fans warned about taxis in Brazil

Football fans lucky enough to be going to Rio de Janeiro for this month’s World Cup are being told to watch out for drivers who over- charge them for a ride in one of the city’s yellow taxis. A new tariff has been introduced but there has been a delay in fitting new meters to the taxi fleet. Fares rose 12 per cent this year and drivers have to work out the fare based on a table. Some drivers who have had the new meters fitted are adding another 12 percent onto fares, said Rio’s consumer watchdog, Procon Carioca. “They are thieves,” Silverio Barros, a taxi driver in Botafogo, one of the city’s business hubs, said of some of his fellow drivers. Both the blue seal attached to one side of the new meters and the yellow tag on older models are difficult to spot. Rio’s government expects to fit all taxis with new meters by June 6, six days before the start of soccer’s World Cup. About one-third of the 500,000 World Cup ticket holders from overseas will pass through Rio, according to Deputy Sports Minister Luis Fernandes. Procon has called on passengers to pass any grievances over fares to the watchdog. “Complaints will be forwarded to the department for transport, which could fine, seal the meter and, depending on the severity of the complaint, revoke the driver’s licence,” the agency said. The city’s delay in updating meters could cayse chaos and confusion to tourists who don’t speak Portuguese who won’t understand why fares are higher than the amount displayed, Barros said. “The change has been poorly handled by the city,” said Barros. “These tables are terrible for taxi drivers.” England are the only Home Nation to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Brazil. The tournament starts on Thursday with a game between hosts Brazil and Croatia.