In spite of the fleet of taxis that refuse to use meters, Malaysia has been listed among the top 10 countries with the cheapest cab fares.
Carspring, a UK used car site, has released their 2017 Taxi Price Index, and would you believe that we made it to 8th place? Sorry Singapore, 20th place for you, out of a total of 80 countries surveyed.
The survey tells us that a 3-km cab ride in our fair city, providing those pesky drivers use the meter like they’re supposed to, will set you back RM9.10 (US$1.89). No meter? Well then you may pay whatever the driver deems suitable, taking into consideration his time, energy expenditure, and the distance and traffic between A and B.
Other cities like Jakarta and Bangkok came in at 3rd and 7th place respectively.
The cheapest city to cruise about in a cab in? Cairo, with an 8km trip costing you as little as RM2.36 (US$0.55).
The most expensive is Zurich, where that same RM9 fare will set you back RM108.22 (US$25.25).
The site also looked at airport to city-center prices, where Tokyo took top prize in most expensive ride, coming in at an eye-watering RM813.95 (US$189.91). If you’re in Cairo, the ride to the airport will cost you RM18 (US$4.20).
So, there you have it folks, we’ve got a sweet deal going on for the most part, if taxi drivers decide to use their meters, and play by the rules. Now can someone please tell the uncles in Bukit Bintang to use the meter? Thanks.
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