Austrian Vlogging Couple Attacked By Filipino Taxi Driver Who Tried To Scam Them

Traveling to a new country can be a truly eye-opening experience. However, an Austrian couple may have learned something terrifying on their visit to the Philippines. The couple, who handle a travel vlog on YouTube, were reportedly attacked by a Filipino taxi driver who tried to scam them.

Michael Holaschke and Anela Hrnic have been posting their travel videos on the YouTube channel Making It Happen. Unfortunately, one of their most recent videos shows a darker side of what can happen to travelers. In the video, the couple, who go by Mike and Nelly shared details on how a taxi driver first tried to make them pay a high flat rate then attempted to attack Michael when he discovered they were taking a video.

Mike and Nelly explain what happened during their scary taxi ride.

According to the couple, they had tried to book a ride through Grab, the Asian version of Uber, from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City, Philippines. When they couldn’t make a booking, they decided to take a taxi instead. This turned out to be a huge mistake.

As soon as they were in the taxi, the driver immediately tried to make the couple pay a flat rate for the trip from the airport to Legazpi Village in Makati City. In addition to that, the driver insisted on Michael and Anela paying extra for their luggage.

The couple resisted, stating that this wasn’t their first time in the Philippines and that they know they don’t have to pay extra. Mike told the driver that they would pay the metered rate. This was then that the man reportedly stopped the vehicle and told the couple to get out of the taxi.

Nelly filmed Mike making a statement about the incident.

The argument continued until the driver realized he was being filmed. Although it is not shown in the video, the man reportedly tried to grab the phone from the couple.

Eventually, the couple managed to get the man to continue driving. However, he also began driving recklessly and tried to take a different (possibly longer) route until Nelly told him, “No more detours.”

In the end, Mike and Nelly made it to their destination and only paid the metered rate. They also clarified in their video that the incident should not represent all taxi drivers in the Philippines.

“Filipinos are the kindest, friendliest people that we’ve ever met and this is the first time in two years traveling to the Philippines that we’ve had [a] bad experience,” Mike said.

Watch the shocking video below: