New Taxi App?

[ReefHound]

Just phone the syndicate, you say? Well, for one thing, they're trying to phase out phone hailing in favor of Eiby Taxi. For another, they never seem to be able to hear me or to understand me (in any language) and don't always answer their phones. Times when it seemed as if everything went smoothly and clearly have not necessarily lead to a taxi's ever appearing.

Why would they? They know they are probably not going to be able to charge you double the correct fare and get a tip on top of that.

The bad? They're not kidding about the price differential. This is not likely to catch on with locals until that differential drops to no more than MXN$20-30. Right now, the ride I'm most likely to make (to my son's house 3.7 Km away if our car is with him) is MXN$38 by taxi chart and MXN$80 on Eiby Taxi. From his house to the Chedrauí at Plaza Cozumel 3 Km away (and with far fewer stop signs and other delays, plus way more chance of getting a fare there), Eiby Taxi wants MXN$70. I suspect there's probably a MXN$50 service fee, but they don't specify anywhere.

Interesting. I found fares on Eiby to be lower than the street but when I say "street" I mean the fare the taxista will quote when asked by a gringo. I don't know what the zone chart says the fare should be from centro to Ernesto's but the taxistas will tell me $150 pesos (if I'm lucky) and Eiby will tell me $90-100. Note: this was from my visits last Feb to May so Eiby might have ratcheted up recently.

 

[loady]

Eiby Taxi is, specifically, an app for certain parts of México (8 or 10 cities including CDMX) and Barcelona. Android use is almost certainly higher in México than in the US. There is an Android app. The app isn't really aimed at gabachos. Not everything in Cozumel, or even México, is aimed at foreigners.

For those who think it's always easy to hail a taxi "in town", you must start by defining what you mean by "in town". I live a few blocks from the "downtown" Chedrauí (on Melgar). There are exactly zero restaurants, shops, or hotels on my street and only one business that caters to gabachos. That's a real estate company across the street, but people hardly ever get there by taxi. If I stood outside my house for an hour on a Sunday afternoon I might not see a taxi go by. My son lives well past the gas station on 11, and although lots of his neighbors are taxistas, he has never been able to hail a taxi on the street.

Just phone the syndicate, you say? Well, for one thing, they're trying to phase out phone hailing in favor of Eiby Taxi. For another, they never seem to be able to hear me or to understand me (in any language) and don't always answer their phones. Times when it seemed as if everything went smoothly and clearly have not necessarily lead to a taxi's ever appearing.

If it's bucketing down rain, I'd prefer to stay inside, or at least on my covered porch, until my ride arrives. Same if it's 37º C. I'd prefer not to be out on the sidewalk peering up and down the street.

There's also the well-known fact that Cozumel taxistas seem never even to have heard of change, let alone have the ability to make any. Paying through an app is really convenient.

As noted above, this is an attempt to keep taxis relevant as ride-hailing services inevitably encroach. Uber's footprint in México grows daily.

Think of the amazing convenience of Fasty or Rappi (or Correcaminos, etc.) as opposed to knowing what's open and what's on their menu, phoning a restaurant to arrange delivery, and having correct change when they arrive. So, the Uber Eats model.

The bad? They're not kidding about the price differential. This is not likely to catch on with locals until that differential drops to no more than MXN$20-30. Right now, the ride I'm most likely to make (to my son's house 3.7 Km away if our car is with him) is MXN$38 by taxi chart and MXN$80 on Eiby Taxi. From his house to the Chedrauí at Plaza Cozumel 3 Km away (and with far fewer stop signs and other delays, plus way more chance of getting a fare there), Eiby Taxi wants MXN$70. I suspect there's probably a MXN$50 service fee, but they don't specify anywhere.

I was quoted $80
US dollars for taxi ride from airport to Iberostar. Walked across the street and the cost negotiated to 300 pesos. FCK getting any rides from the airport. They are thieves

 

[mstevens]

I was quoted $80
US dollars for taxi ride from airport to Iberostar. Walked across the street and the cost negotiated to 300 pesos. FCK getting any rides from the airport. They are thieves

Rides from the airport are at set rates. While those are arguably extortionate, at least you know up front exactly what the rate is.

People keep saying "across the street". No. "Across the street" is the parking lot. Then there's a short road to the glorieta, and taxis are only allowed to pick up fares on the far side of that. It's "across the street, down a full city block, then across a 4-lane street". It's not a marathon, but saying it's across the street is very misleading to someone who hasn't been there. For example, my 88 y/o mom could get across the street with her rollator. There's no way she could could make it to Diego's.

 

[loady]

Rides from the airport are at set rates. While those are arguably extortionate, at least you know up front exactly what the rate is.

People keep saying "across the street". No. "Across the street" is the parking lot. Then there's a short road to the glorieta, and taxis are only allowed to pick up fares on the far side of that. It's "across the street, down a full city block, then across a 4-lane street". It's not a marathon, but saying it's across the street is very misleading to someone who hasn't been there. For example, my 88 y/o mom could get across the street with her rollator. There's no way she could could make it to Diego's.

You are willfully wrong. Fares are whatever can be stolen. I walked ACROSS THE STREET from the tiny airport and caught a cab. I didn’t cross a superhighway a mile away. We are not talking about leaving LAX or OHare or JFK or IAH here. Maybe a five minute walk at most. It’s a mini airport in a mini town. I have no idea what you’re talking about. Taxis do whatever they want . They adhere to zero rules . It’s all about money. I know that as a local you must support the locals against the gringos. Yes, for someone in a wheelchair they may need to pay the bribe. Does your mom often come to Cozumel? Rent a car.

