Here is a short story that I have to share with you from Rodny of Rodny Direct help line that my friend Rob Brown sent me.
How honest are Panamanians?
The Panama Helpline Operator report warmed my heart today:
Yesterday evening at 17:57 ID holder # (removed), called asking me to help getting to a cab driver that got accidentally overpaid by her friends. By the time I reached the driver he already had gone back to the client and give them the four $100.00 dollar bills he got instead of four $20.00 dollars bills he charged. The happy ending was confirmed by the member when I called her back.
Rodny
Plot twist: he gave her back counterfeits
This is the exception to the rule. Most taxi drivers here try to and do rip off “the gingos and gingas”. A lady friend of mine from Vietnam and only here for a short time and not aware of the taxi situation here gave a taxi driver 100 dollar bill for a fare after she had gotten out of the cab and he floor boarded it. Personally it is always a challenge to get a cab and sometimes I go through 5 or 6 that pull over and try to charge me 10 or 15 dollars for a two dollar fare because they think I am a tourist. The government is now spending millions of dollars to promote tourism here but will continue to spin there wheels until the stop the outlaw taxi drivers and the tourist traps like Casco Viejo that overcharge tourist. Nobody likes to get rip off and many tourist never return and spread the word after they pay a high price in the tourist traps and then go into an honest place or taxi and realize what has happened.