Shalom haverim
I've found cabs are a great way to get around Israel, not to mention the cabbies can be pretty hilarious, but lately there's been a string of incidents where cabbies are scamming tourists. Each cab in Israel is--in my experience--often privately owned and operated by the driver, meaning they set their own rates, and it's common practice to set a flat rate from point A to point B instead of using a meter. A couple of cabs I've ridden in don't even have meters in the car.
The problem is I've gotten decent rates in and around Herzliya/Ra'anana, but when I've gone to say Jaffa or Tel Aviv (say NIS 70 or so, about $13-15), when I get a cab back I've gotten a couple of cabbies who tried to screw me (NIS 100 or more), most probably because I don't speak very much Hebrew so they think I'm a tourist. :greenguy:
I thought I was just being paranoid, but I read an article in the Jerusalem Post this morning confirming this sort of thing is widespread, especially in the touristy areas (i.e Tel Aviv and Jerusalem).
A rule of thumb I always use: if you find a good cabbie, get their card and call em again when you need a ride back! It seems that for every few good guys there's always a shady one in the bunch. Bargaining might be possible too upon arrival, but some of them are just downright hostile and it's just not worth it.
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