Larkin Bus & Taxi Terminal - Larkin Taxi Station

Larkin Taxi Station

An alternative to the bus services that operate from Larkin Bus Terminal is the taxi / cab services.

The cab services are grouped under 2 broad categories:

1. City cabs (red cabs) 2. Inter-city & inter-district & inter-state cabs (blue cabs)

There are 4 separate locations, where the cabs can be found around Larkin Bus Terminal:

1. A taxi stand, situated across a road from Larkin Bus Terminal (where construction of a mosque is currently underway nearby); 2. Another taxi stand, situated quite farther away from the main bus terminal; next to the Pasar (wet market); 3. Yet another taxi stand, situated at the front entrance to the wet market; 4. The final taxi stand that strictly caters to blue cabs; the stand is situated at the far end of the bus terminal i.e. North-East side.

Trivia on Taxi as a Mode of Transportation in JB:

Although city cabs can be found in abundance near the JB Customs area, the cab drivers there are notorious for their penchant in "hiking up" the cab fares. They often prey on Singaporeans and other foreigners who are unfamiliar with JB and its cab practices i.e. the so-called unwritten rules.

The cab drivers' tactic is simple and classical: Wait at the exit point where throngs of Singaporeans and other foreign visitors emerge from. Most of the times, due to ignorance and convenience, most Singaporeans and other foreign visitors simply hop into these cabs and accept the fares set by the cab driver without much questioning.

Seasoned and experienced visitors from Singapore though, have lamented how the cab fares would substantially differ were they to take a cab found a bit farther away from the JB Customs area e.g. next to City Square Mall.

It is a standard practice among a great number of cab drivers in JB, where they prefer to not use the taxi meter.

In a realistic setting, the would-be passenger would tell the location he is heading to once the cab stops for him. He would then ask for the estimated cab fare. Normally, at this point, the cab driver would offer his estimated fare to the passenger.

There are pros and cons to this practice as regards the cab passenger.

Asking upfront for the estimated cab fare would translate to agreeing the fare "way before" the passenger actually travels to his planned destination. The taxi meter thus is completely skipped and not relied on.

A closely related variation of this practice is when the passenger "actually knows" the estimated cab fare for his trip. Example: Traveling from JB Customs area to Larkin Bus Terminal. Usually, this practice is commonplace among frequent travelers. The passenger would quote a figure, and if the cab driver agrees to it, the taxi meter will again be skipped.

While most cab drivers are known to conclude the negotiation for a cab fare right upfront, it should be mentioned that there are still those who refuse to do so. These groups of cab drivers prefer to use the taxi meter instead.

The worse type of cab driver that can be found in JB, is one who doesn't use the taxi meter; and charge exorbitantly once he has driven the passenger to the desired destination.

There are tell-tale signs for this type of cab driver:

1. The taxi meter is not re-started once the passenger has settled in inside the cab; 2. The issue of fare is not mentioned at all; instead, the cab driver talks about other unrelated issues; or he would simply keep quiet throughout the entire journey; 3. When asked about the fare, the cab driver would answer in a non-chalant, often evasive manner.