Sting targets thieving cabbies

last updated 8 January 2015

Prague

The Prague city government has launched a sting operation against the city’s legion of unscrupulous cab drivers, who prey on tourists confused by Czech currency. There are about 29 Czech crowns to the dollar, and Prague cabbies frequently charge foreigners the equivalent of $30 for a trip that should cost $5. University students who speak foreign languages are going undercover, posing as tourists by fumbling with maps and cameras, and gasping in awe at the city’s castles and towers. When they reach their destination and pay far too much, they switch to Czech and call the cops. Taxi drivers in Prague have also been accused of phoning in fake bomb threats that shut down the subway system during rush hour. That problem has proved harder to tackle.