"Hyena" taxi drivers transport tourists to Budapest rip-off joints

The three Swedish tourists who were forced to pay an exorbitant bill at a night club on Budapest's Dohány utca on August 2 were likely transported there by a "hyena" taxi driver. According to stop.hu, the tourists caught the taxi at the Hungaroring F1 race track, and the driver, instead of taking them to their accommodation, dropped them off at Club 69. The portal writes that the tourists did actually consume Ft 200,000 (€840) worth of alcohol, and that they only complained about having to pay for the drinks consumed by the topless girls who accompanied them at the bar. The total of the bill they were forced to pay was over Ft 400,000.

An employee of a nearby food shop told stop.hu: "As far as I know, the business is owned by an Arab national, but Club 69 is operated by someone called Misi, along with two other bars. I chat with taxi drivers, and they told me that they get Ft 25,000 for each guest they bring." The source said the Swedish tourists were also dropped off at the club by a private taxi driver.

Stop.hu writes that 99% of guests at night clubs are brought to the establishments by taxi drivers. While most tourists would like to go to a disco, they end up at a strip club where topless girls make sure that they consume plenty of alcohol, while they only drink tea instead of whiskey and water instead of vodka.

A man identified only as Ferenc, who manages several night clubs, told borsonline.hu that ripping off tourists is big business in the adult-themed night life of Budapest. Taxi drivers keep a list of clubs where they get paid for bringing in guests, and if the passengers request to be taken to an establishment not on the list, the driver "helpfully" calls to make sure it is not full. Of course, it is, so the driver "recommends" another place.

The source said many clubs use two versions of a drink menu to trick tourists. The first drinks usually cost Ft 10,000 to Ft 15,000, but after the women employed by the club arrive, they quickly accumulate a bill for several hundred thousand forints by ordering the most expensive drinks without telling the men in their company. If the guests refuse to pay, other employees of the club convince them otherwise. If physical assault takes place, the employees are replaced so that police arriving at the scene cannot get the victims to identify them. The source added that sometimes even officers help get the tourists to pay the exorbitant bill. Many victims do not file a report, either because they are embarrassed about having been naive, or because they are married and want to keep it a secret that they visited a strip club.

Endre Kormos, spokesman for the Budapest Police, told borsonline.hu that the investigation in the Dohány utca case is underway, and no more details are available. He also said that they do not know about cases when officers were involved in similar crimes against tourists, but if they suspected someone, the necessary legal steps will be taken.

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