Here we go again

For the umpteenth time, i had to hail a cab to office this morning. Don't ask why.
There was even a time when i took cabs to work every morning. I have read in the paper/email.etc how cabbies push their luck when it comes to cab fare. Mind you, Glenmarie area is not popular amongst cabbies as they will either take you in and ask for extra RM2 or RM3, or they will say "tak pegi laa". Why do i get the impression that cabbies are supposed to go where we want them to? Movies? or it is supposedly to be that way..i don't even know now. There were only 2-3 times where the cabbies didn't ask for extra fare and there were even 2 special incidents. Why? Both cabbies asked for a RM7.00 fare one-way to my office and i agreed. When we reached the office, the meter was running at RM7.90 and RM8.20 respectively. To my surprise, both driver asked for the fare agreed earlier!! I should have asked for their numbers!! What i did? of course, i paid as per the meter as i pity them since Persiaran Kewajipan in Subang Jaya could be very2 unnnerving in the morning, sometimes.

Despite the 2 wonderful incidents, i have my own reserved opinion on drivers that some people may not like em such as:
1. Usually, i observe the way how the cabby approach the waiting area. If the cabby drive fast and stop suddenly, i will not take that cab. Why? based on past experience, they could be very picky where you're going and demand for extra fare. And some of them are not pleasant to deal with.

2. I observe the look of the driver himself (i never had a female cabby) and the outlook of the cab itself. First impression is very2 important to me when taking a cab. Fierce looking driver is a no-no for me. Takut seyy.

Imagine you're in Bandar Sunway PJ and going to Glenmarie area. How much is the fare? By the meter, it usually ranges from RM5.50 to RM7.00 on normal traffic day depending on which route is taken and could be more (but less than RM9.50) during heavy traffic. However, there are some undeserving souls who demands for an extra of RM10.00, or even put a RM15.00 or RM20.00 fare /way. Come on. Asking for an extra of RM2 is still acceptable considering in Glenmarie, very rarely will have people hailing cabs. and the fact if the driver is an old-man. But RM20 per way?

What about those cabbies who simply decline passengers when the destinations does not fit in their route? Just 3 days ago, i watched a lovely young lady tried her best and only managed to get a cab at the 7th try. I wonder where she wanted to go but come on, it was 8am in the morning, she was all dressed up to work, and how far could she go at that time? Perak? Then there was this young man with similar fate. Then there was this English man from my office who said KLIA instead of KL to the cab company. If you were the cab driver, what would you do? Remember, you have driven all the way to Glenmarie. Yes, the cabby didn't want to ferry the poor lad to KL.

so, are we at the mercy of the cabbies? Isn't there anything , we could do? at all? I am sure, lots of other unfortunate souls especially Klang Valley dwellers have at certain point faced the same predicaments as i, and many others faced when it comes to cabbies. For me, i now have a special cabby who do not wait for me but we happened to cross path so many mornings. Yes, he's willing to drive me to office and i don't even have to ask him . I just jumped into his cab. The fare? fixed at RM10.00/way.