Quote:
Originally Posted by S.B.Y.1
A fair warning to those who choose to save a few bucks by calling grab taxis in Batam
Avoid calling Grab or Uber or risking getting into trouble with the locals.
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Taxi service INSIDE the parking or Nagoya Hill is regulated: all taxi obey to the same group rules. That is the reason why taxi inside Nagoya Hill are the most expensive in Batam island, probably.
The good sense rule for tourists should be to avoid to grab a taxi from the taxi desk service in Nagoya Hill, but go outside, just to avoid to overpay so much.
HOWEVER, most tourists and even locals prefer the convenience to take a taxi straight from the stairs, to avoid walking out with shopping bags etc. That explains the surcharge: you don't want to walk 100 m to go out? ok, be happy to pay 60k instead of 40k.
As the taxi service inside Nagoya Hill is regulated, they have a good reason to be angry if someone else offers rides (through Uber or even not) skipping the commission of the official desk. I think it is not even allowed by "law" or whatever you call it.
Personally, should I use Uber, I would call it to pick me up outside Nagoya Hill, not certainly there at the bottom of stairs in front of the line of regular licensed taxies.
Finally, I understand that the physical aggression was against the Uber driver and not against the passenger. Trust me, should anyone would even try to do such a thing to me, it does not matter if I am in Batam or in Singapore, I will not just sit and hope. The respect from people is something we earn.