www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I have posted about taxis before here on CRT, the do's and don'ts, how to spot licensed cabs versus "piratas," how to ask the driver to use the taximeter "ponga la maria, por favor..."

In light of some scams and hassles, I have some information to add.

1. Never ask a cabbie for a strip club or massage parlor recommendation. NEVER. The cab driver will inevitably take you to someplace where he'll get a commission from the house. This means you'll usually get fleeced. When I read another poster saying that taxistas often said that Pantera Rosa was "a bad place," I knew that something was rotten in the canton of San Jose.

2. If you're going to Zona Blue and want your VIP discount there, be sure to tell the driver that you have been many times to ZB, that you are a member and that he will receive no commission. If ZB has to pay the taxi commission, you won't get the discount. It's that simple.

3. If possible, negotiate all this before getting into the cab. Speaking Spanish really helps here.

4. I am not sure if this is a matter of law, regulation or custom, or if it's simply a scam, but taxistas parked immediately outside the HDR and other hotels often charge a 1,000 colones minimum fare. Even if the normal fare would have been 2/3 that amount, you'll pay 1,000.
On my last trip, I asked one of them if he would use the meter. He said no, that hotel taxis weren't required to use the meter. I believe this to be bull$hit, and I told him "If you've got a license, you have to have a meter, and if it's before midnight, you have to use it." With the help of another CRT bro, I hailed a cab on calle 9.

5. Always carry exact change. I rode three times with the same cabbie on my last trip. Everytime I presented a 1,000 or 2,000 colones bill for an average 650 colones fare, he'd sadly inform me that he had no change. I found the change and paid him the exact amount. On my third ride, I noticed he was throwing the coins into a big plastic bowl... in other words, he had more coins than a video arcade, and the story about not having change was probably a lame attempt to get a huge propina.

6. Getting belligerent or angry with the taxistas does absolutely no good. Try to avoid hassles with the cabbies by negotiating before you get into the cab. As is the case with licensed U.S. cabs, a red tico cab will have a license sticker; in the event of a serious problem write down the license number, tag number and time of day. You can then contact the police or the taxi commission in San Jose to file a complaint. Never physically threaten a cabbie.

7. Ask other CRT guys what normal fares should be between popular destinations. I'm going to list some from-to itineraries and ask veterans to fill in the blanks per their experiences. Knowing the usual fares will help you avoid being ripped off. Often, you can just hand the driver the correct fare without either asking or even glancing at the meter; if you know the common fares for that particular trip, he probably won't complain about it. I always round up to the nearest 100 colones, giving him the extra as a propina. In other words, if the fare is 740, I'll give him 800. No other tip is expected or necessary.

Guys, help me with some common fares/destinations:

FROM / TO

Hotel Presidente / Zona Blue

Hotel Del Rey/ Blue Marlin / Kamur

Sportsmen's Lodge / Pantera Rosa

Hotel Presidente / Oasis

Hotel Presidente / SL

HDR / SL

New Fantasy / Sabana Norte



I think you'll find that most fares in the downtown/Gulch area are less than 800 colones. Trips from the Gulch to Escazu or San Pedro might be a good deal more. A cab from the area near Pollo Kentucky (KFC) on Paseo Colon to the HDR might be around 1,000. I hope veterans will help fill in the blanks here.

Remember that at the Costa Rican prices, it's cheaper by far to take a cab than it is to be robbed or mugged. Always take cabs at night, particularly if you're going to the zona roja areas (Arkadas, Monaco, VIPs, JetSet) or to Pantera Rosa. I also wouldn't walk around Parque Morazan or Parque Espana at night. But that's just me.


Another way to avoid taxi hassles is to know the layout of the city and to have a good idea of where your destination is located. On no fewer than four taxi rides on my last trip, we had to coach the taxista on where to go. Some of these guys are totally clueless about the street geography of their own hometown! Others milk the meter by taking the long way around. Now, understand...many of the routes to favorite spots are far from direct, thanks to the numerous and nonsensical one-way streets in San Jose, but you should still have a good idea of where to go. Avoid getting ripped off!

