I’ve been in Jordan for over a month now. It hasn't been until I got to Amman that I took my first taxi. Growing up in the
area as to which taxis were only for those that seemed to be only for business
travelers or people that had not much money but used it as a way to get around
when they absolutely needed it. Taxis
have always seemed very foreign to me so coming to Amman it’s been a real
cultural experience. Not so much the
crazy driving, but more so the type of people that drive these taxis.
My
first experience in Amman dealt my friend Keith and I’s first morning in Amman.
We were in a hotel for the night and getting ready to meet with our professor
at the school which we would be attending. The hotel’s son recommended that we
take a bus but we wanted a quick and direct way to the place. We must have
seemed like a “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign because literally four taxis lined up
along the street waiting for us to choose one of them. We started talking to
the first taxi driver in line, he spoke English fairly well, while we were
talking to them, two of the three other taxi drivers got out of their car and
started talking to the taxi driver we were speaking to. Their conversation was
in all Arabic and I had no clue what they were saying. It seemed like they were
chatting simply to catch up with one another. They ended with the other two
walking away upset at our driver. Reluctantly, it seemed we were stuck with
this taxi driver as the other three taxis left.
He agreed to do the drive for three dinar, we knew we could pay it for
less but we just wanted to get to where we were going. We didn't know there
were meters, thought that maybe we were just paying a little bit extra, we
later learned that if we were going off of the meter, it would have only cost a
little over one dinar. One other aspect about taxis in Amman is that you need
to tell them the general area that you want to go to. In this case, we didn’t
know anything except that it was south of University of Jordan and on Queen
Rania Street. Most Jordanians, especially taxi drivers do not know street
names. So this didn’t help too much. Luckily, we knew the street number and the
taxi driver asked other drivers through his window while we were in traffic
where Queen Rania Street was, miraculously we found it.
In
taxis, if there are girls, they sit in the back seat. If it is girls and one
guy, the guy sits in the front seat. This is cultural with the Islamic state
that we live in. Women don’t talk to men in public. So later in our first week,
we as a BYU group were heading to downtown Amman to get some delicious Hashem’s
hummus. I went with a roommate and two other girls and I sat in the front
street because I knew what to tell the taxi driver since I had been there
before. What I didn’t know at that point is that you don’t take set prices; you
always go with the meter. This taxi driver wanted three dinars and knowing that
it was much farther than Keith and I’s distance from the hotel to our school, I
figured it was reasonable. He was a big burly man, spoke English fairly well
and had a sense of humor because he just laughed at all my Arabic attempts. He
was pretty rude and didn’t seem to like us. We finally get to Hashem’s where I
hand him a ten dinar bill, he puts it in his little stash on his side of the
car and says goodbye. I am stunned, he just took my ten dinars without giving
me change. I told him that we agreed to three dinars, he then says ok. He
reaches into his stash, grabs a one dinar bill and hands it to me. I had learned from a roommate that was in
Jordan the summer beforehand that you needed to be stern with taxi drivers. So
I sat in the charge telling him that he agreed to three dinars. He sat with a
sly smirk on his face and didn’t seem to want to budge because he kept saying
thank you and good bye. The girls and my roommate in the back seat didn’t know
what to do. I encouraged them to get out and then I got out. Before I got out, I told him that he was a
very bad man (in my broken Arabic) and he laughed and said that he knew he was.
I
learned a few lessons about taxis thus far. Always have them restart the meter
when you get into the car. Always have exact change for the payment. Never
agree to a set amount. Don’t forget to talk to them and loosen them up,
sometimes this will get them to be more kind to you.
I
have had many great experiences with taxi drivers. In fact, the taxi is where I
feel most comfortable to practice my Arabic with. We had one that I remember
understanding everything he was talking about and he seemed to understand me
the whole time, it was a great feeling. Another older taxi driver was listening
to older Arabic music, he began to dance with his arms held out in the air as
if they were floating, turning his hands at his wrists like they belonged in a
jet stream and his fingers rolled along. He then encouraged us to dance like
him, mostly my roommate who was in the front seat. When we did it, he thought
it was the greatest thing. Taxi drivers love to smoke (like most Jordanians),
it was a little weird at first, but with the windows down and going as fast as
they tend to do, it’s not a problem with the smoke and smell. Ironically, my
first cigarette ever offered to me was here in Jordan while in a taxi. It seems
to be the acceptable offer here.
My
roommates have a very different schedule than I do so they often get to the
school before me. Because we live somewhat close and I need to save money, I
walk to campus. Only twice have I needed to take a taxi on my own to get to
campus in time of a class or a students’ appointment that I needed to
record. I get a taxi and proceed to tell
them Mukhtar Mall (this is right next to our school, everyone seems to know
where this little mall is located). We begin to talk, and I inquire about their
family, work, and what they want to do in the future. To my surprise, when it
comes time to drop me off, they offer the drive for free! Free!! Can you
imagine that? Each ride is about a dinar’s worth and they offered it to me. I
don’t want to risk my luck but it seemed to be a good thing when I take the
taxi on my own.
Taxis
are great, they are fairly cheap and I feel most comfortable to practice my
Arabic with the drivers. Maybe it’s because they can’t get away from me but
they seem to enjoy it. It seems to be a lower end job, probably right above
that of what the Egyptians get around here which is the dirty trash and service
type of jobs. In short, be smart about the taxi you take, don’t let them cheat
you out and talk about their lives and likely you’ll enjoy your experience with
them.
