A question about taxis

[BankNote]

So i was in a taxi today.
At first, the driver tried to test my knowledge about routes. When i did not comply, he asked me - my “origin”. I replied - No te importa. This response made him extremely upset. So he said “ get out of my car”. I said, I wont. Then he opened the door, i still kept sitting. So he finally stopped a police car. The police man told me - the driver has a right to refuse traveling with you, if he feels uncomfortable. I explained what had happened but the police man supported the driver.

Did I have any rights as a passenger?

Luckily it was a 1 pm Sunny afternoon in Av. Cabildo. I would not be too pleased to leave the taxi if raining or late night.
Lately i have noted taxi, uber, cabify drivers have become very snoopy. Henceforth, my actions.
Comments?

 

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Have you never noticed the people of Argentina are chusmas?

 

[antipodean]

Maybe something simply got lost in translation and he took it the wrong way, like he perceived you were telling him to shut up or that you were being condescending to him or cynical towards to his intentions. Argentines can be sensitive to words and tone and they don’t really have service mentality, so perhaps better to have said something like “prefiero no hablar de donde soy o mis origines (and change the subject to something non-personal)” to avoid sounding rude in his ears.

Regardless, the guy like so many others sounds like an over sensitive d!ck and it is a pity you had to experience such a thing.

 

[on the brink]

Sorry you had an unpleasant experience. In my view, it sounds like he was chatty, usual here, and trying to make small talk.

In Spanish, "No te importa" is an insulting response. Something like "None of your damn business" in the US.

Personally, I like to chat with taxi drivers, with various backgrounds and different points of view. And can be a mine of useful information about where to get what, or the best way to avoid back pain while driving.

 

[from_the_north]

So i was in a taxi today.
At first, the driver tried to test my knowledge about routes. When i did not comply, he asked me - my “origin”. I replied - No te importa. This response made him extremely upset. So he said “ get out of my car”. I said, I wont. Then he opened the door, i still kept sitting. So he finally stopped a police car. The police man told me - the driver has a right to refuse traveling with you, if he feels uncomfortable. I explained what had happened but the police man supported the driver.

Did I have any rights as a passenger?

Luckily it was a 1 pm Sunny afternoon in Av. Cabildo. I would not be too pleased to leave the taxi if raining or late night.
Lately i have noted taxi, uber, cabify drivers have become very snoopy. Henceforth, my actions.
Comments?

A more polite phrase may have been, No Le Importa. [ No te importa, unless I'm mistaken, may
mean 'if I was your buddy I wouldn't tell you' which is obviously a slight, in this context. You just
said a phrase indicating you did not want to have any further business with him, even if not meaning to]

 

[D.B. Cooper]

He probably wanted to make small talk. Being locked up in a car for hours without anyone to talk to is sometimes boring. He probably was just curious about your accent (?). No reason to get snooty about it. Would you have answered the same way if you were in a NYC cab???. Probably not. Yes he has a right to kick you out. Specially if he own the cab. Next time just go along with the chat. I sometimes make things up if I don’t want them to know my “origin”.

 

[lunar]

What do you mean by "test my knowledge about routes"? Sometimes taxi driver offers you two alternative routes, and you are supposed to select one of them. Since you didn't reply, he thought you didn't understand him, so he asked: "Where are you from?". You said: "None of your business!". And he said: "Get out of my car!". I can see this conversation happening pretty much everywhere unless you call for a limo service.

A more polite phrase may have been, No Le Importa.

You should also add: "Oh, the Great Master of the Universe!" if you are trying to be polite.
Otherwise, since he asked this question, it evidently matters to him.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Some unscrupulous drivers like “feel you out” to see if they can take for you for a ride literally.
Not necessarily the shortest distance between two points. Many years ago it happened to me having just arrived at JFK airport.
A Russian driver wanted to take me to Long Island after giving him my NYC address!!!.
But now everybody has a cell phone, you can just say…”let me check.” Pull out your cellphone tap the maps app and problem solved.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

So i was in a taxi today.
At first, the driver tried to test my knowledge about routes. When i did not comply, he asked me - my “origin”. I replied - No te importa. This response made him extremely upset. So he said “ get out of my car”. I said, I wont. Then he opened the door, i still kept sitting. So he finally stopped a police car. The police man told me - the driver has a right to refuse traveling with you, if he feels uncomfortable. I explained what had happened but the police man supported the driver.

Did I have any rights as a passenger?

Luckily it was a 1 pm Sunny afternoon in Av. Cabildo. I would not be too pleased to leave the taxi if raining or late night.
Lately i have noted taxi, uber, cabify drivers have become very snoopy. Henceforth, my actions.
Comments?

Rights. Well, for sure you do not have dominica potestas, the right of the master to mistreat his slaves. This is the right you, confused, think to have.
The taxi drives as a free person who owns his car has a real right to refuse to drive for you and you were lucky to do not finish at jail because you were trespassing.

 

[BankNote]

In Spanish, "No te importa" is an insulting response. Something like "None of your damn business" in the US.

Agreed. I am all ok for casual chats with taxi or uber drivers. As long as I note he has professional knowledge about the job. And opening questions ( in casual chat) are not about race or my address or what i earn etc etc. I am ok discussing politics, weather, or casual men chat.