Encyclopaedia Of The Impossible: Taxi #45, The Haunted Taxi Of Davao City, Philippines

Previously: Kubinashi Rider.

Type: PV (Phantom Vehicle).

Period/location of origin: Though the precise date of origin is unknown, subject, called variously Taxi #45, Taxi 416, and the haunted taxi of Davao City, originates — as one might expect — in Davao City, Philippines. Reports of subject have been circulating the internet at least since 2008-2010, although how long they may have been passed around in other venues before then remains unknown.

Description: Subject appears to be a taxi cab driving the streets of Davao City late at night in search of a fare. Subject is not usually further described beyond this; in some cases, a taxi number might be mentioned — as previously noted, it is usually either Taxi #45 or Taxi 416 — but additional details are not typically furnished.

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Subject could look like any taxi anywhere in Davao City. Subject could be any taxi anywhere in Davao City.

Modus operandi: Subject’s modus operandi may vary, depending on the report.

According to the most commonly circulated reports, subject will initially appear to targets as a standard taxi cab. Sometimes the taxi is identified as belonging to a specific taxi company, usually named as either Malaya Taxicabs or Maligaya Taxicabs; other times, not. Similarly, the taxi may be identified as bearing the number 45 or 416, but may also not have a specific number associated with it. Subject appears late at night only, and typically selects targets it deems to be more vulnerable than others — students, women traveling alone, etc.

Should targets hail subject, open the door, and get inside, they may begin to feel uneasy as soon as the taxi begins driving. Should targets attempt to make small talk with their driver, they will find the driver strangely quiet.  

Upon nearing or reaching their destination, as targets prepare to settle the fare for their ride, they will discover a terrible truth about their driver: That they are either covered in blood, or lacking a head. In either case, it becomes evident that their driver has not been alive at any point during their trip. Should targets then flee the vehicle, they will turn around to find that both it and its driver have vanished from the road.

Should targets attempt to call the taxi company to which subject seemingly belonged and ask about the taxi number associated with the vehicle in which they took their ill-fated ride, they will find that the taxi company has no vehicles associated with the number in question: Taxi #45 — or Taxi 416 — does not exist.

Alternatively, according to some reports, targets may later learn not that the taxi number they rode in did not exist at all, but rather that it and its driver had been involved in a fatal collision when it was in operation. The taxi was totaled, and the driver did not survive — and yet, the taxi may still be seen driving around at night, its driver caught between this world and the next and forever seeking their next fare.

It is not known what may happen to targets who remain in the taxi after they have already deemed it to be unsafe.

One further report asserts a different modus operandi. According to this report, subject functions more like a taxi service for the undead. Should targets encounter subject, they may witness subject already carrying one or more passengers, all with glowing, white eyes, and none of which are still among the living.

Notably, the primary targets for this second modus operandi are not passengers, but other, living drivers. Should a person at the wheel of a car pass what looks like another person standing at the side of the road, and then look in their rearview mirror, they will see the “person” they just passed in their back seat. Eventually, the mysterious passenger will disappear, typically after the driver has passed another vehicle. This other vehicle is believed to be Taxi #45; when it is passed, it effectively “picks up” the mysterious passenger from the backseat of the living driver and takes up the journey from there.

Containment: Subject has not been reported outside of Davao City and therefore seems to be contained to this specific location.

Additional notes: The two earliest online accounts regarding subject located by this researcher are dated 2008 and 2010, respectively.

The 2008 account features the second modus operandi; having been published and republished various other places online over the years, it is typically credited to a “Ronald Gary B. Bautista.” It is written in a combination of English and Tagalog, although a Tagalog-only translation may also be located elsewhere online. The taxi number in this account is always Taxi #45.

The 2010 account, meanwhile, features the first and primary modus operandi. Again, this publication is likely not the first time this particular account appeared, but does seem to be the earliest readily available account that remains accessible at this point in time. The taxi number in this account is Taxi 416.

Other accounts available online contain the modus operandi described in the 2010 account with the taxi number ascribed to the 2008 account — that is, they feature the first and primary modus operandi, paired with a taxi identified as Taxi #45. It is therefore possible that these two accounts originally described separate entities, but gradually merged over time to create the most commonly passed-around report of Taxi #45 seen today.

There does not appear to be a taxi company operating in Davao City called Malaya Taxicabs; this supposed company does not exist, and has not ever existed. There is a Maligaya Taxicabs, but the company does not appear to bear any knowledge of subject.

Recommendation: If you happen to be in Davao City — be careful which taxis you choose to board.

Or else it might be the last ride you ever take.

Resources:

“Mindanao, Mores & Myths” by Ronald de Jong.

“Spine-Chilling Ghost Stories From The Philippines” at Expats In The Philippines.

“Expat Philippines Horror Stories: Cautionary Tales” at Pinaywise.

“Scarier than Fiction: Popular Ghostly Legends In The Philippines” by MM Maglasang.

“Horror Story: Taxi #45” credited to Ronald Gary B. Bautista.

“Taxi #45” Tagalog translation.

The Ghost Taxicab at Philippine Urban Legends.

Taxis in Davao City: Photographs.

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[Photos via Heikelr, Fitze/Pixabay; Patrickroque01/Wikimedia Commons, available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Creative Commons license.]