Taxis / Ride Sharing

During your travels, there may be times when you need to take a taxi.  If you are planning on tacking a taxi, you need to do some research ahead of time.  Try not to take a taxi without having researched the route and knowing what to expect to pay.  In some cases, you may need to negotiate a flat rate with the driver prior to departing on your ride.  Look for what others have posted on line about their taxi experiences.  If possible, it's a good idea to have cash in the local currency in amounts that will allow you to pay for your ride and tips without expecting change in return.

Here we have mentioned several things to consider when taking a taxi as well as some good and bad experiences we have had using taxis on our travels.

Ride Sharing Services

Uber's Smartphone app connects driver-partners and riders.

In cities where Uber operates, use your rider app to request a ride. When a nearby driver-partner accepts your request, your app displays an estimated time of arrival for the driver-partner heading to your pickup location. Your app notifies you when the driver-partner is about to arrive.

Your app also provides info about the driver-partner with whom you will ride, including first name, vehicle type, and license plate number. This info helps the two of you connect at your pickup location.

Use your app to enter your preferred destination anytime before or during the ride.  When you arrive at your destination and exit the vehicle, your trip ends. Your fare is automatically calculated and charged to the payment method you’ve linked to your Uber account.

Immediately after a trip ends, your app will ask you to rate your driver from 1 to 5 Stars and it's possible to tip immediately or later.

See our Mobile Apps page.

https://www.uber.com/

London Black Cabs

Taxis can be expensive, especially in England and the exchange rate with the British Pound.  The taxis you will see everywhere are their famous 'Black Cabs'.

The best, fastest and most economical way to get around London is via the 'Tube' or subway although there may be times you will need to take a taxi.  For the experience, if you simply want to be able to say you have ridden in a Black Cab, we recommend taking a short ride somewhere in downtown London.  Be aware, even a short ride can be expensive, especially if you end up stuck in traffic as with most cabs you are charged by the distance and time it takes you to reach your destination.  In general, taxis charge riders per mile when moving and per minute when idling.

Black Cabs are nice and roomy, so they should easily accommodate anything you are carrying.  As they are so roomy, you will keep your luggage with you in the large open space that is designed for both passengers and luggage.

For our 'to say we have done it' ride, we took a Black Cab from the Harrods Department Store in London to another destination a few blocks away.  The short ride we took ended up costing us around 10 GBP, or close to $20 USD with the conversion rate at the time.  We could have walked the distance in about 10 minutes.

London Black Cab Harrods Department Store, London

London Heathrow Taxis - 5-Star Taxi Service

Having lived in Windsor England for several years, we often took trips from Heathrow Airport.  When you exit the terminal at Heathrow, you will find a large queue of Black Cabs waiting to take you wherever you need to go.  Windsor is about a 20-45 minute ride depending on traffic and the Black Cabs can cost anywhere from 35-50 pounds.  If you are used to paying in USD and depending on the exchange rate, this is a pricy ride at around $50-$75, and that's one way.

We always used the 5-Star Taxi Service when living in Windsor.  They cater to executive travel, so the cars are very nice and clean; more on the end of luxury type cars.

To use their service, call ahead to confirm they will go to your destination and ask for the rate.  They charge a fixed rate, so you will know exactly what to pay.  When you arrive a Heathrow and have cleared customs, simply call and request a ride.  They will tell you where to meet them just outside when exiting the main terminal.  Watch for them to drive by having a large star with a 5 in the center, placed on the car's windshield.  When we lived in Windsor, we used to pay a flat rate of around 15 pounds to Heathrow for up to 4 passengers.

5-Star Taxi / Phone: 01753 858888 / http://5starwindsor.com

Depending on your plans, it can actually be cheaper to arrive at Heathrow, take a 5-Star Taxi to Windsor, play tourist for the day and then take one of the two trains into London compared to taking a taxi from Heathrow directly into London.  If your plans permit, stay the night in Windsor so you have a place to drop off your bags before heading into London or to other destinations.  Windsor has two train stations, one having a direct train to London while the other requires you to change trains in Slough for London or other destinations.  There is plenty to see and do in Windsor including a tour of the castle, so seriously consider stopping here for the night if possible.

Windsor Castle - Windsor, England

Research taxi cost - A good and bad experience in Bucharest Romania

Spend some time researching the cost anywhere you expect to take a cab.  Be aware that some taxis will not start the fare at zero, so don't be surprised if the ride starts at 1 or even 5, but keep an eye on the meter.

Here we describe two cab rides we took in the city of Bucharest Romania, one good, one bad.

On a Halloween trip through Transylvania, we flew to Bucharest Romania where the best way to reach the city from the airport is by bus which takes about an hour.  We had researched the bus route so that from our off point, the hotel was only a short walk away.  The next morning we needed a taxi to the train station for our next destination.  We had researched the distance and cost on-line so we knew what to expect to pay.  The hotel called the cab which picked us up and took us directly to the train station.  The cab charged us an amount right in the range we had researched.

Bucharest, Romania

Upon returning to Bucharest at the end of our trip, we stayed another night before returning home the next day.  Arriving back at the train station, we needed a cab to our hotel.  There was a cab rank outside the train station where we caught our cab and showed the driver a map of where we wanted to go.  We knew what the trip should cost and now had some history based on our previous cab ride.  With this cab, we had only gone a few blocks and the fare was already twice what we had paid on our first trip for a shorter distance.  Something was not right.  We told the driver to pull over and stop.  We paid the fare we had accumulated and decided to walk the rest of the way to our hotel.  If we had taken this cab to our hotel, it would have cost us over 100 Euros.  We felt we were being taken advantage of by a dishonest driver.  The bottom line is, if we had not researched the cost and paid attention to the meter, we would have had to pay an extraordinary amount for what should have been a relatively inexpensive ride.

