Errant 'Blue Bird' taxi drivers

My wife and I stayed at the Sheraton Media hotel in Jakarta from June 13 to June 15 and we were advised to only use Blue Bird taxis as they were said to be the most reliable.

Sad to say, however, there were two days when we were cleverly cheated on two occasions by these taxi drivers, even though we had an Indonesian friend from Medan with us. The journey from the hotel to Sarinah shopping complex cost a maximum of Rp 20,000, but we ended up paying Rp 50,000 plus.

Taxi drivers have a habit of missing turns. They tell you so and then take you for a ride. This should not happen because such places are well known to anyone. The only way this problem can be overcome is to introduce receipts for every journey. They do this in Bejing. One can then take this receipt which has the taxi number, time and journey, to any police station or post, and the driver will be suspended and fined for such misconduct.

Passengers should also have the right to refuse to pay for such excesses, and can ask for a policeman. This will clean up the image and benefit the country as a whole. Tourists and visitors to Indonesia will also have more confidence in the country.

HAJI MOKHTAR STORK, Selangor, Malaysia