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- Tips for Dealing with Colombian Taxis
Over the years of living in Colombia, dealing with Colombian taxis has always been an issue that annoyed me
Sometimes people will ask me what are some of the things I don’t like about Colombia….
Right away, they will ask about the violence, drugtrafficking, Pablo Escobar….
Even though Pablo Escobar has been dead for some time but I’m sure his ghost is a problem these days 
In Bogota?
Taxi drivers are a little bit more honest here and less likely to be involved with criminal groups
And generally in my experience they do a better job here in Bogota at getting you to where you need to go in a quick time
Especially if you are direct and respectful to them in saying that you need to quickly show up somewhere
However, even though the taxi drivers in Bogota are relatively better, the taxi drivers in the rest of the country are shit in my opinion
Why is that?
Well, mostly because they will do every trick in the book to try and scam you out of money.
As mentioned in previous articles, some of them are even connected to criminal groups that will try to steal your money with a gun.
Others will just do stupid stuff all the time to rip you off
Let me just think of a few examples….
- One time when I was in a taxi in Cali, I gave the taxi driver some ticket that showed the price. It was clearly written. I get in the taxi. Half way in the taxi ride he tries lying to me about the number on the ticket. He starts saying that the 6 is a 9 to make the price bigger. I guess he thought I was stupid and wouldn’t argue? Well he didn’t get the price he wanted but that kind of situation pissed me off.
- Other times taxi drivers in Colombia will try to double the normal price if you are a foreigner because they think you don’t know what the local prices are. And if you argue back, they’d rather lose out on a opportunity to make some fair money if they can’t scam you.
- Moreover, some taxi drivers will pretend they didn’t know where they are going half way into the trip and claim that the price is actually double what you two agreed upon. Regardless, you already agreed upon a price. Just give the guy the original price and tell him to kick rocks if he gets angry at the end of the ride.
In my experience, taxi drivers in Colombia are usually dishonest and always try to scam you. In worst cases, they are working with some criminal group to literally steal from you.
So dealing with Colombian taxis has always been a problem
So…..
What is the best way for dealing with Colombian taxis?
Well, there are a few things.
Sometimes Colombian drivers in some parts of Colombia, like Bogota, will use a taxi meter.
In these cases, some of the taxi drivers will obviously try to rip you off by going some longer route.
The basic way to deal with this is to tell the guy which way to go and to try and avoid him taking a longer route to get to where you are going.
However, in most of Colombia, taxi meters are not used.
So here’s a few tips for dealing with Colombian taxis
First, you will need Spanish. Most Colombians do not speak decent English.
Second, even if they do speak English, they are more likely to scam you if you don’t speak Spanish.
In my experience, Colombian taxi drivers are going to be a little more honest if you can speak their language.
For whatever reason, it’s simply the way it is.
Now you don’t have to speak perfect Spanish. Just enough to understand the conversation and negotiate prices
Second, you never enter the taxi before negotiating the price.
That’s just plain stupid.
If you enter, the guy will keep on driving and assume he has you in the bag on whatever price will be charged
You can negotiate while in the taxi but he will assume you won’t say no since you are already in his taxi.
Furthermore, he’s already taking you away from whatever spot you are in where you may have thought was a good place to find a taxi.
So always negotiate the price before getting in the taxi.
Just walk up to the door of the taxi driver and he will lower the mirror or open his door slightly.
You then negotiate.
Simple as that.
If you don’t have any experience living in the Colombian city you are in, maybe ask some people who live there how much it would cost by taxi.
They don’t really have any incentive to lie.
Which then will give you a basic number to go by before negotiating.
Always have a “walk away number.”
Basically, if the taxi driver wants to charge you lower than the lowest number you are willing to pay and won’t negotiate on it, just walk away
In some cases, I have had taxi drivers yell back when walking away that my final number is fine.
Like in any negotiation, you need to have a final number and stick to it.
Third, if the Colombian taxi driver is trying to charge you in US dollars (which is rare), then just walk away.
This is good advice for anybody in Colombia trying to charge you in US dollars for their service.
The reason being is that anybody trying to charge you in US dollars is already trying to rip you off from my experience
They look at you like a walking ATM machine for being a foreigner and will charge maybe 10 USD for a taxi ride
When maybe the normal rate is 2 or 3 bucks
Again, it’s rare for a taxi driver to try to negotiate in USD, but some do in the same way others who deal with tourists try to do the same
Additionally, it is always better to have a Colombian negotiate for you then it is for you to negotiate.
The reason being is that you are simply more likely to be scammed or viewed as a walking ATM for having a foreign accent.
Period.
With a Colombian negotiating for you, the taxi driver is more likely to assume that the other person knows the local prices
That they can negotiate in Spanish well enough
And that they probably don’t have endless amounts of money to spend on a taxi ride
Which is what a lot of taxi drivers will assume of you for being foreign…
That you have lots of money to spend on them.
In many cases, I would just have the girl I was with at the time negotiate.
Now, if you are having some girl you are dating negotiate the price…
You need to know a few things…
First, you need to tell her to negotiate.
It seems obvious but a lot of Colombian women will not negotiate.
They will simply ask for the price, nod and then enter the vehicle.
The reason being is that they are not the ones paying for the taxi ride.
So why do they care if the taxi ride is too expensive?
Not their money.
So just make it clear to her that she needs to negotiate and what your final price is.
And tell her not to enter the taxi right after hearing what the taxi driver is offering
Too many times I’ve been with a Colombian woman who would just enter the taxi right afterwards
Once all of that is said and done and you have a price, most likely nothing is going to happen.
However, as mentioned in previous articles, some Colombian taxi drivers are associated with organized crime.
So check what else I have written to have better advice on how to spot a Colombian taxi driver that might betrying to set you up to get robbed.
And make sure to protect yourself with a money belt or a travel pouch to protect your belongings while traveling to Colombia
Otherwise, the only other issue you will have with a taxi driver from this point on is the taxi driver messing with you on the trip
For example, some taxi drivers will drive a longer route to get to where you are going
As said before in this article, there is a way for dealing with this that I already explained.
Moreover, others will try to lie to you and change the price halfway in the trip
Above all, the basic way to deal with this is to maintain composure and argue back with the guy
Once the ride is over, pay him what you all initially agreed upon
If he is angry, he can kick rocks.
Not your problem. He was trying to scam you. Forget him and move on if that happens.
Therefore, having said all of that, I hope you enjoy this basic advice for dealing with Colombian taxis.
Some of them can be real scammers when it comes to the price and it is honestly one of the things I dislike most about living here.
Fortunately, I don’t need a taxi everyday and they are not as bad in Bogota as elsewhere in the country.
If you have any questions, make sure to write them below.
Thanks for reading.
Hasta luego parceros,
Seth
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