Woman arrested for failing to pay for 270-kilometer taxi ride in Iwate Prefecture

How come the drivers don’t insist on a deposit up front on a long fare?

The driver couldn't stop 67 year old person, does that driver still fit for the job?

Trips this long should be illegal on taxis, in the first place. A trip like this should require reservations and a credit card.

Takiko is going to face a lot of trouble for not paying upfront, her excuse is not going to work to explain why she didn't listen to the driver.

At least a “let’s see the cash or I’m not going anywhere” talk.

Isn’t she a card? Sounds to me like she’s a mentalist.

A 270km taxi ride is very strange. That the taxi driver didn't check payment before is ridiculous. Every year we read about this happening. Sorry taxi driver, you were asking for this to happen.

That's one slow taxi ride. Did they stop for a long session of pachinko along the way?

Takiko Sasaki got in the taxi in Oshu on the afternoon of April 7 and arrived in Ninohe at dawn

Seems to me the driver did exactly the right thing. What would confronting her have achieved? I doubt she would have just said "Oh, okay, here's your money". I suspect, he probably asked for her ID when she refused to pay and just reported her to the police.

I speak from experience: I once got so drunk I took a taxi home, didn't have enough cash to pay so they asked for my ID, forgot I'd taken a taxi home the next day, got a phone call at work a few days later. Needless to say, I paid immediately.

There should be a rule amongst taxi companies or any companies of that nature to require advanced payment for rides past a certain distance, even though it might be considered rude to question or challenge someone's ability to do something.

Again and again..

Not paying the taxi fare is national news..

Another new proof that Japan is one of the safest countries in the world to live...

” Don’t was going to pay later”. Yeah, we’ve all done it haven’t we, get out of a taxi, walk off without paying, track down the taxi later the next day and then pay the driver. She must think we’re all stupid!

deanzaZZR

That's one slow taxi ride. Did they stop for a long session of pachinko along the way?

Right? Using expressways with tolls Osho to Ninohe trip is only 1h56m according to Google. Avoiding tolls it's still only 3h16m. Something doesn't add up here.

Strange it took so long.

Police said Sasaki, who was arrested on Tuesday, has denied any criminal intent and quoted her as saying, “I went to see an acquaintance and was going to pay later.”

They walk among us.

No sarcasm, I believe on this woman.

This is the level of ignorance of many people around us, who walk, dress like normal people.

The driver couldn't stop 67 year old person, does that driver still fit for the job

This being Japan, the driver was likely much older than his 67-year-old passenger.

Took a taxi last weekend, the driver was half my age.

How old was the driver?

have you seen some of the taxi drivers here in Japan? 67 would be considered sprightly compared to some of the jiichans

So lets say 5pm to sunrise at 5am. 12 hours to travel 270km, which is about 23Km/h.

Something doesn't add up here. Either they stopped, and/or went via an indirect route. I don't think we're getting the full story,

Maybe she thought she had paid in other ways.

Chico3..

There should be a rule amongst taxi companies or any companies of that nature to require advanced payment for rides past a certain distance, even though it might be considered rude to question or challenge someone's ability to do something.

There is a rule... Its called COMMON SENSE.

By train this would have taken between 2 and 3 hours and cost 3,300-5,600

For someone to want to take 12 hour and spend 106,000 should have raised at least an eyebrow.

A 270 km train ride would take much more than 2-3 hours and cost much more than ¥3,300-¥5,600 (option +Y key =¥).

Usually, if the passenger does not pay the fare is deducted from the driver's wages.

In my opinion taxi driver is fraudulent!

victim blaming - he didnt force her to ask him to drive 270 km

A 270 km train ride would take much more than 2-3 hours

if you look at the map, the two towns are right along the shinkansen route, so can be done in that time.

12 hours to travel 270km, which is about 23Km/h.

must've been 下の道 and off the main roads, or stopping at combinis along the way to pee - can be done in 2 hours on the tohoku expressway, so the route must'be been 'avoid highways'

Oshu City to Ninohe City is 151 km.

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time, don't do it!

Crazy ol’ bat

Honestly how often do people take a taxi ride of 100k plus over night? Seems like there's more to the story.

This news doesn’t make any sense. Taxi doors open by the driver only and taxi drivers don’t open the door unless they get paid. And the travel time and distance also doesn’t make sense.

RodneyJune 1 09:52 am JST

Strange it took so long

Muggsy told her to tell the driver to take the scenic route.

How come a 270 Km trip lasted this long? From afternoon until next morning?

The article says: "[she] got in the taxi in Oshu on the afternoon of April 7 and arrived in Ninohe at dawn the following day".

Unless something 18+ happened between them at night in a motel or love hotel. This might explain why did she refuse to pay the fare!!! ha ha hi hi!

“I went to see an acquaintance and was going to pay later.”

Where does she think she is? A restaurant where she can eat now and pay later?

I think cab companies should adopt a system where if someone has to travel long distances as in this instance, they should make a reservation online weeks ahead, enter their credit card number and fill out an information form. That should weed out the scammers.