Fishing Frenzy

The overwhelming majority of taxi owners are not suspicious and the overwhelming majority of taxi journeys pass without incident. However, there have been problems at home and abroad, so it is worth taking fundamental safety steps. The added difficulty when using a taxi abroad, obviously, is the language and cultural barrier.

The purpose of this piece is to make you aware of your safety whilst taking a taxi abroad, but these safety pointers should be applied equally in your own country. Safety, particularly personal safety, ought to become one of your paramount worries.

The first piece of advice is to take a taxi from a taxi rank. Do not take a taxi from a person who is touting his taxi service outside the airport or the train station. Most countries have a structure of organized taxi ranks, but there are always rogue taxi drivers attempting to by-pass the official system.

If there is no taxi rank enquire of one of the police, that can be seen standing in each public transport building. If that does not work, go into a hotel, restaurant or bar and request the proprietor to phone you a taxi. Before you get into the taxi, commit the registration number or number plate of the taxi to memory and write it down once you are in the cab.

If you are arriving in the place from a long distance away, know the location of the building you wish to visit. This is easily done by going to Google Earth, typing the address in and printing off the map. Then you know if you are being taken for a ride quite literally. Do not allow yourself to be taken anywhere you do not want to go. Sit in the back so that you have the upper hand if you require it.

Keep you precious luggage near you, then if you have to make a run for it, you will have your essentials and the details of the taxi that you wrote down beforehand.

Does the car look like a taxi or does it look like someone's personal car? You have more chance of being ripped off by a private hire car than a firm with a boss and a license to lose. Most genuine taxis will have the company's phone number written on them, so ask for a card or write it down.

If you are travelling alone, endeavour to share the taxi with another foreigner. Most foreigners are searching for a place to stay as soon as they arrive, so this is not as difficult as it might sound. Do not permit another local to share with you, because you do not know who they are - they could be a team.

Finally, do not step into a car that is in very bad condition. If the driver is on the level, the car will be clean and the windows and the door handles will work. Do not step into a car without internal door handles..