Airport Taxi

I guess I am simply too much of newbie to the Philippines, but I have to giggle when I see folks getting upset over P400 for a ride from the airport to Dauin. Airport transportation everywhere is a premium service because it's a captive audience....fact of life....get over it!

In NYC it costs me (with time-of-day extras) about the equivalent of P160 just to get in a cab and go 300 meters. Then the meter ticks off another P15 every 300 meters. In effect, here one pays P400 before the cab gets off the airport property. And New York is far from the most expensive airport transportation I have seen around the world.

Sure the Sibulan Airport is very near to the downtown area, but I am certain that the airport authority (like airport authorities everywhere) charge the taxis, vans and tricycles a premium to operate on the premises and the geographical proximity is irrelevant.

 

NYC and Dumaguete are very different. Some Pensioners here are on a budget. If you can get a taxi from the airport to Dauin for 400 pesos let me know how you did it. I get quoted 1,200 pesos.

 

and the #1 option to fix the expense issue is the same here as anywhere else. A few minute hike off airport property and go from there. Last time in Manila I was getting quoted p900 for a taxi which dropped to p650 as I never broke stride to talk to him. 2 minutes later I was crossing the street to McDonalds (at terminal 3) and hailed a cab, paid the meter price of p136

 

Well, maybe I misread but it wasn't me who needed to go to Dauin. And yes, New York and Dumaguete are very different in many respects, but there are plenty of people on pensions in New York, too. And a budget is a budget anywhere. If one's budget cannot tolerate airport transportation fares, one needs to adjust the budget (or the plans) no matter where one lives.

 

If you refer to tricycles I have done this many times. It is interesting to add that as soon as we walk out of the terminal we get offered a tricycle for 150 pesos (and we only have a 5 minute ride to get home). Then we walk a few steps and a different tricycle will offer 100 pesos. Then a few steps more and we are offered 60 or 70 peso. We keep walking and the last guy in line offers 50 pesos, which what the guys on the street would ask for due to wanting a private tricycle and carrying luggage. (It would only be 10 pesos each for shared with no luggage).

My lady asked one of the tricycle drivers and he says it takes a long time for the guy at the front of the line to get to the front and he ain't giving up that position for only 50 pesos but the guy at the back of the line just got there and doesn't want to hang around all day when he can make a quick 50