i must admit i enjoyed reading it too :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrew Denniss" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 7:28 PM Subject: Re: Long off topic Cairo taxis (Delete now)
> That was an intersting read dominic I thought some of our taxi drivers where > bad enough. So it was a good place to see over in egypt?? > Andrew > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dominic Votano" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Datsun Club" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: "GtiR" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 3:15 PM > Subject: Long off topic Cairo taxis (Delete now) > > > > > > > > Old cars don't die they just go to Cairo and become taxis. In Egypt no car > > could possible be too old or unreliable to be used as a taxi in Cairo. We > > saw 1958 Fiat 1100s, 1961 Fiat 1500s Fiat 124 and 125s, Peugeot 504, > Renault > > 12, Datsun 120Y with the newest being a 1983 Nissan Pulsar. > > > > In Cairo all taxis are painted black with white lower front and rear > guards. > > Other provinces have different colours on their guards. All taxis are > > seriously bumped and scratched from their "I shall never yield" attitude. > To > > be a taxi driver you need only have a four door vehicle (preferably > > predented) paint it black and white (yes most do it at home with a brush) > > and the most important item is a taxi meter. Of the 16 taxis used not one > > had a working meter or speedo. Knowing how to drive or where anything is > > located is not a prerequisite to driving a taxi. > > > > There is no set fee structure in a taxi. The passenger pays what he feels > > the ride is worth. Locals told us that a trip downtown is worth no more > than > > 10 pounds. So we always jumped in a cab advised our destination and then > > paid the fare that we believed was right. This never resulted in a problem > > unless you have more than two people in the cab when they would expect a > > higher payment. > > > > Should you wish to bargain a price upfront this immediately alerts the > > driver that you do not know what a fair fare is and prices start at up to > > 100 time the fee paid by a local or 10 times that of a tourist. Even when > a > > fare is agreed upon the driver will continue to bargain and renegotiate > his > > fare up from the price agreed until your ride is finished. This makes for > a > > most unpleasant trip through one of the most crowded cities in the world. > > Our mind settled on a fare of 10 pounds for over 20 minutes and 5 pounds > for > > under 20 minutes. This made all our drivers very happy and no arguments > were > > entered into. > > > > The driving style is more art than rational. Whilst lanes are clearly > marked > > on the road they certainly bear no relationship to where cars drive or how > > many cars can travel abreast on the roads. Pedestrian crossings are a > > further decoration on the roads in Cairo. Crossing the road is something > > infrequently done by pedestrians in Cairo and is reminiscent of the 80s > game > > of Frogger where a complex sequence of forward and reverse motions must be > > engaged to safely cross a three lane road with five cars abreast. > > > > Pedestrian refuge islands are well named in Cairo. Where some of the more > > timid pedestrians have set up home and raised families in waiting for a > > driver to stop and allow them to cross the road. > > > > Traffic lights are simply not used, some are constantly flashing amber > > whilst other work but are simply not obeyed by anyone. It is dangerous to > > believe that a green light is a sign of a clear road. Cars do not even > > hesitate for a red light but career through at break neck speed. Only > Police > > signals are obeyed and even then reluctantly. On many occasions we see > > Policemen being literally pushed by cars who are in a hurry and prod the > > policeman with the intimidating use of a horn or by pushing him physically > > with the front of a taxi. > > > > The use of a horn is more an auditory expression of your mood and feelings > > than anything else. It is not only used as a warning or to say hello or > > goodbye but simply to let people know that your are in their suburb or in > a > > neighbouring suburb, or to tell them you are on their side of the road or > on > > the opposite side and often just checked randomly to see if it still > > operates. > > > > Taxi Drivers would be the richest people in Egypt if they charged by the > > beep rather than bargaining with tourists. Our tour guide tells us that he > > one day took a cab to work as he does not believe it is safe to drive on > > Cairo roads with a horn that does not work. This is quite believable as > > Cairo drivers use a system of Braille driving and their sense of hearing > to > > place their car accurately into the Cairo traffic. > > > > Greater Cairo has a population of over 20 million and whilst traffic is > > thick it is never stopped. In a three lane road there may be 4 cars across > > ahead, but this doesn't concern the taxi driver. A few carefully placed > > beeps of the horn and the driver careers his scrap metal into a space > which > > previously did not exist. > > > > It is rare to see any car in Cairo without at least 7 separate dents on > each > > body panel. The word Road Worthy has no Egyptian equivalent. Cars with > > missing headlights, dented body work, even missing windows are a common > > sight. During our tour we entered many a taxi that had no window winders > or > > door trims. A few had no internal handles and thus the door could only be > > opened by reaching outside for the external handle. Every taxi had the > Koran > > carefully placed on the dashboard between the windscreen and the driver. > > > > Praying is apparently more apt than any driving skill in this high risk > job. > > Seat belts are generally non existent in the rear and not working in the > > front. Despite a law requiring the use of seat belts no-one even does the > > motions of putting them on. On a few occasions when Police (on every > corner) > > peer into the car, the driver would pull across the remains of his seat > belt > > and sit on one end. It was considered most uncool to actually put it on > and > > use it as a seat belt. Cairo taxis are definitely to be placed alongside > > bungy jumping and skydiving whilst in the land of the pyramids. > > > > Dominic Votano > > www.premierstrata.com.au > > www.unitliving.info > > Premier Strata > > Ph 9630 7500 > > Fx 9630 1915 > > > > > > > --membersozdat------------------------------------------------------- OZDAT Mailing List Please Note:- Send (un)subscribe requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send submissions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] No unauthorised redistribution of this email http://www.ozdat.com/ozdatonline/index.htm http://www.ozdat.com/ozdatonline/listindex.html http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------
