I was on a business trip this week in Minneapolis. The last time I was there, the cab that took me to the hotel asked me where his "big tip" was after I paid him-- and he was serious... (think I tipped him $5 on a $25 fare). This time - the cab driver exited the airport without turning on the meter. Which begs the question -- what do you do? Do you strategically wait as long as you can, thus in theory, making your ride less inexpensive? Or do you fess up and tell the guy right away avoiding the conflict that is sure to erupt past the point of no return?
I opted for telling the guy - but only because I believe that cab drivers have a distinct stereo-types - similar to the profession of the "used car salesman," but not exactly... When talking about "fares" they almost always raise their voice and instantly become confrontational...I mean why shouldn't they? The chances of them ever seeing you again (on top of either of you remembering each other) is like 1 in a billion...
So, yes, instead of negotiating the difference or to have the second cab driver in Minneapolis think I was a cheap tipper...I made the comment "is the ride a fixed fare or meter"? Turns out that after I told him he ended up apologizing for 5 minutes, which obviously got annoying - so - I did what anyone would do and put on my headphones of my new XM Satellite Radio...
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