Your interview with Christian Estrosi and the taxis in Nice was interesting reading and prompted me to the keyboard.

I live in Nice but work now and then in Stockholm so I often go by taxi between the airport and my home in Cimiez. Daytime, with an honest driver, the fare should be 18 – 20 euros. But if I am not watchful, the meter most of the time reads something between 28 and 35 euros when I have arrived. My wife has had it as high as 40!

Here is how they do it and how to avoid it.

All taxis in Nice (I have so far not seen any exception) have the meter very low on the dashboard, just in front of the gear lever. This is the crucial factor when we are cheated.  When leaving the stand the driver starts the meter. Normally you can see it from the back seat so you feel confident and lower your guard as you know the meter is on and it is visible. But when you get closer to your destination the driver puts his hand on the gear lever and continues to drive with one hand. You can no longer see the meter from the back seat. A few hundred meters from your destination he stops the meter and adds some 30 to 100 %. As the meter is out of your sight behind his hand, you cannot see him do it unless you know what he is up to. It’s hard even then because they are very good at it, obviously having practiced quite a lot. He continues to hide the meter until you have arrived.

When I refuse to pay according to the meter and tell him I use taxis often and the fare should be max 20 euros, most of them back off immediately and accept my offer of 20. Some argue, but when I tell them about how they manipulated the meter they accept as well. A few have told me “Ah, you know how we do it, huh. We all do it. We have to do it to survive.” This of course is nonsense.

To avoid arguing or if you are not good enough in French there is a better way to avoid being cheated. A few minutes before you arrive at your destination and before the driver has manipulated the meter, you ask him to see the meter. Je peux voir le taximeter svp? Muttering he takes his hand off the gear lever. Now he knows he cannot cheat you and goes back to two-hand driving.

I have talked to several drivers about this, when they have tried it on me, and they admit they and most of their colleges do it. I think Mr Estrosi is wrong when he says most of them are honest. In my experience at least 8 out of 10 try to cheat you. The warning signal is when they let their hand stay on the gear lever.

An easy way for Nice to stop this is to force the drivers to put the meter permanently high up on the dashboard so they cannot hide it. Maybe the Riviera Reporter could press the Town Hall about this

Hakan Gellerstedt, by email