Taxi , TAXI

[Gary D]

1 minute ago, Onemore52 said:

Yes Gary, I did think that was the case which is why I haven't done that before, but here I go again, when I am standing in the long queue and my knees start to give me hell I walk ahead and find somewhere to sit down and wait to join the queue later as I watch for the person I was originally standing behind, I have had some looks thrown at me for doing this as if to say "how dare you".

Yes queuing doesn't come naturally to many filipinos.

[Dave Hounddriver]

12 minutes ago, Gary D said:

Only citizens can rightfully avail of the senior lines. Us foreigners just have to tough it out with the rest.

Sprawl out on the sidewalk and say call me an ambulance or give me a taxi to the hospital 

[stevewool]

43 minutes ago, Gary D said:

Only citizens can rightfully avail of the senior lines. Us foreigners just have to tough it out with the rest.

What about the isle in the supermarket for senior citizens, if it’s busy I go to them and I have never been told not to

[Tommy T.]

I always get priority when going to check-out lines, but don't always claim it.

They give me priority at the Water District payment lines if I push it - but I don't usually.

S & R lets me use their priority lanes.

None of these give me - because I never ask - senior discount prices - just senior service... sometimes... But, like Filipinos with many things, I am often shy to try... It just does not feel comfortable or right for me... Maybe so many years being junior with few rights?

[hk blues]

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of the Senior system here. I guess I just don't see why someone who was capable of walking around a shopping mall for hours can suddenly need to be served in McDos before me! I haven't seen the system in the UK but we are disciplined queuers. 

[GeoffH]

18 hours ago, stevewool said:

What about the isle in the supermarket for senior citizens, if it’s busy I go to them and I have never been told not to

I was shopping with SWMBO and her mama (her papa had gone to get the car because we were about to pay.

The trolley was pushed into line by SWMBO's mama and she and I followed.

We were only in line for about 30 seconds before there was a loud complaint from an older Filipino women who'd walked up behind us, I didn't have the faintest idea what was going on (way too fast for my very limited Bisaya) but when I asked SWMBO looked at me and said the woman was complaining that I was in a senior line and I was a foreigner.  I offered to move out of the line but then the cashier said we had to finish paying at that register because she'd started tallying up our things.

To be honest I hadn't even noticed the 'Seniors' sign on the checkout until it was pointed out to me.

There was another time when I was standing at a domestic gate in NAIA (using the stick I sometimes carry on longer walks because one knee is bad) when one of the staff waived me to the senior seats.  I was only there for about 5 minutes when a guy comes over and starts complaining but the attendent came over and pointed to my walking stick.  He stopped complaining but still looked annoyed.

It was only then that I realized that the sign said Senior Citizens and PWD (Person with disability).

 

So now I bring my walking stick to the shopping (even if I don't need it right then) 

 

[graham59]

My Mrs says they think I'm only in my 30s anyway.  

[manofthecoldland]

     Despite the numerical chronological age qualifier for different 'senior citizen'  status privileges, I (like many who are able bodied and in good health) seldom choose to take advantage of it out of a sense of gratitude for that blessing. Or perhaps vapid vanity/denial of age reality ???

   But when offered the un-requested use privilege by clerks, ticket sellers, etc., I accept it. My non-senior wife shops without me as I prefer to await her while sitting in a near-by coffee/donut shop or some other kiosk where I often find a Pinoy or foreigner acquaintance to pass the time with.

My wife just informed me that 'senior citizen'  here ".....starts at age 55."  ,  so I'm very well past that... but I am not a PI citizen, so depending on policy restrictions, sometimes I qualify and sometimes I don't.  Its not an issue with me and seldom of any personal use to me.

Now to my point.....

FYI:   I  arrive at Terminal 3 in MNL last April.  I head down to the cheap Yellow Cab line at the far end where I can get a P200 ride to my reg. hotel instead of the P700+ White Cab  which is closer.  As usual, the 40-50 waiting seats are full and the standing tail end has another 20.  I fall in line, thinking I'm in for another 2-3 hours of slow MNL inefficiency torture as usual. 

Suddenly  young I.D.'d Pinay woman walks up to me and says. "Sir... you can go to the Senior Citizen's Desk line over there at the Dispatch. (Guess I didn't look young with my balding and thin, white haired pate.)

"Sorry miss, but I'm not a PI citizen." I politely protest.

"You don't have to be, sir." she informs me and then leads me there, telling me that I only need proof of age to show the dispatcher. 

As the 4 ahead of me are sent off in every 4th or 5th cab, I show a copy of my passport or maybe my old ACR-I  card,  to the dispatcher, give him some cheery chat and then lay down a p50 on his desk, out of public vision telling him that its for his merienda. 

I jump into my cheapo ride, happy to escape to dreaded and horribly long regular line while viewing several other older ex-pats suffering there, hoping I seeded the ground for others like me. Maybe they will figure out that being helpful with such information, might pay off with a little charitable reciprocity in regards to aging ex-pats.

 

[hk blues]

I have no idea why the benefit should only be extended to local and not foreigners.  Xenophobia at its finest?