Taxi outside Colombo Fort refused the meter right after a downpour — open PickMe or accept a fixed quote?
Rain stopped, bags damp, taxi driver said meter broken and named a fixed price to my hotel. Felt high. Other cabs doing the same. Is post-rain Fort kerb just fixed-quote culture, or do I step under an awning and call PickMe / a metered ride instead?
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4 Answers from travellers
After rain, some Fort kerb drivers push fixed quotes and claim broken meters. You can decline and walk a few doors to an awning, then book PickMe or another metered app ride to the pin. If you accept a street quote, agree the number clearly before bags go in, and ignore mid-ride renegotiation. Hotel desks can also call a car. I will not invent the fair price for your route. Wet tourists with luggage are easy targets for impatience — pausing two minutes under cover is allowed.
Opened PickMe under a shop. Driver arrived with the app fare. Meter argument became someone else's problem.
Declined the fixed quote, got an app car. Cost less and my blood pressure dropped.
Station exits are classic quote zones. A short walk toward a calmer corner helps more than arguing in the wet.
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