The local Amsterdam AT5 news has been giving a good amount of coverage to the ongoing controversy of taxi's and how taxi drivers behave in Amsterdam. I won't try to explain the problems as I don't fully understand what is going on myself. BUT, I will explain a few fundamentals for anyone coming to town for long or short stays and wondering about taxi's.

First off, like Mrs. Gump once told her son Forrest, you never know what you're going to get. Like most cities, sometimes you find the driver that is wonderful, and sometimes you find the worst human being in the world. So that is true for Amsterdam as well.

However, you must be prepared to spend; taxi rides in Amsterdam and many parts of the Netherlands are expensive. In the blink of an eye, a 10 minute ride can cost 30 euro.. or so it seems to me the times that I take cabs. Although taxi's are almost always nice and clean, and the drivers themselves very well dressed with the latest navi-gadgets in the car... you pay a premium for all this. Or none of it... either way.. you'll pay.

Also be prepared, especially from central station, for the taxi drivers who simply refuse to take you anywhere. YES. Sometimes, if you're not going far enough for their tastes, they will pass you off to another driver or make any excuse possible to get rid of you.. because your destination doesn't amount to enough money for them. So be prepared, and feel free to argue even if it is probably impossible to win.

There is a rather new solution in Amsterdam, without mentioning the bike-taxi's which are cute but not practical. There is a rik-shaw style, motorcycle taxi service called Tuc-Tuc that takes you anywhere in the city for significantly less money than taxi's. As long as you don't have much luggage, and you can tolerate the thin-plastic covering that separates you from the bitter cold, Tuc-Tuc's are fun and a great value in a town with overpriced taxi rides.

So, if you must take a taxi, get yourself mentally ready for a ride. Or, find a Tuc-Tuc. (they're so new I can't find a website for them)