Flat rate taxis through Transylvania

On this Halloween trip through Transylvania (yes, Transylvania is an actual area in Romania), we had purchased a rail pass for all our stops outside of Bucharest.  We took the train from Bucharest to Brasov where we stayed the night.  In the morning, we made it back to the train station for our next destination of Bran to visit Ban Castle or 'Dracula's Castle'.  At the station, you will find taxi drivers approaching you asking where you are going and offering to take you there for a fixed 'cash only' rate.

Brasov, Romania

Don't just get into a car with some stranger.  Verify they have a taxi license and their car is a true taxi.  By taking a car from the taxi rank outside the train station, you can be fairly sure they are legitimate.  If you are not sure, don't do it.  If you feel comfortable, negotiate the rate before entering the car.  Get an estimate on the travel time and clarify that payment will be made at your final destination.  Do not pay up front.  Pay only at the completion of your journey.

We told the driver we wanted to stop in Bran and then continue on to Sighisoara.   The driver told us he would do it and include a stop in Rasnov which was on the way to see the Rasnov Fortress.  He told us the rate and we considered the cost which would now be in addition to the day's rail pass we had intended to use.  The rate was reasonable for our own private taxi, additional stop in Rasnov to see the fortress and we would still arrive in Sighisoara around the same time as our original train; we decided to do it.

If you are adventurous and want to skip the train for something different, this may be something to consider.  Our recommendation is to plan to travel by train with a rail pass as we did but be open to other alternatives should they arise.  Of course, you can play by ear and wait to purchase a point-to-point ticket at the station or take a taxi.

Bran Castle, Romania Rasnov Fortress, Romania Sighisoara, Romania

Flat rate taxi around India

The dollar and other currencies are very strong against the Indian Rupee (INR).  It's important to know your exchange rate so that you can easily determine the value of something in your own currency.  Once you know the value, you can determine if it is worth paying for.

Driving in India is an adventure.  Riding in a cab is also an adventure.  You probably do not want to rent a car and take the chance that you would be involved in any kind of accident.  In India, it's inexpensive and easy to hire a private taxi for the day to take you wherever you want to go.  In fact, there are several all-day taxi rental companies you can find on the internet and we have listed one below as an example.  You may schedule something ahead of time, or your hotel should be able to help schedule something for you.  Either way, do some research ahead of time to familiarize yourself with the costs and what to expect.

Elephant in Traffic - Delhi, India

You can hire a cab at a fixed rate for the day to take you around Delhi to see the sites or even to Jaipur and the Taj Mahal in Agra.  Some companies may have set locations they will visit but you should be able to request a specific location if it is not on the list.  At each site, your driver will let you out and wait for you to return.  The time you spend at each location is up to you, keeping in mind the return time.

At your hotel, ask them to confirm with the taxi company the date and time they will pick you up, the rate and drop off time at the end of the day.

Your driver may not speak English, so our advice is to bring a physical map of Deli having circled your hotel and the sites you would like to see.  This will help to ensure there is no misunderstanding on where you want to go.

In some instances, your driver may pick up another person to act as a tour guide without your consent.  If this happens and you are interested in the guide, ask for the flat fee fixed rate.  Keep in mind that having a guide will definitely slow down the time it takes to visit each site as they will explain history and other information in detail.  If you are not interested, you may have to state over and over that you are not interested in the guide and you will not pay any additional fees.  You need to be firm in your statements as they can be persistent.

Your driver may also stop at a shopping area not on your list as they receive incentives to bring you in.  You are not obligated to go and may have to insist to continue on with your original plans if you are not interested.

Your driver may also state that some things are not safe or closed.  You need to do your research ahead of time on any specific location that may be in question.  You can always request to drive by to see for yourself and then make the decision if you want to explore it.  For example, our driver told us the Jame Masjid Muslim Mosque was closed, but we asked to go anyway to be sure.  As it turned out, the mosque was open so we were glad we went.  The mosque is located in Old Delhi and your driver will actually stop a distance from the mosque where you will take a Rickshaw the rest of the way.  Again, negotiate the round trip rickshaw fee before leaving on the ride.  Similar to your taxi, the rickshaw operator will wait for you to finish exploring the Mosque and then give you a ride back to your taxi.  This was an amazing place to see and experience and we highly recommend it.

Rickshaw Ride - Old Delhi, India Jame Masjid -Old Delhi, India

Our past travel experience in India was on a business trip and the company arranged a private taxi for us every weekend.  As our arrangements were taken care of for us, we did not have to schedule the service ourselves.  As an example for what we experienced, we have listed the site below.  The site shows several different tour options that are available and what you should expect to pay.  The prices are well in line with what we paid during our time in India.

I Love My India Website Example
 
1400 INR is about $22 for the entire day taxi rental for the Delhi attractions
*See website as additional nominal fees may apply
Another example on the same website is a day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal
7000 INR for an all inclusive trip costing about $108 for up to 4 people
Taj Mahal - Agra, India

Cash & Currency

If you intend to take a taxi, try to have enough cash on hand to cover your journey and any tips you plan to pay.  In some countries, drivers may only accept cash in their local currency, Euros or even American Dollars, but it's best to carry cash in the local currency to be safe. 

Be aware that drivers in other countries may not be equipped to process credit cards, so having exact cash in the local currency is the best option.

Drivers may not have change for large bills leaving you to pay a large tip or no tip at all.  We recommend carrying enough cash to cover the ride with some to spare in all denominations so that making change and tipping are not issues.

Be sure to read our page on Tipping Taxis Europe.

See our page on Foreign Currency for more information.

Traveling with a Backpack

See our notes for Backpacks on Public Transportation when traveling by Taxi.