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Affordable Taxi Cabs in Mexico

Affordable Taxi Cabs

Written by: Visit Mexico

Published: Friday, March 6, 2009

Jump into a taxi in the US, Canada or Western Europe and the accrued fare will be several dollars before the vehicle even begins to drive off.   Here in Mexico, taxi cabs are much more affordable.

The country’s cab system is not standardized.  Each state applies its own rules and regulations about how taxis are licensed and operated.   So the fare you pay and, more pertinently, the way in which the fare is applied, is quite distinct depending upon where you hire a cab.

In a small few cities, including Mexico City, most taxis are metered.   A few more locations operate official ‘zone charging’ systems; however, taxis operating in an overwhelming number of villages, towns and cities in Mexico have no meter and no official zoning system in operation.   In these circumstances, the fare you pay is the fare you negotiate with the driver.   Being able to speak some Spanish will be particularly useful and help you to negotiate a better price.

There are three ‘special’ types of taxi worth mentioning:

Airport taxis world-wide cost considerably more than other taxis, and Mexico is no exception.  Two concession stands, signposted as Taxis Autorizados, may be found at every airport serving commercial flights to and from Mexico.  Both concessions charge identical fares, based on a zone charging system.   As an alternative, you may like to consider booking a shuttle pick-up service in advance using Mexperience (available at a selection of popular towns, cities and resorts across Mexico).

Bus stations in Mexico City operate taxi concessions (also signposted as Taxis Autorizados), in the same way as the airports do, with two distinct differences: there is only one taxi concession per bus station, and the fares are lower.  See our guide to Bus Travel in Mexico for more details.

Hotel taxis are a form of taxi rank; cabbies are tied to a particular hotel (or hotels) and agree to wait patiently outside until a guest requires ground transportation.  These taxis will charge a fixed fee by zone or location, charge fares on a ‘rate per kilometer’ basis, or run a meter.  Hotels without a dedicated rank outside will usually telephone one of the nearby local taxi ranks or co-operatives when guests need the service.

Our Guide to Taxi Travel in Mexico is comprehensive and includes typical cab fares for the different types of taxi on the road.  If you plan to travel around Mexico by road, reading the guide will give you a thorough grounding in the art and science of cab travel in Mexico.

Published Monday, September 26, 2011 7:54 AM by Zinnia Q.

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