Worst cab ride ever
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sideways mostly

Original Poster:

2,681 posts

271 months

Sunday 4th September 2005
quotequote all

I was in Istanbul for work this week and had the worst cab ride ever. The Turks have build a suspension bridge accros the Bospherous and there are a lot of feeder roads leading up to it. The one I was on was a dual carrageway done Eastern style-the central reservation consisted of just a painted white line. It ran downhill and curved sharp left and then right - I learnt all this a little later on,from where I was sitting in a tiny Fiat clone all I could see was the traffic backed up and nudging forward inches at a time. It was getting very frustrating,and it was hot,and maybe he was on a promise-so what did the cab driver do?

He pulled out into the other carraigeway of oncoming traffic and pegged it round corners one and two narrowly missing several oncoming cars who had to swerve out of his way.One Mercedes nearly took out another car to avoid the idiot piling down the hill at him.

Apparantly this is normal practice because he was followed by another cab and a lorry full of workers.


I don't know the Turkish for "Mad F**KING B*STARD"

Anyone else had a close call this way.

RichUK

1,334 posts

277 months

Sunday 4th September 2005
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New York on the way to the British Consulate to pick up MrsUK's visa.

Guy had a 6 lane death wise.

Best $5 I ever spent

ZR1cliff

17,999 posts

279 months

Sunday 4th September 2005
quotequote all
sideways mostly said:
Anyone else had a close call this way.


Me most nights ,most nights my driving is to a high standard,last nights excuse ,forget it

R988

7,495 posts

259 months

Sunday 4th September 2005
quotequote all
I think thats just standard driving practice in the whole med area...

$lowpoke

1,855 posts

264 months

Sunday 4th September 2005
quotequote all
Bangkok. Doesn't have to be in a cab, any car journey in that city will give you the shakes for weeks afterwards.

sj78

3,615 posts

261 months

Sunday 4th September 2005
quotequote all
Shanghai. In a Santana (80s Passat clone). Driving at 90 on a road that must have been a 40 limit max. Driver was on the phone, eating dinner, smoking a fag and reading the paper.

Absolute crazy boy!

Wacky Racer

41,358 posts

277 months

Sunday 4th September 2005
quotequote all
Last year, coming back from New York with Mrs. WR and kids, needed a transfer from Heathrow to Gatwick....

We were met at the exit by a smartly dressed foreign looking man who asked us if we needed a cab.....

As we were tired I said yes, and he led us to his fairly new people carrier.....

After a few miles. I realised it wasn't a real taxi, he was just a bloke making a bit of money on the side....

This was bad enough until he started twitching about violently, and scratching his body, almost as if he had itching powder inside his shirt...

This went on for about five miles, till we arrived at the airport.....

I have never been as glad to get out of a "taxi" in my life...............

bosscerbera

8,188 posts

273 months

Monday 5th September 2005
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Bologna, last year. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience although I could see how others might not.

It was rush hour and I needed to catch the last train back to Forli to catch my flight. I told him this. He drove like it was a qualifying lap. Rat running, wrong side of road, playing chicken with buses, on pavement - it was real classic stereotype Italian taxi driver stuff.

I was laughing and gave him a tip.

vixpy1

42,699 posts

294 months

Monday 5th September 2005
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Woking, last year..

Mercedes 190 with 450,000 on the clock, radio Karachi blareing out of the stereo...

and I think the driver still thought he was in Karachi!

_dan_

2,392 posts

309 months

Monday 5th September 2005
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I had a cab ride in from Central London to Brixton after a nightshift once where the cabbie (who'd obviously been working far too many hours) kept nodding off at traffic lights and even when we were moving his head was swaying round all over the place.

Had to tap him on the shoulder 3 or 4 times to wake him up and get moving again!!

Scary ride that was!

Podie

46,649 posts

305 months

Monday 5th September 2005
quotequote all
Yep had a scary taxi ride or two in Istanbul, but the record goes to Lodz in Poland...

