It is to be noted that taxi scams don’t happen only in Guildford instead tourists are scammed by fraudulent taxis drivers in all countries in the world. As many tourists are not familiar with the local language, currency, customs and areas of Guildford therefore, they easily become a victim of taxi scams. Common taxi scams in Guildford are; overcharging passengers, taking longer routes, stealing belongings from passengers, giving incorrect change, etc.
If you don’t want to be exploited by some unscrupulous taxi drivers in Guildford during your trip, then you will have to plan things properly. In this blog, you will find valuable information related to how tourists can avoid taxi scams in Guildford.
Do research on taxi customs & standard taxi prices in Guildford
Tourists should do research on internet related to common taxi customs and standard taxi prices in Guildford before going there. This research will help tourists know common taxi customs and taxi prices in Guildford. This research will also help tourists spot taxi scam quickly and easily and avoid it.
For instance, you want to go to the airport from Guildford; therefore, you contact any random taxi company in Guildford. The taxi hire company asks you to pay additional money for extra baggage that you have. As you already know through your research that taxi companies in Guildford usually don’t charge additional money for extra baggage, therefore you will quickly understand that the company is not a reliable one and you should avoid hiring.
Let’s take another example. In some countries, taxi hire companies charge passengers additional money for rush hours and weekend rides. If this is also common in Guildford and you are already aware with that, then you will not think that you are being exploited if a taxi asks you to pay extra money for a weekend ride or rush hour.
Do research on well-reputed, reliable & licensed taxi hire companies in Guildford
If you don’t want to be exploited by a fraudulent taxi in Guildford then you should research on internet related to a related a reliable, licensed and well-reputed taxi service provider in Guildford before your trip. Select one that has a good reputation, good online rating, more positive reviews, affordable taxi fare, CRB checked experienced drivers and no hidden charges. Keep the number of the taxi hire company with you or pre-book its taxi for airport transfers and sightseeing tours in Guildford.
Ask your hotel to book a taxi for you for going to or from airport/ sightseeing tours
If you did not get time to do research related to best taxi hire companies in Guildford, then don’t worry. You can still avoid falling prey to crooked taxis in Guildford. You should ask your hotel to arrange a safe, comfortable and reliable taxi for you so that you can travel in and around Guildford without the fear of getting scammed.
When travelling in taxis use Google maps to know the route to your destination
As tourists who are not well-aware of different areas of Guildford, they easily become the target of fraudulent taxis. The fraudulent taxis take advantage of tourists’ ignorance; instead of transferring them to their destinations they take them to a deserted place and deprive them of their belongings. Therefore, whenever you sit in a random taxi in Guildford, you should use Google maps to know the easiest and fastest route to your destination. You should not tell the taxi driver that you are a newcomer. You should tell the taxi driver that you know where you are going so that he doesn’t think of taking advantage of your ignorance.