 

[ggunn]

Rides from the airport are at set rates. While those are arguably extortionate, at least you know up front exactly what the rate is.

People keep saying "across the street". No. "Across the street" is the parking lot. Then there's a short road to the glorieta, and taxis are only allowed to pick up fares on the far side of that. It's "across the street, down a full city block, then across a 4-lane street". It's not a marathon, but saying it's across the street is very misleading to someone who hasn't been there. For example, my 88 y/o mom could get across the street with her rollator. There's no way she could could make it to Diego's.

FWIW according to Google Earth Pro, from the airport exit door to Diego's is right at 300 yards.

 

[ggunn]

I know that as a local you must support the locals against the gringos.

Apparently you do not read much of what he posts here. See his entries in this thread: Question - Are You Tired of the Taxi Ripoff?

 

[loady]

An

You are willfully wrong. Fares are whatever can be stolen. I walked ACROSS THE STREET from the tiny airport and caught a cab. I didn’t cross a superhighway a mile away. We are not talking about leaving LAX or OHare or JFK or IAH here. Maybe a five minute walk at most. It’s a mini airport in a mini town. I have no idea what you’re talking about. Taxis do whatever they want . They adhere to zero rules . It’s all about money. I know that as a local you must support the locals against the gringos. Yes, for someone in a wheelchair they may need to pay the bribe. Does your mom often come to Cozumel? Rent a car.

And stop defending extorting blackmailing visitors who support most of the local economy. Many of us are taking our dollars and pesos elsewhere.
Why should we reward being used?

 

[loady]

FWIW according to Google Earth Pro, from the airport exit door to Diego's is right at 300 yards.

No idea what Diego’s is. Walk faster, it’s good for you . If you can swim you can walk.

 

[ggunn]

No idea what Diego’s is. Walk faster, it’s good for you . If you can swim you can walk.

Diego's is a taqueria on the other side of the roundabout from the airport, and it's what I am told is the nearest point to the airport where a cab will pick you up. This is a non issue for me, though; we take the shuttle to our hotel and the rates are indeed fixed. We buy our shuttle tickets at the booth in the airport, and the only money that changes hands with the driver is what I choose to tip him for handling our bags.

 

[mstevens]

Fares are whatever can be stolen.

No. Taxi fares are actually set. They're hard/impossible for occasional users to know without reference to a site like Ric's, so taxistas charge whatever they think they can get. That's not actually the "fare", though. It's just the charge or "whatever can be stolen". Whether or not we agree on the semantics of "fare", we agree on taxi drivers' dishonesty, though you're considerably more enthusiastic about using taxis than I am. You went to all the trouble to hike to Diego's and negotiate yourself a ride 44% (92 pesos) higher than the maximum shared shuttle fare of 208 pesos. (Since I don't know the zone for where you were going, I'm just using the highest possible fare. The difference could've been more). That's some taxi-lovin'!

Fares from the airport (which was the subject of the message to which you responded) are set, published right at the point of payment, and they're not open to negotiation, "bribery", nor (non-willful) misunderstanding. Who tried to dicker with you about shuttle fares from the airport terminal? You can't even pay the drivers directly! The payment window gives you a printed receipt so you can confirm you paid no more than the published fare.

I walked ACROSS THE STREET from the tiny airport and caught a cab. I didn’t cross a superhighway a mile away.

You are willfully wrong, ACROSS THE STREET from the terminal is the parking lot. One must walk past that then down a short road to exit the airport grounds, then cross the street. Nobody said it was a superhighway. It's also not merely crossing the street. It's about 300 meters, roughly ⅕ of a mile, and involves crossing two roads. That's a trivial distance for some. It's a substantial hurdle for others, especially with luggage, kids, mobility devices, whatever. Not everyone reading these posts in the future will ever have been to Cozumel before, so I think it's important to be clear about what we mean. Imagine someone walking across the road from the terminal and searching in vain for Diego's while muttering "but they said it was across the street!" under their breath.

I have no idea what you’re talking about. Taxis do whatever they want .

In order to get an idea, you could try reading the posts to which you're responding. There are no taxis that can pick anyone up at the airport terminal so, for purposes of fares from the terminal, taxis and their unarguable shenanigans make no difference. With the shuttle vans there are no shenanigans, just (in the case of private shuttles) extortionate but completely transparent pricing,.

I know that as a local you must support the locals against the gringos.

You have clearly paid no attention whatsoever to what I've said about taxis. In this exchange, you are the only one of us who's expressed the slightest enthusiasm for them.

for someone in a wheelchair they may need to pay the bribe.

What bribe? Airport shuttle fares are clearly posted and are not subject to negotiation or bribes. For a single traveler willing to share a van, they're also cheaper than one is likely to get a taxi to agree to (as we see from the example you posted earlier). In fact, you get a receipt proving there was no bribe involved.

Does your mom often come to Cozumel?

She's cut back to 3 or 4 times a year ever since CoVID. Why do you ask?

You should be aware that lots of divers arrive with non-diving family or friends with all sorts of degrees of mobility, heat tolerance, or willingness to get drenched in a downpour. I usually travel to the island with just a messenger bag, but am aware that's uncommon and that some people appear to arrive with enough luggage for months in the wilderness, or certainly more than they can themselves carry.

Rent a car.

Why would I do that? I have my own perfectly good car. When I'm leaving the airport, it's parked right across the street! I then get in it and, usually, drive to Diego's, which takes about a minute.