Just when I thought SM Bicutan's Taxi Bay just got better, I had a now-becoming-familiar-taxi-experience late this afternoon on my way home from the said mall.
First of all, the driver of the first taxi in line was talking quite happily with the guard on the other side of the bay, when the Paalala in big bold letters clearly states that taxi drivers should be inside their cabs at all times.
So okay it was scorching hot, it's understandable that the driver would wanna get out of the car while waiting for a passenger with the engine off.
Immediately upon getting in and telling the driver my destination, I started rummaging inside my bag for my loots of the day. A few meters off, the driver asked me how much I usually pay to my destination. I got alarmed and immediately looked at the taxi meter. It was off.
"Hala, wala kang metro," I said, even smiling, but secretly fishing out the digicam from my bag.
"Wala nga sir, e, kasi pabalik-balik lang ako dito," the driver replied.
I told him I usually pay Php60. The meter would always be somewhere between 45-50, and I think I'm already generous enough to give an additional 10. So this driver, taxi meter or no, would only get 60 from me. I snapped a pic of the license number.
"100 sir, wala kasing pasahero pabalik."
100? I thought. Wala na ngang metro 100 pa? It irritated me so much also because (1) he had no right to wait for passengers in that bay in the first place because his taxi had no meter; and (2) he's over-charging.
He went down to 70 but I insisted on 60. The conversation was getting so heated and long already, my voice was already showing signs of anger, that I asked him a final, "Ayaw mo?"
He said ayaw so I stormed out of his cab. Sayang nga lang I forgot how irritated he'd be if I left the door open, but I banged it hard before walking back to the taxi bay.
Good thing about it was that I had my PLDT Landline Plus with me. And since I already had the Security Office's number from previous reklamos, I was able to talk to the head of security in an instant, through a cellphone, and with no extra charge. Okay it sounds like a paid ad but I’m just really happy I availed of this PLDT SIM card.
The security head arrived (in a motorbike) seconds after I reached the taxi bay on foot, and in no time I was complaining. The head, whose surname I always forget (it sounds like Fabian Ver, Fabinier, Fafabear... I'm sorry), promised me they'd ban that plate number at their bay.
I just hope so because I've already made it a vow to check on taxi plate numbers at that bay everytime I’d go there.
But be that as it may, I really wanna thank the security head. He's always been so accommodating every time I'd call or see him about something. And never did he show signs of anger. Laging mahinahon.
I know SM Bicutan sucks, but it doesn't mean the service couldn't be improved. All we have to do is tell them why they suck and hopefully they'd look into it.
But why do I always go to SM Bicutan? It's the accessibility. If only there's another mall as close from where I live.
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