Hope all this helps.

_________________
Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

EC,

Nice post. Yeah the cab situation in and around the gulch can be interesting to say the least. I always asked for the maria and most of the time they said it was broken so I always got a set price agreed upon before I got in the cab. Anyway thought I'd post this:

DR to SL 500 colones (as of September)

just a word of caution to 1st timers to CR, I had several cabbies offer to get me all kinds of stuff that is banned on this board, I strongly advise not to partake...can only lead to trouble.

Maboman

I took a taxi at rush hour, after dark, in the rain from HDR to the SL. Cabbie ignored my request for "maria por favor." Trip took 10 minutes because of traffic & one way streets. Taxista tried to gouge me for when I arrived at SL.

I turned the tables and played dumb with my spanglish. Both frustrated, I waved over the friendly, pistol'd doorman at the SL. Taxista changed his tune. 1000 colones. Not a great deal, but not too bad.


The moral of the story for newbies: In San Jose, always wear clean underwear.

RHM

During Super Bowl weekend I was leaving the Del Rey for Best Western at Ave 7 & Calle 6 (alone) and hopped into a taxi right outside. I asked him how much and he said 2,000.
I said 1,000. He said 1,500 and I said no and started to get out. He never said a word but let me walk.

I went 1 block down to the Morazon hotel and got a taxi for 1000.


I also found that leaving the Best Western and going to Sportsmens Lodge the taxi driver's were clueless. I would tell them Ave 9 and Calle 13 and they still didn't have a clue.

I would then show them the WORLD FAMOUS GETRHYTM MAP and they would study it for about 1 minute then the light would go on and they would understand that it was 11 blocks down Calle 7 (the same street we were on) and 1 block north.

Always carry a map with you. You just never know where you might end up and with whom you are traveling. It's also helpful to carry a card from your hotel, just in case.

Good input El Ciego,

HDR to Sabana Park area 1800 colones

Escazu is a little more depending on where you are going but still in the 4 to 6 buck range.

The map helps a lot. I am 0 for 4 in taxis that know where Zona Blue is

That's great advice (both RHM about the clean underwear) and Witling.

One thing that first-timers will quickly discover is that despite the fact that streets are named/numbered and the taxistas are required to pass a street geography test to get their licenses...most cabbies are clueless about what we consider street addresses.

If not a map or business card, one needs to know landmarks. For example, to the Sudamer Apartments: "300 metros al este de la Clinica Biblica, 25 metros al sur, mano izquierda, el tercer porton. Hay un rotulo que dice "Sudamer." (300 meters east of the Clinica Biblica, 25 meters south on the left-hand side, third gate. There's a sign saying "Sudamer.") Also, cabbies have a tendency to play dumb, and having the biz card or map ensures that they'll give you a better fare.

A word about pirate cabs "piratas..." These cabs are unlicensed and are usually not recommended. They are not equipped with meters. If you find yourself stranded, particularly in the wee hours of the morning, a pirate may be your only transportation. Clearly negotiate with the driver before getting into the cab,m and be vigilant as you travel with the pirate driver. I used pirates a half dozen times on my last trip, but YMMV as to the cost and quality of the experience.

_________________
Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

If you are staying at the SL btw make sure to get a business card from the front desk, it has the instructions printed on the back of the card. I found it very usefull a few times.

Maboman

Three different times on my last trip, I was given the 2000 colones fare pickup routine outside of the Presidente. One was in the back, no meter. One was just outside the door, don't know about meter. The third was at the corner outside the News Cafe. I went back in and asked the clerk at the counter about it and he explained that hotel pickups are more expensive than normal pickups. Doesn't make sense but, for that timeframe I was there, all the taxis seemed to work in concert. I walked up the street a little and got a metered taxi on each occasion.

Have a Great Day,

Dave