I should've taken it as a sign (blah blah blah) that Christmas is in the air. Watch out for the Airport Metered Taxi (Yellow Taxi) with plate number - TYT 449.
On November 05, I arrived at NAIA at around 10 PM and took the Airport Metered Taxi (Yellow Taxi) home. When I got on, the driver told me they had to charge a fixed rate of 640, to the area where I lived. When I asked why, he said because it was after 10 PM. Hmmm. OK. This was the driver of TYT 449.
On December 03, I arrived from another trip, also at 10 PM. Before I got into a Yellow Taxi, I verified with the guy who issues receipts whether I will be paying a fixed rate, or will be going by the meter. He confirmed I will be charged by the meter.
"Even at this time (10 PM)?".
"Yes, ma'am."
And there you go. True enough, the driver of the cab I took on December 03 didn't even mention a fixed rate, and I paid according to the meter.
Whereas before, we just treated such events as an unavoidable part of life and "experience earned," with Taxikick, we get an opportunity to fight back. Taxikick is an online tool that provides users with an easy way to report abusive taxi drivers in the Philippines. It also displays helpful information such as the plate numbers of frequently-reported cabs and actual reports of victim-passengers.
User complaints or "kicks" are forwarded to the LTFRB at the end of each day.
The platform is great, and I laud the founders for spending time and resources in creating and managing the website. I hope that they have plans for a mobile app that allows picture uploads (imagine being able to see actual photos of notorious drivers). Come to think of it, even a way to upload pics from a desktop would do.
And I wish the LTFRB actually does something about the reports and complaints.
Always stay safe, everyone.