160 CultureShock! Egypt
shop owner. In most cases, someone will come out and take
your side. Egyptians do not like cheats either. If this doesn’t
work, take the taxi driver’s number (listed on a plaque or
paper in the taxi) and report him to the authorities. I honestly
don’t think reporting a taxi driver to the authorities does any
good and is really more trouble than it could possibly be
worth. I just put that in to satisfy anyone who really wants
to follow that path.
The second strategy is to not negotiate the fare. If you look
like you know what you are doing, you will be better able to
get away with this strategy. It is difficult to give an accurate
fare range because prices seem to change with the cost of
petrol. As a starting point, a fair rate for going across Cairo
(about a 30-minute ride) is about E£ 5, or a bit more. Very
short rides should go for around E£ 3. Please remember that
these prices depend heavily on the price of petrol. If petrol
prices double, taxi fares should increase substantially. After
all, taxi drivers need to make a living, too. Longer journeys
will still need to be negotiated. Don’t be surprised if the driver
wants significantly more, but keep trying to negotiate a lower
fare. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Get out,
say ‘thank you’ and walk off.