We came to London and had to pay £205 for a THREE MINUTE pedicab ride: Moment when American tourists argue with driver over 500 meter ride in the British capital
- Tourists in London were shocked after being charged £205 for a pedicab ride
- Nicole Kramer refused to pay the high price and negotiated it down to £49
Three American tourists enjoyed a fun night out in London’s West End before being charged a whopping £205 for a three-minute pedicab ride.
On October 14, Nicole Kramer and two friends from Los Angeles traveled from Sexy Fish to Sketch and admitted that they could have walked for seven minutes but instead opted for the fun ride because it was raining.
But they were shocked when they found out how much the 500-metre journey cost.
The agency’s 26-year-old owner said they might look like “easy targets to scam” and posted a now viral video on TikTok.
American tourist Nicole Kramer (photo) and two friends were in London’s West End on October 14 and got into a pedicab. But they were shocked at the enormous cost the 500 meter journey had cost them
In a now-viral TikTok video, they can be seen having fun and singing along to the songs the driver was playing (left). After the journey the driver would charge £205
The tourists traveled from Sexy Fish to Sketch and admitted they could have walked for seven minutes, but instead opted for the fun ride because it was raining
In the six-second clip, Nicole can be heard telling the driver “no, that’s crazy” and refusing to pay such an exorbitant amount. She then looks at the camera in shock.
Instead, she negotiated the cost down to $60 USD (£49).
Speaking to MailOnline, Nicole said she has previously been overcharged by a pedicab driver and claims she asked about the price before getting in.
“When we got in, I said, ‘Is this going to cost more than $100?’ and he said no. We took the ride and when we got off he said it would cost $250 (£205). Obviously we were like, no way, that’s crazy,” she said.
“I felt like we were going to get ripped off before we even got in.” But there’s way too much going on in the world for us to care about $60.”
The next day, the friends saw the same driver near Big Ben and didn’t mind that he tried to overcharge them the night before.
“He seemed like a nice guy that first night and we were so excited on our trip to London that we didn’t care enough that there would be any hard feelings,” Nicole said.
Pedicabs, also known as rickshaws, are treated the same as horse and cart under Victorian law and therefore do not require regulation
In the six-second clip, Nicole can be heard telling the driver “no, that’s crazy” and refusing to pay such an exorbitant amount. Instead she paid $60 (£49)
The TikTok video has since been viewed more than five million times, leaving thousands in disbelief.
“The way I’d give him a twenty and leave,” someone commented.
Others said they too have been charged ‘crazy’ amounts for pedicab journeys in London before.
‘It also took me less than ten minutes and it cost £150!’ someone claimed.
“I paid $100 (£82) for what would have been a $20 (£16.50) Uber house in Miami because I left the club at 7am and my phone was dead,” said another.
A third added: ‘They do it all the time, you have to agree on a price in advance.’
The next day, the friends saw the same driver near Big Ben and didn’t mind that he tried to overcharge them the night before. “He seemed like a nice guy,” Nicole said
Pedicabs, also known as rickshaws, are treated in the same way as horse and carts under Victorian law and therefore do not require regulation.
They can operate in London as stagecoaches under the Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869, and can charge single and separate fares per passenger.
Pedicab drivers can usually be found in popular tourist destinations including Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Soho, Chinatown, Mayfair, Oxford Street and Marble Arch.
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