Quote:
Originally Posted by nitecrawllerr
Tis one puzzle me. If other vehicles can pick up tamu at the Harbourbay terminal, then why cant we bok grab driver? I mean the car just like normal car...not those taxi model. No one really know tats a grab car unless they have a big sticker on the car? And i can be discreet and ask them to pick me up somewhere but still within the terminal premises, no?
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This is exactly what i have been saying all along (or ranting about in one of my post reply to bro BFOMF5) :
https://sbfsg.net/showthread.php?p=...3#post19161583
Online taxis, Hotel taxis (those w/o hotel logo) and mafia taxis can look quite similar in just TOO many ways.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nono1973
Actually i dont totally blame those mafia taxi touts, the tourist or those using the online taxi apps were partly to blame too. They know they will get threatened or be getting into trouble with mafia taxi touts if they order taxi online in Indonesia. And when they planned to do that, they actually do it so OPENLY in public, holding their mobile phone, moving about with the apps opened up in PUBLIC places allowing the taxi touts to know (and see) they are ordering online taxis.
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The whole thing about those taxi touts aka mafia taxis can be simplify and didnt have to turn out so violently :
Quote:
Originally Posted by nono1973
Ordering a taxi online is actually very simple. Grab a taxi, remember their car number, their car model/color, keep phone inside pocket and wait for the taxi. Hehehe...for me i would light a cigarette walk around to wait. By almost the end of my smoke, my taxi arrived. There is no need to keep holding my phone to see/track where the driver is (even if driver cancel my order, can always get another one in another 10 mins time).
Complicated? Yes, mainly for tourists (I think) who lacks common sense.
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Its simple logic made complicated and usually its the ignorance of these kind of above mentioned tourist that brings trouble to the online taxi drivers. They were the ones getting beat up, and/or have their vehicles turned over, set on fire etc etc. Usually the tourist were able to get away with it becos of some "hidden regulations" between business owners in the area and the mafia taxi touts. But they werent gonna go easy for those online taxi drivers.
Try standing from the Batam online taxi driver's perspective, and imagining you are one of them, do you DARE pick up "ignorant tourist" from Nagoya Hill Mall or any ferry terminal? Answer is pretty much obvious,right...hehehe...
Quote:
Originally Posted by nono1973
Grab and other taxis a tourist booked "online" via smart phone apps were not allowed unless its at designated area (which is often out-of-the-way).
https://sbfsg.net/showpost.php?p=19...ostcount=14538
If not wrong, even Blue Bird an Silver Cab which are operating by meter werent allowed in similar designated area ,like those that of online taxis (Grab or Go Car) in Batam. I can understand the plight of the Blue Bird and Silver becos Blue Bird taxi is in blue and Silver cab is Silver in colour. The obvious colors tell them apart. But Grab taxis and GoCar looks just like those touting taxis hence they gotta the upperhand, hehehe...
Hotel taxis however has all along been allowed to pick up their customer/s anywhere. |
All in all, as i look at it from the whole picture so far, taxi stand within convenient location for tourist infested area were SPECIALLY made/reserve for taxi drivers (mafia taxis) who paid "tax",hehehe...
these "tax" obviously do not go directly into the governing body's wallet or to any government department.
Mafia taxi = pay "tax"
Online Taxi = didnt pay "tax"
Quite similar to Singapore whereby Grab/Gocar/Uber cannot park (and wait) at designated taxi stands that were convenient for tourists/passengers.
In the case of Batam, due to their dis-organisation, not many can tell apart mafia taxis over online taxis. Which is why i read news in Indonesia that mafia taxi driver/tout often mistaken private car drivers as online taxi. They end up getting into some trouble.
(news of this Indo guy going to airport to pick up his family from airport but due to mistakenly taken as online taxi, has gotten his car flip over)
https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/wat...g-online-taxi/
So, this goes to say that even the taxi touts couldnt 100% tells if a vehicle is an online taxi or not,hehehe...