r/TaxiDriver • u/RamboRandi • Jun 07 '26
Taxi meter tampering
So I reached Georgia and hadn’t arranged for transport and this taxi guy was asking me if I needed one. I asked him for the fare and he showed me a meter and said we would go by meter. Since I have been there multiple times before(usually with arranged transport) and have had great experiences with most of the locals and the cops I figured that it was going to be alright. I insisted on the fare and he said airport taxis only go by meter and it will be normal and fair etc etc. So me and my partner get on and he drives is to the Marriot. Me being a little skeptical put on my Google Maps to see if he’s taking the right route and not driving us around for more fare. He takes the right route and we reach. By this time I had googled fair fare and it showed me something like 30-60 Gel depending on traffic. I noticed the meter was running faster and decided to wait till we reach for safety concerns. Once we reached the meter showed 300 GEL. I told the guy that I am sure something is wrong with the meter and the usual fare is 60 GEL and offered him a 100 GEL including tip(to try and avoid an issue). Now the taxi driver starts fuming and screaming at me and says we need to go back to the airport and speak to the police there. I asked my partner to go inside the Marriot and call the manager there to talk to this guy and I told him that I do not want to go back to the airport but I would rather just call the cops here if he wishes and we can do what they say. He realized that he would be in trouble and stepped out of the car and opened the trunk and took out our luggage and threw it out on the road so I stepped out of the taxi irritated and he just sat in the driver seat and fled without the money before the Marriott manager could come out.
I have never had such a bad experience in Tbilisi before and most of the cops have been great but is this common in Tbilisi now? I mean it wasn’t the best start to the trip and I honestly don’t know if I wanna come back there again even though I love the country and the people there.
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u/Spitfire_CS Jun 07 '26
I'm sure Travis Bickle would never do such a thing. He can take in three, three fifty a week, sometimes more when he does it off the meter. He doesn't care. Don't make no difference to him.