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Thursday, November 22, 2007

OUR TREASURES: The Taxis






They are the 2nd front liners the moment our visitors step foot in our airports. Our taxi drivers give the first impression to them on how we are as a people. That is why I cannot reiterate enough that taxis of our gateways MUST be centralized and drivers are well mannered and well trained.

Our taxis are the ones we love to love and we love to hate as locals. We have endless stories and anecdotes we experienced riding with them. But one thing is for sure, they are important to us…in practicality and cultural aspect.


Here’s how the taxis of our neighboring villages look like --




Our taxis -- Treasures and icons of Southeast Asia.

Have you got a nice story to share about our taxis?


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27 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Oooh! Taxis! I like!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, love it ot hate it. Nice post!

Anonymous said...

I like the Bangkok and Hanoi taxi pictures! I had some bad experiences with taxis here in Manila but I still find it very convenient to ride one.

GitaChan said...

Indonesia has different kinds of Taxi, but yeah the blue one is the popular one.

John Halcyon von Rothschild said...

I love love love riding in cabs! That's because I'm too lazy to drive though. But being a suburbunite, I have to drive my car to school, work, etc. The taxis in Manila need improvement. Taxi drivers are really great people. They tell you tips and tricks that only locals know. I really love talking to them. Enjoy Bali!

Jake said...

I still prefer the "tuktuk"! Long live Bangkok's King of the Road! :p

Xanderj said...

@john halcyon... i agree! Manila's taxi do need improvement, they are so ugly! most are really old and are black belchers, i prefer the taxis of Cagayan de Oro

Pisanu for BISEAN said...

Cagayan de Oro's taxis are the best in the whole of the Philippines! Brand new Toyota Corolla, squeaky clean, smells like a new car really and the drivers are "quiet".

Thanks to all of you guys for the comments!

Xanderj said...

@Pisanu...that's why i so love CdO's taxis, clean, brand new, and well maintained, and i agree! they are the best in the Phils, better than ones in Cebu, Davao, and Manila, and you can make "tawad" with the driver, some can be quite talkative though when you start a conversation with them, and most of the drivers won't take a "longcut" just to make you pay more

[chocoley] said...

Whew... taxi's in Manila is really harsh.. while among the post, cabs from Hanoi and Pnom Penh are the ones I like!.

Jake said...

Hey people! It's Asian Idol Night on December 15 (live from Indonesia)...The Philippines will be sending its First Philippine Idol Grand Champion, the girl named "Mau" who will be competing with Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia (where's the Thai representative?)...For Philippine televiewers, the singing contest will be shown on air only on December 16 over ABC Channel 5 (one day late...whatever...). Good luck to all contestants!

Anonymous said...

There are so many taxi companies in Ho Chi Minh City which reflect in the range of different cars being used.

One thing I don't like about taxi in Bangkok is that sometimes they refuse to take you. I have not experience this in any other countries that I have been to.

expressmen said...

its amazing that taxis no matter which part of the world you are remain to be one of the most convenient means of transporting especially if you are totally clueless on your destination. btw, i love your taxi sign post. its cute.

Jerick said...

i was curious with vientaine's cabs though. Was that a Mercedes Benz (the blue one?!). Is this our ouwn version of Havana?
I thought Manila and KL had the ugliest in the selection. Although I believe that it was just the picture. Both cities have better ones to offer.
Hanoi, Bangkok and Jakarta cabs look very fun to ride to!
And BS Begawan's cabs looked sophisticated.

혜현 said...

Maybe you should write an entry about the traditional costumes in SEA- if you havent written anything like that.

Anonymous said...

@Pisanu & xanderj.. yeh! we take pride of our taxis, just recently (i think mid this year) Avanza taxis started to sprout, it's a 7-seater van...they charge the same amount as regular taxis,but with more seats/space!!

Anonymous said...

60% of our cab's here in Davao doesnt have A/C, so it's very cheap!The plug down's only 25pesos. so don't be surprised when you guys come here ;-)

Xanderj said...

@Don...yup!! pinaka tsada jud ang sa CdO, mga pangit au dinhi Manila, karag-karag (manaway ba), wala pa ko kasakay anang Avanza pero makasakay ra ko pag-uli nako!! hehe, balo naka, mga kiatan au ako barkada, regards diay ko XU ;)

Jake said...

@xanderj...Tinuod gid!

Pisanu for BISEAN said...

Yup! That's a Benz taxi in Vientiane and they got lots of it! But Vientiane's taxis aren't metered though. You have to haggle like buying something from the wet market! But they are generally honest.

But without sounding "biased", I think Bangkok taxis are relatively "newer" fleet. And they will give you the change in exact amount...well, just like the taxis in Singapore. =)

Anonymous said...

To explain the "newer fleets" of Bangkok taxis...it's because Thailand is the Detroit of Asia. Almost all car brands are assembled there including BMWs (Thai Police car fleet), Mercedes and Honda.

Anonymous said...

@Don, we have those avanza taxi's here in davao too! so far ive seen only two units hehehehehe

Xanderj said...

@jake...haha, it should be "tinuod jud" or "tinuod gyud", "gid" is Ilongo, i wonder why so many non Cebuano speakers mistook "gid" as Bisaya

aries said...

ohh like the one that says "teksi" our taxis are just fine here in cebu. friendly drivers(too friendly actually hehe)

Anonymous said...

I'm Malaysian and I think that Malaysian taxis are lousy and ugly most of the time. I think Taxis in Bangkok are the best as they are all nice and new Toyota Altis/Vios...

DL

Anonymous said...

I just wish that taxis Malaysian in particular will use the fokking meter. The overcharge like OVERcharging. It's insane to the membrane

Erique Fat Owl said...

FINALLY! Something that we Indonesians can be proud of. Our Blue Bird Taxi (pictured), is in my humblest opinion, the BEST taxi company in southeast asia (excluding Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and East Timor, where I've never been before). I mean, Blue Bird's drivers are polite, they NEVER TALK TOO MUCH (a trait I find miserably annoying in taxi drivers...especially in Singapore, when the drivers would ask me questions like, "where do you come from?" and I said, "Indonesia", and they will reply, "wah lau...your country is SO BAD!!!" - HONEST!), and they have impeccable track record. They will get you safely and quickly to your destination. Although their fleet is not as modern as Singapore's Comfort cabs, and their fare isn't as cheap as Taxis in Bangkok, but I just LOVE Blue Bird. Mainly due to their professional, friendly-but-not-too-friendly drivers.

Oh, just a little tip: When you're in Jakarta, don't even DARE to try other taxi companies. They're horrible. The blue bird group of taxis has the word "blue bird" or "pusaka" written on their cabs. Don't just look at their blue color, because many other companies use blue as well!

And no, I'm in no way affiliated with Blue Bird Taxi Co. Ltd.

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