Mis-adventures with Sydney taxi drivers!!

Hrrummpphh... they are at it again! After another long night at the office, I was hoping to have a quick dash home from the city. Hailed a cab and after telling him where to go, the driver then started asking me about where I was from, what languages do I speak etc etc... I then decided to dodge more questions by putting a phone call to a friend to enquire about his health. After chatting away for a few minutes, I realised that the taxi driver was going to take me to Chatswood train station instead of Eastwood station!! The driver was then unsure where to go to head to Eastwood from Pacific Highway. He later explained that he asked if it was Chatswood but since I was on the phone... I did not hear him nor given him an answer. But, I think he just conveniently made the assumption that as I was from Malaysia, Chatswood is my natural place of abode as there are a lot of Malaysians living in Chatswood...?????

There was also this other time where I was heading to Darling Point from the city. Went to a cab and told the driver the address. The driver repeatedly asked... "are you sure this is the address?" Why would I lie to him??? He then asked if I knew how to get there as he does not know. After a few kilometers, I decided that it was best for me to get off rather than being taken for a ride.

Not only do taxi drivers not know the roads, some of them refuse to turn the air conditioning on when the temperature is soaring ... all to save some diesel but leaving us sweating like a .... ?? Or, some will leave you hanging on to your seatbelt as they weave in and out of traffic. You feel as tense as they are when you see them sitting straight and upright and gripping the steering wheel tightly... help, someone!

What is happening to our taxi drivers? Whilst some are polite, there are others who are rude, heck, we are paying them!!

Why do we as consumers, need to put up with this nonsense? WHY should we made to feel inadequate when you do not get in equipped with the map and the directions? How are they able to take our visitors around when they themselves do not know the directions around Sydney?

The ironic thing is that 9 out of 10 of these taxi drivers have TOM TOMs .... wonder why don't they use them instead of letting it sit and look pretty on their dashboard?