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A 35-year-old foreign tourist nearly lost more than CZK 200,000—over EUR 8,000—after being grossly overcharged for a taxi ride in central Prague, municipal police have reported.
The incident occurred late Friday night after the man hailed a taxi on Prague 1’s busy Melantrichova Street following a night out. The journey to his nearby hotel was uneventful, according to the man, and he quickly paid by card before heading to bed.
It wasn’t until the following morning that the tourist realized CZK 202,202 exactly had been withdrawn from his account. In shock, he reported the issue to the hotel receptionist, who immediately contacted the police.
According to police spokeswoman Jiřina Ernestová, the man described the taxi driver as “older, thin, with gray hair,” and said he had difficulty communicating in English. “He was convinced it was not a scam, but a mistake,” Ernestová said.
Officers from the Prague municipal police began investigating and located the driver using local contacts near the bar the tourist had visited earlier. When informed that the excessive fare had been deposited into his account, the driver cooperated fully with police.
He accompanied the officers back to the hotel, where he apologized to the tourist and refunded the full amount under police supervision.
Almost shockingly, the foreigner defended the taxi driver: "I knew it was a mistake, because of the amount—CZK 202,202 [rather than CZK 202]," the victim said.
The incident highlights ongoing challenges with Prague’s taxi services. In spring 2025, the Czech Senate passed new transport laws pushed by Prague officials to tighten control over taxi drivers. The law limits taxi licenses to the duration of a driver’s residency permit and requires a license from the Czech Republic or another EU country.
Set to take effect in July 2025, the changes aim to improve road safety and ensure drivers understand Prague’s traffic rules and geography—areas where some non-EU drivers had reportedly fallen short.
In a separate incident, YouTubers Janek Rubeš and Jan Mikulka of Honest Guide video channel witnessed three female tourists in Prague overcharged in Prague: the driver demanded CZK 1,500 instead of the quoted CZK 500 for an airport ride.
There are currently 16,000 taxis plying the streets of the metropolis, while 3,500 would be enough to comfortably meet demand, according to the City of Prague.
Despite rising taxi usage and congestion in Prague since 2021, the police emphasized that caution, swift intervention, and cooperation on the part of citizens and authorities can prevent tourist experiences from ending in disaster.