I was out there with my Dad (he was working there for a while) and we got in a cab to go and see on of his colleagues. Traffic was bad, and since we were supposed to meet someone we were looking at our watches when the cab driver decided that we must be in a hurry, so peeled off the road, into the central area (where the trams are) and started hooning down the tramway (with on-coming tram) darting in and out to avoid them, then back onto the road...

Funnily we never got in another cab in Poland for the six months we were there...

D_Mike

5,301 posts

270 months

Monday 5th September 2005
quotequote all
a "taxi" (actually just a random guy I stopped to pay to take us back to our hotel) through the cente of moscow, 5 of us in his lada (riva? the small fiat saloon one), doing about 70mph along one of the 8 lane roads (for tanks). It was wicked and really fun. We came up behind a police van with an arrow pointing to one side of it and flashing yellow lights on top (indicating which side to pass it on). We passed it on the other side of course.

technobob

236 posts

270 months

Monday 5th September 2005
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Manchester Airport to Home lane 3 on M56 in the pouring rain. With all the spray it was just like driving in fog - at 80MPH! All you could see were brake lights appearing in the wall of grey. I dont make a good passenger anyways, but I thought my time was up. :-)

4WD

2,289 posts

261 months

Monday 5th September 2005
quotequote all
Egypt - how about 6 battered hyundais across on a 3 lane road, with everyone diving in and braking at the last inch, narrowly misssing camels. It was like pod racing, only more dangerous, and dirtier.

Essex countryside - Nearly died the other week as numpty in front did an emergency stop - for a pigeon!!! My driver was looking out of the side window oblivious, until I screamed STOP in his ear. Nice abs & lane change manuver woke him up.

cazzer

8,883 posts

278 months

Monday 5th September 2005
quotequote all
Bogota, Columbia.
Taxi from the airport to the hotel.
"Don't ride with your arm out of the window Senor. They'll steal your wristwatch with a Machete".

Slightly disconcerting.

driftwood

531 posts

265 months

Monday 5th September 2005
quotequote all
sideways mostly said:



He pulled out into the other carraigeway of oncoming traffic and pegged it round corners one and two narrowly missing several oncoming cars who had to swerve out of his way.One Mercedes nearly took out another car to avoid the idiot piling down the hill at him.






Anyone else had a close call this way.



Given the description of the 'driving' and assuming the driver had wrinkly face, smelly breath and facial hair......could have been my mother in law behind the wheel

esselte

14,626 posts

297 months

Monday 5th September 2005
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Cab ride from Malaga airport to La linea (as near to Gib as the driver would go)I think he was trying to make me feel at home by driving mostly on the left!

NAS

2,588 posts

261 months

Monday 5th September 2005
quotequote all
sj78 said:
Shanghai. In a Santana (80s Passat clone). Driving at 90 on a road that must have been a 40 limit max. Driver was on the phone, eating dinner, smoking a fag and reading the paper.

Absolute crazy boy!


I live in Shanghai. Cab rides like that come and go every day here. Fun in a way after a while though

Best is the sign they have in the back stating the rules.

"PSYCHOS and unaccompanied drunkards are not allowed in this taxi"

rooster

2,241 posts

267 months

Monday 5th September 2005
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hong Kong, cab ride from the peak down to Victoria barracks, OMG!!!!I am sure the driver was Freddie from nightmare on elm street!!!!we just giggled nervously all the way down.

muley

1,453 posts

311 months

Monday 5th September 2005
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Our worst ride was in a Yellow Cab from Manhattan to Newark airport. The driver missed the turning of the freeway and took us (me, SWMBO plus my sons aged 7 and 9) to a derelict part of the city – boarded up houses, dodgy blokes sitting round fires in oil drums – you get the picture. We pointed out that we had missed the turn and the driver had become abusive. Then he stopped and we seriously thought we were going to get mugged or worse. After a few minutes, he set off, muttering sh%t to himself over and over again. Eventually we got to the airport – boy were we relieved to be back in civilisation.