Problems with taxis and on the buses

The taxi duly arrived and when we reached our hotel the taxi-meter indicated 740 pesetas. I handed the driver a 1'000 peseta note only to be told that the fare was 1'500 pesetas. When I queried this the driver went into a torrent of Spanish about excesses and ordering by phone.

Being astounded and far from fluent in Spanish I paid him, but forgot to take his number.
A friend in Puerto Pollensa who has his own taxi has since told us that we were obliged to pay ONLY what was on the meter and that many Palma taxi drivers tend to “rip-off” anyone who looks like a “tourista” and who doesn't speak Spanish. He said that we should have asked for a receipt, including details of the journey and then reported him to the police.

I hope this will be a warning to anyone who might find themselves in the same situation.

Yours faithfully

On the buses

Dear Editor,
Yesterday's Daily Bulletin informs us that the Municipal Bus Service is to revise its route from Plaza España to the Airport – missing out Coll den Rebassa because there are too many passengers boarding there.

Some months ago the service was reduced by omitting Can Pastilla from the circuit again because it was too successful in being over used. In a letter to you I jokingly suggested that logic would lead to Palma itself being bypassed. This would leave the service (a misnomer if ever there was one) going directly from arrivals to departures without needing to leave the airport and so avoiding all passengers. My tongue in cheek remarks are heading in that direction. I understand from Wednesday's edition that the Son Dureta is to be taken over by the local government. Lord help us from these commercial morons – if they regard patients on trolleys as they do passengers on buses – the next flu epidemic will be used to close wards not to provide more capacity.