SANELE DLAMINI
Every week, Perdeby takes a look at something you should have learned at school to assist you in day to day life. This week, we take a look at how to do taxi maths.
A while back Twitter created a buzz with #TaxiMath. If you do not know what we are referring to, then you probably have never sat in the front passenger seat of a taxi, or you do not use taxis in general. Either way, you are very lucky.
Apart from people making fun of how real the struggle is, people actually started sharing tips and photos on making accounting and change calculations easier. Taxi maths requires accounting, mathematical and financial skills in order to work out and balance taxi fares, payment and change during a trip This is actually a daily nightmare for most people, but a crucial skill that could prepare you for life. Taking the front seat in a taxi comes with a huge responsibility, as you automatically sign up to be the treasury or accountant for the duration of the trip.
Here are a few tips on how to make taxi maths easier for yourself:
- Avoid sitting in the front seat. Although this might not always be possible, removing yourself from the position that comes with the responsibility is a good idea.
- You need to plan, prioritise, calculate and give back change before people get frustrated with you. You must keep all the details in mind such as of how many are getting off where and what they paid with. This is crucial to note as people do not like repeating themselves and it is not their duty to remind you of these details.
- Collect all the money before you even start thinking about giving out change.
- Make sure the driver has his money first. Unless you want to be in serious trouble with the driver, make sure that you give him his full amount before you give out any change.
- Make sure to separate the notes from the coins in order to make the calculation easier for yourself.
- Do not be ashamed to use your phone’s calculator. It is better for you to make a sure that your calculations are correct than it is for you to prove that you are a maths genius.
- Make sure to give everyone the correct amount of change. If you are struggling with giving correct change, your last option should be asking the driver to break up the amount into small change. However, this may not always work well if the driver does not like giving out small change.
We hope that these tips will make sure that you survive in the hostile world of taxi maths.
