crowd. Have little money with you and place a copy of your passport in it instead of putting the original documents.

Some taxi drivers, choose longer routes to get more fare. It’s not the fault of the taxi cab service. In addition to this, sometimes, drivers select busy roads were traffic may get jammed. In this way, they get a higher fare. As a solution to this problem, you can choose the following methods:

Ask from the hotel staff about the best route to reach your destination.

Furthermore, you can use some online estimator to know which route suits you best.

You can also use GPS system on your smartphone to understand if you are heading in the right direction or not.

Taking all into consideration, it can be stated that you should be well aware of such scams concerning taxi cab service so that you stay safe. Have something to share in this regard. Comment.