Question Are You Tired of the Taxi Ripoff?

[living4experiences]

I've just arrived in Cozumel and have been ripped off four times by taxi drivers! I thought I did enough due diligence to be informed about what I should be paying from point A to point B, but the taxi Mafia has little care about adhering to their rules. The first three drivers refused to provide me the rate card. The fare should have been 260 pesos from Casa Mexicana to Iberostar. The first two drivers quoted 350 pesos to which I countered with the correct fare. The price was lowered to 300 pesos. Once I mentioned I wanted to see the rate card, they all of a sudden didn't understand what I was talking about. I walked away and headed down the road on foot to catch another taxi. Driver number three said 300 pesos and also refused to provide the rate card. Now I was running out of time to get to my destination, so I paid the $300 pesos.

Coming back from iberostar, with no option, I was forced to pay the $300 pesos from Iberostar to Casa Mexicana. Once we arrived, I waited till my stuff was out of the van and then I asked the driver for his rate card, to which he did not know what I was talking about. I then typed the question into Google Translate and showed it to him. He looked dumbfounded and wouldn't answer, even seeing the question in his own language. I then went to the front of the van and took a picture of his license plate. He conveniently found a rate card. This rate card was in USD for cruise ship passengers only, for transportation from the International and Punta Langosta Piers. It occurred to me now that the drivers are charging regular tourists the cruise ship passenger rates all the time. This was not a zone rate card and it was not in Spanish or Pesos. When I asked to take a photo of the rate card, he refused. Now I'm angry and telling him that by law he needs to show it to me. He finally let me get a photo, but he didn't make it easy and wouldn't let me touch it. He says that Casa Mexicana is at Punta Langosta Pier. So somehow that means I'm a cruise ship passenger?

I would be interested to know what the community here does in these situations in Cozumel. Besides taking a picture of the license plate, what other photos should one gather in the event of filing a formal complaint? I'm not saying I would take time from my vacation to do so, but this might be enough of an intimidation to the driver that I'm not a customer that will be taken advantage of.

I'm thinking that Maybe I should just get in the cab, knowing the price, and pay it at the destination. If he has a problem with it, then that would be another issue.

 

[BRT]

I just checked the website link you gave. Is it up to date for 2024? You say the 2016 rates are still in effect. Correct?

If the correct rate sheet is from 2016 the drivers are losing their shirts if they go by the rate sheets.

 

[ReefHound]

If the correct rate sheet is from 2016 the drivers are losing their shirts if they go by the rate sheets.

According to my research fuel prices in 2016 were about 14 MXN/Liter and this year they are around 25 MXN/Liter. Just under double. Frankly, I think the taxi mafia doesn't want to update the rate sheets because this way they can point out how they are obviously way outdated. It would be a lot easier to hold them to a 2024 rate card.

 

[BRT]

According to my research fuel prices in 2016 were about 14 MXN/Liter and this year they are around 25 MXN/Liter. Just under double. Frankly, I think the taxi mafia doesn't want to update the rate sheets because this way they can point out how they are obviously way outdated. It would be a lot easier to hold them to a 2024 rate card.

I suspect they can't get an updated rate card past authorities with enough update in it.

 

[JFS]

I suspect they can't get an updated rate card past authorities with enough update in it.

the rates are pretty much the same as they were 4 years ago. My keyfob didnt work so I asked how much a taxi was to my house from the malecon by ferry. I was told 200 pesos. I walked 2 blocks up to where the taxi station is across from sushi restaurant and was told 70 pesos. Anywhere the taxis are lined up for pickups will have inflated prices.

 

[ggunn]

the rates are pretty much the same as they were 4 years ago. My keyfob didnt work so I asked how much a taxi was to my house from the malecon by ferry. I was told 200 pesos. I walked 2 blocks up to where the taxi station is across from sushi restaurant and was told 70 pesos. Anywhere the taxis are lined up for pickups will have inflated prices.

That is understandable. A taxista who is sitting in line waiting for a fare seems likely to charge more than one who just dropped someone off and is cruising for a fare.

 

[bobfmdc]

the rates are pretty much the same as they were 4 years ago. My keyfob didnt work so I asked how much a taxi was to my house from the malecon by ferry. I was told 200 pesos. I walked 2 blocks up to where the taxi station is across from sushi restaurant and was told 70 pesos. Anywhere the taxis are lined up for pickups will have inflated prices.

Yep, that has always been my approach. I always stay at the Casa Mex; the line out front charges premium prices UNLESS I had someone from my dive shop get a taxi for us. Then it was near the card rate. My second strategy was to walk back a few blocks from the main street and flag a taxi down. Again, the cost was near the rate card--that the locals pay, by the way.

 

[BRT]

Yep, that has always been my approach. I always stay at the Casa Mex; the line out front charges premium prices UNLESS I had someone from my dive shop get taxi. Then it was near the card rate. My second strategy was to walk back a few blocks from the main street and flag a taxi down. Again, it was near the rate card--that the locals pay, by the way.

Did you ever see a local get into a taxi down by the ferrys?

 

[ggunn]

Did you ever see a local get into a taxi down by the ferrys?

The taxi stands are convenient but you pay for that, kinda like buying eggs at a 7-11 instead of a supermarket.

 

[BRT]

The taxi stands are convenient but you pay for that, kinda like buying eggs at a 7-11 instead of a supermarket.

And I don't mind paying more for occasional purchases if they are more convenient.

 

[bobfmdc]

Did you ever see a local get into a taxi down by the ferrys?

No, but I did not go down there much.

In the morning, our dive shop owner would go down to the corner at the Casa Mexicana (Melgar & Calle 7 S.) and pay a cab driver to take us to the Marina, then he would pay the cab at the Marina to take us back. You could see that some of the cab drivers didn't like him being involved, and sometimes there was some pretty animated Spanish being thrown around. I asked him a couple of times what kind of prices he was getting and he said about $6 for 4 peeps.

The times I walked back a few blocks to catch a cab were mostly when I had to go get something fixed or pickup at Javier's scuba repair (Calle 1 between 85 & 90 Av--over 2 miles). That is a pretty long drive but I think it is all in Zone 1. Every time I would ask guys in the taxi line line how much for the trip and would always get something like $10 each way. Then I would walk back to 5 or 10 AV S. and find someone pretty quick. Typically, the cost quoted would be around 50p, and I would ask them to come back in 15 min or wait for me and pay them about 120p for the round trip.