When you take a ride in a taxi you can avoid being taken for a ride by following these few simple suggestions.

First of all make sure that the taxicab service that you are using is a legitimate and well-recognized one with a good local reputation. This is true whether you are taking taxis locally or planning on taking them in a foreign country. This should be a taxicab service with rules and regulations for their drivers and a clear set of policies that are set out for you to view. Reputable cab companies will also make it mandatory for the cabbie’s license to be posted in an obvious place in the taxi so you can identify the driver in the case of a problem. Licenses and taxi policy should also be posted in plain view in vehicles that belong to a limousine or airport taxi service.

To avoid fraud or being cheated on a fare when you are in a foreign country, it is always a good idea to ask for an advice at your airport information desk or at a local hotel about what is the best taxi service to use. Airport and hotel employees can also recommend which is the best taxi to airport and taxi from airport to use as well.

If you need to negotiate a flat fee from a driver of an airport taxi do a little research first by asking the locals or even other tourists what the expected fare should be in that instance. If you must negotiate a fee then make sure it is negotiated before you get into the cab.

One trick that unscrupulous cab drivers use is to set the meter so that it shows extra charges before you even get in the cab. Make sure that the meter is set to zero so you are charged a fair price for your ride.

Some tourism experts advise getting your taxi driver to sign a receipt that confirms the routes or stop off and pick up points involved in a ride. This prevents the taxi from taking indirect routes or “shortcuts” that end up costing you extra money.

In terms of routes you should always ask the taxi driver specifically to take you on the most direct route possible. Checking out possible routes on a map or on downloadable city maps online is helpful for directing the taxi driver so that you pay the least amount of money possible for a taxi fare.

Also if you see a taxi driver straying away from the expected route then you need to call him on it immediately and ask that you take the route that was initially discussed.

You should also make sure you have a lot of change and small bills on you before you get into a taxi. This is because in some countries a taxi driver is not required by law to give you change back if he cannot break a large bill. For instance, if you only have a hundred dollars and the ride costs sixty dollars your taxi driver could end up with a very generous tip.