Taxis in Tunisia are really one of a kind. In the time taxis in Jordan are willing to get you in the cab for any distance, no matter how short, Tunisian taxis have their own conditions, and their own mood.
It happened more than once that I’d stop a taxi from my work in “Les Berges du Lac” to go to downtown Tunis, for my French course. And after I get in, and tell him where I’m going he goes like: “sorry, step out, I wont go there, there is a huge traffic there and I simply don’t want to get stuck”. But when I’m going from work to home, another taxi would say: “sorry, it’s not on my way, I’m going downtown!”. And what I really hate is this: I stop the taxi, ask before I get in if he’s ok dropping me in a certain place, and then he says OK, but when I get in he keeps swearing and cursing, blaming me for forcing him “indirectly” to give me a ride!!! I mean I always ask in advance to avoid any inconvenience, but NO, they have to keep making me feel so unwelcome, and so guilty for taking them in the wrong direction. As if they’re driving me for free!!!
But worst of all is when I tell the drivers where I live, lol, they go mad, because, thanks to the very practical infrastructure people, the main street leading to our area is broken, flooded when it’s raining and is simply terrible. And this street is famous, and many taxis avoid going there. But when you give them an alternative, tell them you wont even go near that street, and you’re gonna pay even more, and then the driver says no, then it is really shitty. And even worse is what happened to me yesterday, I asked, he was ok, I got in, and then we went for the alternative way home, yet he saw a small spot of the street filled with water, other cars were ahead of us and driving normally, and then he asked me to STEP OUT of the taxi, I had a fight with him, I mean he wanted me to get out in heavy rain, with no human on foot, they were all cars. Anyway I had to get out, got a “refreshing” natural shower of dirty rain. Lol, that was pathetic, I had to walk some distance , and got my home all wet, lol, that felt disgusting 😛 Anyway, hope I wont have to get into any fight with today’s driver.