Taxi etiquette 101: tips from a daily commuter
Being a daily commuter is not easy, particularly when you use public transport. There are certain things that you learn over time, here are a few tips that will help you get by.
1. Small talk is not for everyone, especially not in the morning or after a long day at work.
2. Always be prepared for silly questions. For example, you’ll be in a taxi from Flora Park to town, which costs R9. You will pay with R10 and have someone asking, is this for one person? hmmm no!?
3. Use headsets when watching WhatsApp statuses, not everybody enjoys listening in on what’s happening on your phone. This also applies to taking calls on speaker phone.
4. In order to save every body time, if you are getting off before a traffic light and it’s red, it wouldn’t hurt to get off while it’s still red so that the taxi won’t have to stop again after the traffic light.
5. If you want to get to work on time, avoid overzealous drivers. These are the ones that honk at every pedestrian, I can guarantee you they won’t mind taking a detour looking for more passengers.
6. People who smoke should consider not getting into a taxi directly after smoking, this is for obvious reasons.
Gif: cosmopolitan
7. Be friendly but also have a no nonsense air about you. Sometimes taxi drivers can be rude so create an impression that you can stand up for yourself.
