Phnom Penh airport taxi scam

[gavinmac]

I think there's a taxi scam going on at the airport these days.

As I mentioned in a prior thread, since January 2014, the "official" airport taxi rates are $9 to the Riverside and $12 to further destinations (south of St. 240):

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35364

The guy in the booth used to ask where you were going, then hand you a yellow receipt saying $9, or a blue receipt saying $12, depending on the destination. You then pay the driver the amount stated.

Lately, the booth guy doesn't even ask where you are going. He just tries to hand you the $12 receipt. He keeps the $9 receipts hidden. Even if you tell him you are going to the Riverside, he will try to hand you the $12 receipt, unless you tell him that you know it's $9. Then he will reluctantly pull out the pad with the $9 receipts and say something about how he was trying to charge you $12 due to "traffic."

The $12 receipts actually list some destinations like Nagaworld, Sofitel, etc. on the back of the receipt. The $9 receipts don't list destinations. If you are going to the Riverside/Wat Phnom/St. 51/Monivong hotels though, it should be $9.

[zerotwosixty]

Thanks for that GM, I'll be getting a yellow one I guess.

[logos]

Good one, $9 is already pretty high but $12 is over the top in any case.
I reckon a driver would accept a "tip" in exchange for driving a bit further like naga, as he'd get to keep the cash for himself.

[gavinmac]

I got the $9 coupon and then tipped the guy $2. You know how we Americans are.

I don't know that the drivers have to give back a cut of the $9 or $12. Not sure how it works. They just give you the receipt, it's not tied to a particular driver, and you don't hand him the receipt at the end. They may pay something to pick up passengers but my sense is that the driver then just keeps what you give him, whether it's $9 or $12. I don't know.

I'm not sure what the booth guy gets out of foisting the $12 coupons on people, except getting on the good side of the drivers. Again, I don't think there's any tracking of which driver gets a $12 fare and which gets a $9 fare. It's a little weird.

[bigphatt]

scam the scam. Gotchya
I'll continue to be the more serious penny pincher and keep calling on mates to pick me up.

[vladimir]

Well, well, never thought I'd see gavinmac using the word 'scam' for a $3 difference from the airport.

We have come full circle, haven't we, gavinmac?

And to think I was marked for daring to suggest a travel agent was pulling a fast one for that $1000/month plus apartment near Russian Market, LOL.

I can find some hours for you if you need them...

[gavinmac]

You know, months ago, there was a thread about thieving mini mart cashiers, and I wanted to post about my brief standoff with a cashier who tried to short change me 100 riel, but then I thought "I'll never hear the end of this from vladimir."

[vladimir]

Welcome back!

I was going to post a thread asking where you were, but that one bastard of a mod...oh, wait...

[What Your Name?]

I think there's a taxi scam going on at the airport these days.

As I mentioned in a prior thread, since January 2014, the "official" airport taxi rates are $9 to the Riverside and $12 to further destinations (south of St. 240):

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35364

The guy in the booth used to ask where you were going, then hand you a yellow receipt saying $9, or a blue receipt saying $12, depending on the destination. You then pay the driver the amount stated.

Lately, the booth guy doesn't even ask where you are going. He just tries to hand you the $12 receipt. He keeps the $9 receipts hidden. Even if you tell him you are going to the Riverside, he will try to hand you the $12 receipt, unless you tell him that you know it's $9. Then he will reluctantly pull out the pad with the $9 receipts and say something about how he was trying to charge you $12 due to "traffic."

The $12 receipts actually list some destinations like Nagaworld, Sofitel, etc. on the back of the receipt. The $9 receipts don't list destinations. If you are going to the Riverside/Wat Phnom/St. 51/Monivong hotels though, it should be $9.

I just arrange with my own Tuk Tuk guy every time to take me to airport and pick me up when I return. He's trustworthy and reliable. I give him $6 each way to Daun Penh.

[v12]

I can't call the $9 or $12 that much of a "SCAM". Do the reverse with a metered Taxi and it'll get around the same (or just a little more), especially in rush-hour (ie whole day). Ever seen the Taxi meter go up in a Bangkok Cab ? That's SCAM.

Drivers trying to hand you out a $12 receipt for a $9 trip do look stupid to me. They probably have to buy the $12/$9 receipts book,
so only doing the opposite (Handout the $9 for a $12 trip) would be profitable...

[Lucky Lucan]

Seriously, it's only $3 FFS.

[v12]

Yes, $3 single trip, $6 return trip @ 200 days a year = $1200.00.
Quite a lot of people would be interested in that.

[scobienz]

I was at the airport tonight and went to the booth. The guy asked me where i was going, so I had a choice. I suspect it happens but it's likely opportunistic as so many of these things are.

[gavinmac]

Did he give you a $12 ticket?