Since I was bugged by the previous commenter to take an action, I googled about “abusive taxi drivers” I discovered that DOTC or the Department of Transportation and Communications have this hotline number if you have encountered any not-so-pleasing incidents regarding taxis.

He (Jon Jon Lagman, head of the DOTC Action Center) urged the public to call 7890 (DOTC Action Center) and 117 (Police Hotline) to report abusive taxi drivers who might take advantage of the situation by refusing to convey passengers. He warned overcharging taxi drivers of stiff penalties.
click for full article

Good thing DOTC take some actions regarding abusive taxi drivers. You can report drivers who: Refuse to admit passengers, Ask for additional charges (overcharging)or Refuse to turn on the taxi meter..or “nangongontrata”. I don’t know if they “really” take action on this but I really do hope so.

Again, to our readers:

Call 7-8-9-0 for your taxi complains.

I hope this helped.=)

UPDATE: I tried calling the DOTC hotline number for abusive taxi drivers a couple of days ago. And, I’m happy to share with everyone that the hotline number actually works. So call now if you have encountered abusive taxi drivers.

A comment from a reader named Grace shared with us her taxi experience. Here is her narration of her story:

hi..i really don’t know who to deal with in regards to abusive taxi drivers. I have encountered so many and this incident is not tolerable.
Anyways, just today(07/24/08) around 4:35pm..I dealt with an abusive taxi driver..the plate number is TYL 501..from ortigas to marikina, my 3 officemates and I usually pay a maximum of 120php..
everyday po..sumasakay kami ng taxi after work..4 po kami lagi and from marikina bayan may baba na 2..ang way is along J.P. Rizal St in San Roque lang..after po nun..may baba ulit na 1 infront of OLA church..and then just a few blocks naman po is ung house namin..nung baba na po ako..ang metro is just 115 or maybe 117php..but i gave the driver 125 (for courtesy)..when i’m trying to go down..the taxi driver asked me how much yung binigay kong money..i told him na bilangin nya..he opened his door and told ne na kulang yun…how can that be? dinagdagan ko naman..meron na daw additional 10php sa metro..but i was informed na di pa xa i-implement..and we need to pay addtl 10php pag may yellow sticker ung taxi which is wala sya nun..i fed him the necessary information and he shouted at me..ang kuripot ko daw, ginawa namin sya school bus..which is kahit anong mangyari..don pa din sya lalabas sa road na yun kasi one way po..i told him na dinagdagan ko na nga..bkit kulang pa..bababa sya ng taxi so i was scared because scary po tlga yung features nya..what i did is..tumawag ako ng bystanders which unfortunately is some kinda old na po..he told the driver na tama na ung binayad ko na sobra pa and di pa nga po implemented ung 10 additional..ang daming sinabi nung taxi driver..he even used profanity/foul words..so ang ginawa ko po..i got his plate number and the operator’s telephone number..and then i dont want to argue na..coz scary po talaga sya..i gave him additional 20php..my total payment was 145php pero ang metro po is 117php lang..
i called the operator and reported the incident..the dispatcher told me na hindi po nya alam yung name ng driver (coz i was asking for the driver’s name to lodge a complaint)..which ung mga bystanders po can attest to his rudeness..tomorrow pa daw po malalaman yung name kasi 24hours yung byahe..they told me to call back tom (07/25/08)..the thing is..baka po hindi ibigay yung real name kasi baka ipagtanggol nila..ayoko lang po mangyari yun sa ibang pasahero esp kung babae po ung sasakay kasi bastos po talaga sya..
everytime po na sumasakay kami ng taxi..di naman tga exakto lang yung binibigay namin coz mataas na tlga ang cost of living dito sa atin esp ung gas..
gusto ko lang po na maturuan ng lesson ung driver kasi di naman tama yung ginagawa nya..hanggat wala pong magco-complain..baka gawin din nya sa iba..
I informed the dispatcher (operator ng taxi) his name is Carlo na sa LTO nagwo-work yung father ko para lang di nila ako lokohin..i’m sorry..i know its not right pero nakakatakot naman po kung mauulit pa ito..
di ko alam kung anong action ang pwedeng gawin..I badly need your help! The taxi operator’s number is 024443060 plate number TYL 501.
Kind Regards,
Grace

To grace, I am also aware that the 10-peso increase for taxis is not yet implemented during the duration of your experience but when I checked the net (click here), I have read that effective July 25, 2008 the 10-peso increase for taxi fare is implemented already. You failed to mention the company of the said taxi driver nevertheless, it is their duty to bring you to each of your friends’ or co-workers’ destinations given the fact that you will be paying them.

Riding to abusive drivers is inevitable, I for once have experienced taxi horror stories but if you would read our previous post regarding taxi companies, you could get some tips there to at least, minimize your chance in encountering such drivers. You could also call the taxi operator again for follow-up if that won’t cost you ample time (you know the business here in the Philippines right?). Anyway, money is nothing if you will compare it with the harm that the driver may have cost you if you didn’t pay him with the amount he demanded.

We can’t prevent these drivers for acting this way with the kind if living we have now but this story should be a lesson for us to be a responsible passengers for our own safety. If you feel that, the driver is not that reliable please, let the taxi pass and wait for another one.

Thank you for entrusting your taxi story with us. This is the first story we have so far since this blog started. Don’t worry if nobody acted with your complain now, but there is someone who already made the perfect verdict for him and it is God.

The main landmark of the Caloocan City is the Bonifacio Monument. It is also the last stop of the LRT line 1 Monumento station. It is located at the intersection of Rizal Avenue & Epifanio Delos Santos Ave. Actually it is the merging point of the two long avenues EDSA and Rizal Ave.

EDSA (traversing the cities of Caloocan , Quezon , Mandaluyong , San Juan, Makati and Pasay) ,was named after Epifanio de los Santos (July 7, 1871–April 28, 1928) was distuinguished Filipino who is a historian, collector of Filipiniana books, literary critic, jurist, antiquitarian and patriot. He was known as “First Filipino Academican”; “Great among the Great Filipino Scholars”; “The Librarian”; A Man of so many Talents.He served as director of the Philippine National Museum and Library in 1925.

Rizal Ave (traversing the cities of Caloocan, Manila and Pasay), was named after our great national hero Jose Rizal.His famous works are Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

The monument commemorates the most proletarian of all Filipino heroes, Gat Andres Bonifacio. He is the father of the Revolution in 1896 at Balintawak and the founder of the Katipunan.( Philippine revolutionary organization founded in 1892, against the Spaniards)

A great Filipino national artist for sculpture, Guillermo Tolentino, immortalized the monument. He was named National Artist in Sculpture in 1973. A National Artist of the Philippines is the highest recognition given to Filipinos for excellence in the filed of Philippine arts.

The Bonifacio monument is considered the masterpiece of Guillermo Tolentino. It was completed in 1933 and represents the first encounter between Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan.

That intersection at the foot of the LRT station and will be the merging point if the MRT and LRT loop will be completed in 2010 speaks of so much history and greatness of Filipinos. They have started soil testing along EDSA and soon diggings will start to give way to construction of a mass transport system. I do hope the place will never lost its glory because its represents our sense of pride and history as Filipinos.

photo by http://philippines-archipelago.com/author/visited/metro_manila_2.html