Final Word from Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Prague residents and regulars to the city have resolved the taxi issue by either staying away from cabs or using taxi services, which have a reputation for reliability and honesty. MFD's latest exposé on the taxi mafia has cast doubt on these services, though. Prague Mayor Pavel Bém brought reality TV to the newspapers by dressing up as a tourist and allowing himself to be ripped off by Prague's taxi drivers. One of the two cabbies who cheated him drives for AAA, a leading taxi service. Shockingly, owner Jiří Kvasnička of AAA refused to take action against his driver, claiming that the cabbie didn't actually intend to overcharge Bém by 100%. Kvasnička has been one of the most vocal proponents of greater taxi regulation, but he changed his tune when his own driver got stung. Customers will now have to pay more attention whenever they get into one of AAA's cars. [Czech Republic AAA radiotaxi ODS]