Taxi scam from Sofia Airport

After 6 months at home, it was on to Sofia! You can read my thoughts on that, here. It was a lateish flight, and after I got through customs, it was around 9.30pm I believe. As I've said many times, I'm not really a planner, but for once, I did read about the best way to get a taxi from the airport, so felt somewhat prepared. I was to head to the taxi stand, located in the airport, show where I wanted to go, and that should have been that. Of course, it was never going to be that smooth. The taxi stand was shut, meaning I had to head outside, and get one there. I did that, and was immediately swarmed upon, where some guy asked me if I needed a taxi. I did of course, and naively thinking that all the taxi's would be official (they are not), I jumped in the one that he flagged down for me.

Taxi at Sofia airport (photo from Wikimedia commons)

I got in, and immediately noticed this was one big dude. Thankfully, I was able to use my data in Bulgaria from the UK, so I put on the map, and followed along as we drove to my apartment.

As mentioned above, I'd actually researched a bit this time, but then something hit me, I hadn't checked if the driver had put the meter on. I looked, and of course he hadn't, so that feeling of dread soon arrived. I was around 15km from the airport to my apartment, just north of central Sofia, so it was a decent sized journey. Still, I had no idea what I would have to pay when we got to the destination. The apartment was in a slightly questionable area (teaches me for booking such cheap places), and when we pulled in, the street was very dark, and I couldn't really see any other people, as it was late. Moment of truth. I asked how much, and he turned around, and casually said, "You decide how much you want to pay me." Fuck. I was thinking, this isn't how taxis are meant to work, you have to tell me, and said something to that effect, but he still wouldn't say. So, I went to my wallet, and pulled out 20 Lev (around £8.50), and offered it to the driver. He wasn't happy with 20. "No, no. This is just a tip." Again, fuck. I went back in, and pulled out another 10, making it 30 Lev in total (around £12.75), and hoped for the best. Thankfully, he seemed happy with this, I grabbed my stuff, and watched him ride into the night, with my 30 lev. I knew I'd been scammed, but not wanting any first-night drama (did I mention he was one big guy), I decided not to beat myself up too much. It could have been worse. This website is a great resource for what you should look for, for a safe taxi from Sofia airport, and you shouldn't really find yourself paying more that 10 lev, with official taxis, for a journey to the centre.

So, all in all, a very slow start to the next adventure, as I continued along with this digital nomad life. Bigger picture, I would often pay more that £12.75 back in the UK, so it wasn't anything out of the norm. Still, it was frustrating, especially as I'd only been on Bulgarian soil mere minutes. Few tips: Make sure you board with the official airport taxi provider (hopefully the stand is open for you!), and don't let someone flag a taxi down for you. When you're in the taxi, make sure the meter is on, and check the price rates (they have to have them on display). If your driver refuses, simply go to another taxi who will. I hope your first taxi journey goes a lot smoother than mine!