Anybody have a sense of where the various, official taxi zone boundaries are located (those points at which the fare changes)? For example, there may be one running east to west, between Coba and Xcaret: I say that because we used to live near Bonampak on Uxmal, and my fare to the Univ del Caribe was a consistent 22 pesos; then, moved, and now live just below Xcaret and Tulum, and the fare is a consistent 25 pesos. Making the ride from near the intersection of Bonampak and Uxmal to SM92, I was charged a consistent 22 pesos, never knowing myself where the zone boundary was located. On a ride from Bonampak and Uxmal to just beyond Gran Plaza, I was usually charged 25 pesos. Anybody got a better read on the different boundaries? These small sums don't make a lot of difference, but it's better for everybodies' consciences to know where they are. Does anybody have a sense of whether the charges are higher going from the center (if "center" is considered to be the juncture of Coba and Xcaret, at Tulum, for example), rather than toward the center, in which case they may be lower? (This is a pattern that has seemed to apply to a number of my regular routes, but hasn't been consistent between drivers.) _______________________ The public taxi has done everybody a service by very visibly posting the fares to the different parts of town from the taxi stands (for example, at Walmart; at Soriana) for all to see. This removes all uncertainty and, again, is beneficial for both sides, eliminating all doubt about what the fare should be. (Those familiar with Cancun will be aware that the official fares are higher if you take a taxi from a designated taxi stand.)
For a while there the taxis were mandated to have a zone map and price chart posted in their vehicles, some might still have it, but most seem to have disappeared so that the taxis can resume the "as much as I can get away with" pricing. Generally speaking, if they know you live here, or get a sense that you know what the fare is they will play it straight. If you're a tourist on the other hand..... A while back a friend and I did a little test in the Hotel Zone. I walked ahead and asked a parked taxi, in English, "how much to Wal-Mart?".. I was told $15 dollars... about a minute later my friend walks by and asks the same thing in Spanish and was quoted 70 pesos from the same taxi... so they obviously like to set their own prices when they think they can get away with it. I imagine if you really want to you can pass by one of the "Sindicato de Taxistas" and get hold of a zone map. Address at the link below... Sindicatos en Cancun y Quintana Roo Mexico
Taxi drivers It's easy to picture what you described, there, Life. The taxi drivers in the HZ are more practiced at jacking up the prices, as are those who leave from Walmart and other places tourists frequent, like hotels. But, even the hotel zone has fixed fares, by destination, so it should be possible to know what's a fair fare. The hotels would be doing their guests a service to post those in an obvious place. I think your suggestion about calling on the Sindicato for a zone map is a good one. ____________________ My best experience with taxi drivers was probably in China where more than once, having failed to understand where it was I wanted to go (none speak English), took me somewhere else. After they then got clear where I'd wanted to go, they'd knock off all the extra fare that resulted from the error, taking full responsibility for what was, in the end, attributable to my bad Chinese, rather than any fault of theirs. The worst I've seen were in Istanbul, where I lived for several months, in 2003. It was a struggle, most times I tried to use them though, if they'd operated honestly, the service would have been both good, and economical, as there were thousands of taxis, and the official rates low enough to be practical for daily transport in a big city. Cancun's taxi drivers have been, almost without exception, very pleasant, helpful and honest with us. I especially like that they run on fixed fares, making the longer rides in town especially economical.
I think one break point in the rate map is the middle of Lopez Portillo. I comfirmed $20 when I was telling the guy where I wanted to go and he showed me the card. It was $25. Had I crossed the street to the south side of LP, it would have been $20 to my destination. V, from Kabah you can go N to the first big intersection after Lopez Portillo. This is Ruta 4 where you go to the right or E, (technically NE at this point. The taxi depot is a few block on your left.
