Scam Warning - Bombay Autos/Taxis - Non Working Meters

just wanted to say that i have had two incidents of this [malfunctioning meters] happen to me (and one to a relative) over the last week to ackshually label these possibly as scams. first an autorickshaw driver who said his meter wasnt working when the start of the trip, the initial reading showed 0110..instead of 0100 (which is the base reading) and i pointed this to him he said he needs to get it repaired..i was like why are you driving this then...but anyway i gave him the money since i knew the fare between the start and the end point..

this afternoon i picked a cool cab [air conditioned blue taxi] from the domestic santacruz airport [where you dont have pre-paid taxis] and the guy forgot to put the meter and one minute into the trip..when i reminded him that he should put it..he said its not working and it gives a low reading ...and said he will settle for Rs 400/- for the trip to a suburb...he actually started yelling it me when i said for him to drop me back to the airport since this is illegal and i said i will take him to the cops...anyway he settled down when i said i will pay what the meter comes up with and it came to Rs 234/- for the trip..which seemed about right...

so if you are in bombay...before you get into the cab make sure you ask the cab or auto driver whether the meter works!!!! might be different for other cities but bombay always goes by the meter.....

Has anyone ever got an honest rate with a metered ride? If it's not the broken meter, it's the meter with doctored gear that spins around like a watch's second hand on steroids, or the curry-stained extrapolation chart that you need a Phd in math to get your head around. No thanks, I'll haggle it out before I step in and not leave the final bill to a meter and a prayer.

Best one I've seen is in Dubai. There's a notice on the dashboard stating:
If the meter is not working, your journey is free.
I think it'll take a while for that to hit India.