TXT's Soobin shares how taxi driver in Cebu almost scammed him
K-pop star Soobin of Tomorrow X Together almost became a victim of a scam when a taxi driver in Cebu attempted to charge him more than what was necessary.
The singer captured the moment on his vlog that was posted on TXT's YouTube channel. In the video, Soobin and his friend hopped into a taxi after flying from Korea to Cebu for a three-day vacation.
Before getting inside, however, Soobin said that the estimated fare was only P300.
"Let's work out a deal, no more than P350," he said before joking, "Just start acting angry if they tell us it'll cost more than P300."
However, when they spoke with the driver, he said that the fare would cost P500.
Soobin initially pushed back, pointing out that the app estimated the fare at just P300, but eventually relented as the price was only off by 5,000 won (P198).
"It's because the gas is very expensive," the driver explained.
At one point during the ride, Soobin once again asked the driver how much the fare was, to which he said, "For you, only P1,000."
Soobin couldn't hide his surprise as he told his viewers, "Don't edit this part out, okay? I mean, P500 is already pushing it, and then, he raises it to P1,000."
After they arrived at their destination, the music artist shared that the driver attempted to push the P1,000 price to them again, but that they "told him firmly that we were only going to pay P500."
"I can't believe he'd raise the price so suddenly like that," his friend remarked.
"We agreed on P500 before getting in, but after we arrived at the hotel, he tried to charge us P1,000," Soobin said.
The incident sparked reactions in the comments section, where several viewers sympathized with Soobin over the uncomfortable experience.
"I'm so sorry Soobin, but thankfully you managed to negotiate the cab price. Some drivers are really taking advantage of foreigners," one user wrote.
The incident comes as the Philippines is currently experiencing severe fuel price hikes due to the conflict in the Middle East. Within days of being attacked by the US and Israel, Iran blocked passage of oil tankers through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, severely crippling much of the world's fuel supply.
