Taxi Rates

[deepsea21]

We take taxis from Fiesta Americana to downtown, and back. I always give them a $20 each way.

You're generous beyond belief. I'm generous but I keep it within reality. Got to remember how these members of the taxi mafia screwed 100's of thousands of cruise ship folks for decades with their BS quoted fares before getting in or the BS quoted fares once they transported those who didn't know any better. When I get in a taxi I never ask the fare because I know what it is and when I get out I pay them the fare I know it should be plus say 50-100 Pesos depending on the distance. No taxi driver has ever complained. This past December every taxi we used tried to give us his personal card and wanted to be on-call for wherever we wanted to go. We took the cards but never called any of them as they were trying to screw the system and bypass the piles and piles of taxi drivers who were waiting in taxi lines everywhere for hours and hours for just one fare. Just goes to show there is no honor among criminals.

 

[morecowbells]

This past December every taxi we used tried to give us his personal card and wanted to be on-call for wherever we wanted to go. We took the cards but never called any of them as they were trying to screw the system and bypass the piles and piles of taxi drivers who were waiting in taxi lines everywhere for hours and hours for just one fare. Just goes to show there is no honor among criminals.

In Feb while we stayed at Palmar Condos, we used cabs to get us to both the harbor and into town. Each one gave us a card. There was one driver who had an immaculate cab and ran the a/c, gave us wonderful tips on dining and even brought us to a beach club and waited for us in the parking lot. We ended up using him for the rest of our vacation. I didn't look at the whole picture of bypassing all the other drivers waiting patiently for business

 

[mediumone]

When I get in a taxi I never ask the fare because I know what it is and when I get out I pay them the fare I know it should be

Yep, that's the way to do it.

 

[ReefHound]

You're generous beyond belief. I'm generous but I keep it within reality. Got to remember how these members of the taxi mafia screwed 100's of thousands of cruise ship folks for decades with their BS quoted fares before getting in or the BS quoted fares once they transported those who didn't know any better. When I get in a taxi I never ask the fare because I know what it is and when I get out I pay them the fare I know it should be plus say 50-100 Pesos depending on the distance. No taxi driver has ever complained. This past December every taxi we used tried to give us his personal card and wanted to be on-call for wherever we wanted to go. We took the cards but never called any of them as they were trying to screw the system and bypass the piles and piles of taxi drivers who were waiting in taxi lines everywhere for hours and hours for just one fare. Just goes to show there is no honor among criminals.

I also just give them the fare like I kow it's the fare not like I'm asking. Lately, I've had drivers take us into town for dinner and wait for us to take us back. Not too many have been offering cards though. How would that even work? I usually need a taxi... when I need a taxi. If I step outside my hotel or restaurant or bar and there is a taxi within sight or I know one will be passing by within a minute or two, why would I text a driver who may be on the other side of the island or not working?

 

[gopbroek]

I usually don't need taxi's as I normally walk in El Centro as far as El Morro's and for other trips I can normally barrow a vehicle from the dive shop. If I did need one to go to the east side, I would hire Pantera to help support him and his life's mission of protecting the turtles on the east side.

 

[deepsea21]

In Feb while we stayed at Palmar Condos, we used cabs to get us to both the harbor and into town. Each one gave us a card. There was one driver who had an immaculate cab and ran the a/c, gave us wonderful tips on dining and even brought us to a beach club and waited for us in the parking lot. We ended up using him for the rest of our vacation. I didn't look at the whole picture of bypassing all the other drivers waiting patiently for business

You didn't do anything wrong, you got great service and basically had a personal driver on call all the time which is great. During Covid times the taxi drivers view a traveler who is staying on the island as a whale to be landed that they can take care of for the entirety of their stay and make $ that fills in the time they spend waiting in line for hours and hours at various taxi stands. It's great to have a driver on call who will show up about anytime anywhere but I personally prefer to spread my $ around. I don't have much to spend beyond accommodations and diving and our favorite restaurants but I try to spread it around.

 

[deepsea21]

There is another thing that many people don't know about various cultures... Unlike in the States where everyone sits in the back seat of a taxi if there are only 1-2, when you get in a taxi by yourself or with others in Mexico (and many other places), whoever is paying should sit in the front passenger seat, not in the back seat. That basically says you aren't my/our servant, we are equal. When I see my wife to the back seat and close the door for her and I sit in the front seat that says a great deal. The Taxi driver immediately knows you aren't the typical touron.

 

[ggunn]

There is another thing that many people don't know about various cultures... Unlike in the States where everyone sits in the back seat of a taxi if there are only 1-2, when you get in a taxi by yourself or with others in Mexico (and many other places), whoever is paying should sit in the front passenger seat, not in the back seat. That basically says you aren't my/our servant, we are equal. When I see my wife to the back seat and close the door for her and I sit in the front seat that says a great deal. The Taxi driver immediately knows you aren't the typical touron.

I never really thought about it, but whenever I get in a Cozumel taxi by myself I always sit up front. When I am with my wife, though, I sit in back with her.

 

[deepsea21]

I never really thought about it, but whenever I get in a Cozumel taxi by myself I always sit up front. When I am with my wife, though, I sit in back with her.

It says a great deal if you sit up front with your wife in the back. It also to some extent at some destinations is a safety precaution because sitting beside the driver is better than being behind the driver. If a driver starts taking you someplace you don't want to go or starts doing something crazy you're going to be able to have it out with him physically in the front seat instead of swatting around at his head from a back seat. Someone sitting in the front seat is always better than leaving it vacant and being stuck in the back.

 

[morecowbells]

Either with my husband or by myself in Cozumel, I always sit in the back. I view the front area as the drivers personal workspace and thought it was more respectful to sit in the back and leave his/her workspace free and unencumbered; as well as giving them their space.