Cab overcharging

A couple, friends of ours, visiting Malta on a cruise liner last Friday were quoted €60 (Lm25.74) by a cab (karozzin) driver to take them from the Palace Square in Valletta back to their cruise liner berthed at the Valletta Waterfront. Naturally they firmly declined to take that cab. Luckily for them a taxi driver offered to take them in his taxi from the same place to their destination for €10 (Lm4.29) which they found acceptable.

This is not the first instance of cab gross overcharging to have come to my knowledge. I believe that unless regulations are put in force making it compulsory for a list of fares to be prominently displayed in cabs, instances of overcharging will not be eradicated, much to the detriment of our tourist industry.

I am also of the opinion that as part of the upgrading of our tourist product cab drivers should be made to wear an attractive outfit, say the traditional Zepp costume. This in preference to the nondescript and tatty wear they currently don.