Gudday to all. I would like to share with all a small experience my daughter had with a complaint she filed with the DOTC HOTLINE against a discourteous taxi driver.

Yesterday I received a Registered Mail addressed to my daughter from the DOTC. I was very curious about this as my daughter has only a Student Permit from LTO. So...I read through the mail.

Last Oct.11, my daughter celebrated her 18th birthday at a Bar & Resto in Makati. She was suppose to be picked up by my wife in DLSU Manila but since she had a guest with her, they decided to take a cab. According to my daughter, she told the driver that they were going to Greenbelt, Makati. The driver answered her rudely by telling her to get in. So, they got into the cab. Along the way, the driver was humming to a tune being played on the radio, with the volume up, and then asked my duagther where they were going. My daughter said that they were going to Makati and that she told him this before. The cabby return sayhing that she never said anything. My daughter noticed a card or a placard stuck to the dashboard with the DOTC HOTLINE and memorized the cab's plate no.
As soon as the arrived at Greenbelt, she gave the cabby a whole hundred.
Her fare was only Php80.00, so she asked for her change. The cabby answered that they had some sort of policies and refused to give her change. With the help of security guard, she called up the DOTC HOTLINE number and reported the incident.

In the letter to the Owner/Operator of the taxi, the DOTC stated the following:

"Futhermore, should this agency receive any further complaints against the unit (taxi), irregardless of who the operator or driver is, the agency shall conduct an investigation and be compelled to implement the penalties as provided by the law"

I guess, what I would like to share to all is that if an 18 year old can have the presence of mind of filing a complaint against errant drivers and to know her rights under the law, so can we.

Safe driving to all.