Taxi drivers from Hell!

There are almost ten taxi centres that operates around the clock in Male' and approximately 500 or more taxis infesting the roads of Male' yet it is easier to walk with a broken ankle than call a taxi to take you to hospital. first of all it takes at least 5 calls before you reach the operator in the taxi centre. the line is either busy or they just dont pick the phone. after the they pick up the phone, they put you on hold for at least a minute and then tells you "sorry there are no taxis available" frustrated and furious you start to walk and when you reach a main road in my case Majeedhee Magu you go more red upon seeing the empty taxis that pass you by. lesson number 1 i learnt about taxi service in Male' - don't call taxi centre just hail one.

Finally after hailing a taxi and little calmer and happier that i don't have to walk sit quietly on the back seat praying there is no traffic. on your way to where ever you are going, the driver makes small conversation with you, regarding politics and the current affairs in Maldives. that is normal. but not when you get in to a taxi where the driver has neglected to trim his beard and looks like he just came from Afghanistan wearing a turban. well these drivers usually don't bother to say anything due to their beliefs ( which i respect). but some of these men can be a bit of a nuisance and the ride to your destination can become a horror or worse they might dump you on the road and just leave not caring whether its late at night or the deadly dawn.

From my experience with taxi drivers i say they are paranoid sometime and annoying as hell. i' ve been dumped in to the dead night numerous times for silly reasons. below are three recent ones

driver number one- He came to pick me up at home 15 minutes after i called for taxi. he looked young and decent. I asked him to drop me off in front of huravee building. we were having a light conversation since the ride was slowed down by the heavy traffic. our conversation was mostly about the current issues faced by Maldivian society like the drug issues and rape cases and child molestations. we were both expressing our views on the subjects.he told me about a brother who had been sent to jail for a crime he didn't commit ( many people cant accept the reality) and all of the sudden he found out where i work at. he immediately stopped the car and told me that he doesn't want me in his taxi i should get out immediately... his reason he doesn't give lifts to people who works for golha - this is his word not mine. Just because i work at presidents office does that mean i all of a sudden becomes an out cast in the taxi drivers society? besides if it is so i wonder how he earns his living because most of us work for government jobs and it is the same thing ... you are working for the president when you are working for the government. any ways i was late to office that day.

driver number two - i had an appointment at a salon to cut my hair. i came home late from office and wanted to reach the salon on time. i called a taxi ( bad choice). it came after ten minutes. i was annoyed. the driver blamed it on some ongoing construction site. he was middle aged man bald and with a cheerful face. as i sat down he adjusted his mirror so he can see my face. which was normal for some drivers since they like to talk to you and watch you at the same time. but him he was different. at first he took a wrong turn and i corrected him asking him to take a the next route since i was already late. but no he didn't listen instead he started to talk dirty. he was a pervert and you can imagine what he would be saying to disgust me. i tried to ignore him. lucky for me his drivers permit was visible and was hanging on the review mirror. i immediately called the taxi centre and reported him and he threw me out. i was glad actually that happened.

driver number three- i was to meet a busy friend. and i mean a really busy dude. to get an appointment with him is really tough. so i needed to get to him asap. so i tried and tried to get a taxi but no luck so in the end i decided ill jog over all the way to henveiru from my home in maafannu. but i got lucky. on my way i was able to get one. breathless and happy i gave the address. the driver looked like a serious man with a huge beard and a turban. he was playing songs by Yusuf Islam. We were almost near the "Fen building" when he gave me a CD and asked me to take it for it might show me the right path. i politely told him " no thank you" for which he cursed me by saying i am a "Jahilu" which kind of annoyed me off. i couldn't help it but i talked back by telling him that he is going to lose his customers if he is going to be calling people that to which he responded that i am the child of the devil and i dress like a whore... OK not exactly that but something that kind of implied that. pissed i told him off saying that he had no right to say things like that it wasn't ethical. since his beliefs forbid to call people things like that and a lot of blah blah. when i said that he just stopped the car and asked me to get out. and this was near TVM. i was shaking when i got off. i did because i couldn't have tolerated what he might have said next. it was his loss... i didnt pay him.


don't you think those scenarios are silly??? well i think i acted a little bit silly with the driver number 3. but just because i didn't accept a CD from him does he have to give me a label?