So you all are gonna comment that i “only reflect the negative sides of my own country” and also “incite hatred towards own country” with this entry, but i’m publicly unpatriotic anyway so this is what happened to me today.

I already ranted on Twitter but here’s a detailed version of it.

I normally drive whenever i can. With all the horrible cab stories going around town lately including the tourist rape, even though driving is possibly as dangerous as cabbing but at least i have more control over it. However,  the danna had to use my car today and i had a meeting in KLCC, so i decided to cab it after i was done running errands in a mall in PJ.

I lined up after the taxi stand. When it was my turn, i opened the taxi door and told him i wanted to go to KLCC  before getting into the car (this might sound strange to you who are not from Malaysia, because from your understanding, the normal way of cabbing is probably just hail a taxi and get your ass into it. But things are a little different here).

The first taxi driver shook his head. I closed the door. Then another customer behind me went over ask did the same thing. He decided to take her. Then he fled off. I felt very rejected T__T.

Another taxi came and the driver also refused me when he heard the destination i wanted to go. The third one was the same.

I was rejected THREE TIMES. 

By the time the fourth taxi stopped by i already got very irritated, i opened the door and said, “KLCC please.”

“No la, better you take the LRT, very jam now.”

“I’m in a rush and i need a taxi. Just take me there.”

“No no no, very jam now.”

He didn’t say it in a very demeaning or rude tone, but it was enough to really set the fire off.

The normal me would have had more patience and if i was desperate i would have offered like RM5 extra or something, Because most of the time that was just what they wanted to hear. And then they will say like RM20 extra and we will settle for RM10, something like that.

But not this time. I have had enough of all these bullshit. For some reason i got so 胆大包天 today and i just said to him very calmly,

“I am going to report you.”

then i closed the door and walked towards the next taxi.

And then i tab “camera” on my phone and snapped a picture of his car plate.

He drove like 5 meters and then came to an abrupt and rather violent stop, i thought he got scared and wanted to come and apologize and agree to take me to KLCC after all.

But no. He got down of the car looking like i just cheated on him with his son.

“Report?? YOU REPORT LA!”

He was walking towards me while shouting other profanities at me.

I got so scared i didn’t even ask the next cab driver i just forcefully sort of shove myself into the car and commanded “take me to KLCC!!!!!”

The mad man was still following behind me shouting his brains out. And my heart was racing so hard i thought he was gonna jerk open the door, whip me out and wham me in the face.

T___T

But very very luckily the new driver started driving and i escaped wtf. It really felt like i escaped a serial killer battle wtf.

And before that i even manage to steal a shot of his face wtf.

While i was driven away, i could see him stomping aimlessly and he also yelled at the security guards at the entrance very angrily, like  i have just stolen his car and fled off. T___T

For a brief moment i thought i really went overboard and did something very horrible. Did i let my anger get the better of me? There are much much worse taxi drivers i could have threatened to report.

I also panicked and worried that he might have recognized me, or stalk me so he could murder me and eat me alive or something T__T

I will also never be able to wear this zombie cap and take taxi ever again T___T. If not likely i’ll really end up being one T_____T

After calming myself down, the more i think the angrier i got.

 

1. Why is it we have to ASK whether the place we want to go is convenient for the taxi driver or not? Who is the paying customer here? Isn’t it their job to bring their customer safely, from one destination to another destination of the customer’s choice?

2. Why the hell do the taxi drivers get to CHOOSE who they want to pick? WE as a customer get to CHOOSE which cab we want to get on. If it’s super smelly dirty cab with suspicious rapist looking dude as driver i have every right to wait for the next one.

3. Traffic jam is not an excuse. No taxi drivers are allowed to refuse a customer (i’m very surprise that most people don’t even seem to know this!!!!), and if they do that they have violated the law and i have every single right to report them.

4. WHY DID HE GET ANGRY AT ME? WHAT DID I DO WRONG?! Summore he complained like i was the bad guy T__T

 

I got angrier and angrier i almost burst into tears wtf. I also started to imagine if this incident happened in some quiet deserted place instead of in front of a crowded shopping mall, i probably will make the crime column on tomorrow’s newspaper T_____T. God knows what’s going through all these people’s mind nowadays.

Actually, i wasn’t even really planning on actually reporting him. You might have also thought i was quite silly to have aggravated him like that and might have put myself in danger. But the whole reason i told him “i’m going to report you” is because i want him to know that he is not allowed to do that. And if he does, this is what might happen.

All of this shit happens because nobody really care, we get used to it. Taxi drivers refusing passengers is a norm.

Even if reporting does nothing but only means another SMS wasted, at least if they are told and warned every time they do something unacceptable, maybe they get scared and not do it again? Although that was just my small little hope.

 

In Japan (sorry i am going to do this again), no taxi is allowed to refuse a passenger. Ever. Although in rare case it happens, but if they are reported, that is the end of their career. FOREVER. They will never be licensed to carry a passenger for the rest of their lives.

Of course, there are also shit taxi drivers in Japan. But the magnitude of shitness is probably just as serious as “not polite enough”, “take a longer route” etc. I myself had also encountered a rude taxi driver who complained that i didn’t warn him beforehand that i only had 10,000 yen as he had no small change. And i thought that was the worst cab i’ve ever taken in Japan.

The other day a friend of mine got so angry at a cab driver who apparently “has no clue where he is going, and expects her to know the entire Tokyo” and got into a fight with the driver. I just sighed silently and decided that she should never come to Malaysia.

On the day we flew back to Malaysia from Tokyo, we hailed a taxi down from Omotesando and we had to go to Shinjuku to catch the bus to the airpot.

And we had like 10 luggages worth 90KG.

I flagged a taxi down a one way street, who had to reverse and wait for us while we haul all the luggages from the store room, and then , this frail 70 years old taxi driver got down and helped us with ALL the luggages.

I felt so so bad i told him we are okay. But he said, “daijobu, daijobu!” (no worries, no worries!) and gave us a big smile. The taxi ride was just a short few minutes. When we arrived at the bus stop he had to help us unload ALL the luggages again. Without a single grumble the entire time. All he got from us was that measly 1000 yen (although for a Malaysian it is considered quite ex), and there was so much extra work he had to do.

I felt really bad and i asked the danna if i could tip him, although i was fully aware that tipping culture is not the norm in Japan.

He said no. I asked why??? he has been so nice and helpful!

The danna said, “That’s his job“.

It is his job. To get a passenger safely to his intended destination, in the best manner possible.

I was a little sad i couldn’t tip him for what he deserved. I just thanked him profusely over and again.

My expectation towards people’s attitude in Malaysia is probably already quite low. I understand that i can’t expect everyone to behave the same. When a staff (cashier, toll staff, etc) give me a black face while i give him money, i will smile and say thank you, (and hopefully that would shame them to change for the better), and if i get a “you’re welcome” and a smile back, i will be extra happy for the rest of the day, and feel thankful that i’ve encountered someone nice today.

(And with this you understand why i constantly feel happy and thankful when i am in Japan, from morning till night just because of appropriate manner alone.)

But i really really hope that at least these taxi drivers can do their job. Because it is theirs. And that people should stop tolerating shitty taxi drivers and let them earn a living by just being shitty.

 

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Ending this post with sponsored coordinates.

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