Taxis to get meters

There is a degree to which this discussion suggests I do. I never pay more than the fixed rates for rides in the HZ. And, when I negotiate, it's for fares below the fixed rates, such as when taxis are leaving the HZ and are either empty, or looking for more passengers. Locals who take taxis into the HZ have the option of the sitio at the entrance to the HZ, where they pay very modest fares to get into the HZ for work, using taxis as collectivos; again, with published fixed fares as the guide. Fixed fares rule the official taxis, no matter where and how they are used, even down to hourly rates, if you hire one by the hour.

It's the notion that taxis fares are a matter of a negotiation that gets the process of taking a cab off on the wrong foot, instantly reveals a lack of understanding on the part of the customer of the system in place, and gives the taxi driver an opening that he may try to take advantage of. Why give them that opening?

Using taxis here has never been a problem, because of the fixed rate system, for those who live in the city and get accustomed to how it is supposed to work. Last night I wanted to get a ride from Gran Puerto (Ultramar) to my home. First taxi I stopped came from a sitio (their price of 60 pesos snares few locals): he asked for 30 pesos (regular fare for non sitio taxis is 25 pesos) then, after I agreed, started offering reasons why he couldn't do it for 30. My wife and I got out and stopped the next taxi. I asked if he could take us into town for 25 pesos, he replied, "Of course." From that location we almost always pay 25 pesos as all know what the fare should be.

Fully informing the tourists that they will risk having to pay more if they don't pay attention to the published fares in the HZ, and to and from the airport to the HZ, should be the goal of everyone in the tourist industry. Low taxi fares are one of the nice things about living here: overpaying is not.
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There are plenty of places from which taxi drivers like to ask more. I just walk a block or so, then hale a cab. It eliminates the problem.

I don´t ask that you try it, but you could if you wished. The starting point would be knowing the published fare to your destination, and just a little patience.

 

TJ posted the rate sheet back in 2011, when the new rates came into play:

http://www.cancuncare.com/forum/living-cancun-riviera-maya/19586-new-cancun-taxi-fares.html

After looking at it many times (I carry a copy around with me), it appears the only official rate relating to the HZ is the $125 peso rate from downtown to KM 21.

As far as I know, any taxi ride within the hotel zone or beginning in the hotel zone is by negotiation only. No set rates. (All downtown taxi rides have set rates by zone.) The posted rates that V refers to are the "site taxi" rates that apply for approved cabs at hotels and restaurants, not the same as a taxi you grab on the street.

 

Interesting, so you haven't seen the signs I've seen in some hotels which show the rate to and from the different KM markers, ranging from 80 to 150 or so, as I recall.

 

Hey V Re-read my post.

I believe the signs you mention are for site taxis. Those are not the same as the taxis you get off the street.

 

You´re losing me.... If I can get a taxi from the sitios at fixed rates (which seem modest to me, considering it´s the hotel zone), and have the convenience of taking a taxi from the sitio, why would I negotiate for a higher price, with a taxi libre?

 

You're certainly welcome to take a sitio taxi. Nobody's forcing you to do otherwise. I'd even go so far as to say why take any taxi at all when you can take the bus?

I'm just saying that if someone were to get a taxi off the street in the Hotel Zone (which many people do), there is no set rate. They would have to negotiate or pay an arm and a leg.

 

Rawkus, Gabesz is essentially correct about NYC but it reads a little misleading. The JFK statement is accurate completely. It's a set fee from Manhattan to JFK or from JFK to Manhattan.

The rates for any other trip, including LGA (La Gaurdia Airport) are not set as to the total price but they are set as to how the price is determined. No matter where you are going to or from, there is a base fare the second he drops the lever on the meter. Then it is $x.xx for the first segment of a mile, then each additional segment. I forget if it is 1/12 or what fraction. There is also a fee for waiting, and that fee kicks in even if you are stuck in traffic. So the only variable if you are going from any Point A to Point B, a distance of one mile, for example, is if the cab is traveling like in normal traffic but if there is a delay for a traffic jam or anything, if the cab is not moving, the meter is racking up a "standing" fee, the same as if you ask him to stop to let you run into a store for a quick stop.

Otherwise, Gabesz is 100% correct = Other than trips involving JFK the fare is set whether you flag the guy down, ask the bellman at the Plaza to fetch you a cab, or grabbing one in the rain. The real trick is getting one to stop.

Personally I would never take a cab from a sitio unless in a blinding rain. You can walk to the street and save a ton.

The Tarifa that Gringation mentions carrying with her is confusing at best. There are way too many zones and fares. Metering would be much easier and also be more fair in the middle of the night. But I think even late night fares in NYC trigger a different fare base. I take a car service on my frequent trips there for airport transfers and a subway the rest of the time. Can't tell you the last time I took a taxi. In bad weather, bad areas, late nights we use a reliable car service. I actually use 3 different ones depending on where I am and where I am going. Carmel for anything Manhattan, Bushwick from and to airports and within Brooklyn and Northside between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

My vote is for meters. Everyone has gps so you can monitor the route if you don't know the way. That's what I did last month in Mexico. We got on parallel routes a time or two because my driver knew the area and the traffic better than Google Maps.

 

T.J.: Cancun also has set rates to and from the airport. My question/statement was more about the fact that the "special spots" seem to have slightly higher rates. Ive never taken a cab in NY, so I speak of all the other cities Ive visited/lived in and none have had cheaper rates(even if distance is the same) when going to these "hot spots".

The "Airport to Cancun" price with the taxis is ridiculous though, holy cr*p.

I think the system we have now is great, as the fare will stay at 25(or whatever, depends on where you are going), regardless of the amount of traffic, time due to heavy rain etc.

I see no other reason for them to implement this change, other than getting mire cash, but then again: Taxistas aim for profit, so...

Ill be taking the bus from when the meters start, thats for sure

Enough arguing at times even without meters, hehe.


EDIT: Sorry if it all sounds blurry. Having a hard time finding the correct English terms for what Im trying to say.