No Need to Drink and Drive: Taxis are Everywhere in Puerto Vallarta!

Puerto Vallarta is a great cab town.  There are over one thousand yellow taxis; most are pretty bright and shiny. The cab drivers, known as taxistas, are usually friendly and most speak some English, at least enough to communicate with the Gringos. :) They normally wear a uniform white shirt that says "taxista".   It is easy to hail a cab night or day, especially if you are in a popular area. Cabs are regulated and safe in PV.

Here our friends Sandy & Jeff are leaving in a taxi.

I took this picture because Jeff owns

the Yellow Cabs in Columbus Ohio!

I am sure he had a good conversation with the driver. :)

There are a few tips that you should know though. First of all, when you arrive at the airport you do not take a regular yellow taxi. Instead there are white cars and vans, depending on the size of your group.  There are set fares depending on the zone where you are going. Right now I think the rate for a car to el centro (the city center or downtown) is $23 usd and about $40 usd for a van.  ALWAYS agree on the fare before you get in a taxi. Cabs are not metered so it is important to know what you are paying in advance. Rates are supposed to be fixed by zone but it is always best to negotiate before getting in the taxi. This goes for the white taxis at the airport and the yellow ones everywhere else. And by the way, when you return to the airport, you will pay the yellow cab about half of what is cost in the white cab when you arrived. Airport fees I suspect. Crazy but good.

The next thing you need to know is that the fare INCLUDES your tip. No additional tip is required unless the driver performs an extra service such as bag handling. This is similar to the US where you might tip a dollar or in this case 10 pesos a bag. Other times if he is extra friendly or gives you some good information you might add an extra 10 pesos.

Another thing to know is that cabs are very inexpensive. Unless you are staying outside of Vallarta in Nuevo Vallarta or Bucerias or somewhere on the North Shore, everything from the Marina to town will cost you less than $10, and in most cases a lot less. There is rarely a need for a car. It is difficult to find a place to park on the street and the garages are rather expensive. You might also take the bus. That is another blog, but know they are cheap and plentiful and safe as well.

This driver received an extra tip because he posed with our little "friend" Baldy. 

Notice he is wearing the official Taxista shirt.