Moroccan press review, it’s written in “Le Soir”, Yassine Zizi’s week:
Ew! Colour!
According to a survey carried out by the website www.hotels.com, taxis in Marrakesh are doing a lot of damage to the city’s tourist industry. They won the prize for the worst “quality of driving”, a long way behind London’s “black cabs” (best taxi service), those from New York and those from Madrid.
The Marrakshis are neighbours to the Muscovites (the least friendly), the Mexicans (the dirtiest) and the Chileans (the most rip-offs). Strangely enough, the Chileans beat us.
Strangely enough, I had the same thought: “strange that there are more swindlers than Marrakshis taxis”.
Rest assured, now, Moroccan or tourist, you’re in the same boat. And even if a tourist pays too much for a taxi, he’ll find one! In Marrakech, taxis are so used to extorting 200 dirhams from tourists for a journey worth 10 that they often refuse to take locals.
A few rules to avoid problems with your Marrakesh taxi:
- Demand to see the meter, especially if you are near a law enforcement officer.*
- Don’t hesitate to share a taxi with Moroccans; they know the routes and will react if they are cheated. Say loud and clear where you are going.
- Addresses in the medina are always given in relation to the front door. At least try to have an idea of where your arrival gate is when you take a taxi, as a common scam is to take the long way round the medina instead of the short one.
- Once you’re in the medina, you don’t need to drive very far (well… far, I should say far, as you can get stuck by a cart for a long time). If you’re travelling a long way, it’s because you’ve been taken to the wrong gate!
- Take some small change with you. A journey from Gueliz to the medina costs around 10 dirhams, 15 at the most. Beyond that, a generous tip has already been deducted.
- If you have a dispute, there’s always a policeman nearby, or if you threaten to write down the number, you’ll be insulted… but not ripped off!
How can I split the price of a taxi between several different customers?
There are two possible options, and you need to monitor the counter to do this:
1. The taxi has a dual meter: rather than a dual meter, this is an option that allows him to record a second fare on his meter at the same time. So he has to show you the meter… and the second one at zero, if you’re the last to get out (and try to watch how much the first passenger pays).
2. The taxi driver has forgotten to set the second meter: look at the amount when the first passenger gets off, and the amount when your journey is over. You just pay the difference, plus 2 and a half dirhams for the pick-up.
3. You’re already in the taxi when the second customer gets in: in the same way, keep an eye on the meter to make sure you’re not going to pay extra for the second customer’s journey, which would be a boon for our taxi.
Large taxi or small taxi?
Normally, large taxis are not allowed to operate in the city. However, in Marrakesh, saloon cars are allowed to work as taxis, and their prices are obviously different. A small taxi has a sign on its roof saying “petit taxi” in French, as well as its licence number. And there’s no mistaking it: a small taxi, as its name suggests, is neither large nor comfortable. And they are very rarely new!
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