I guess what you have been paying in Goa is around the standard rate - way over the top, as everyone knows.
You may have noticed the rates painted on the taxi windows, something they never use, so why have them (for the locals ?)
For the last 2 years they have tried to bring in a meter service which as you would expect caused uproar. Avoid taxis when possible and take the local bus.
Spike

Hi All,

It seems to be that the standard short journey taxi fair is now 100 Rs for example from the top of Baga to the middle of Calangute. Its approx 60-80 Rs on a Rickshaw for the same journey......but get this!......only 5 Rs on the bus for the same journey.

For most short trips now in Goa i prefer the bus......its great fun, cheap and a fabulous experience with bollywood music blasting out the speakers and locals carrying everything from every day items to live chickens. I always come off the bus with a big smile and i recommend that every tourist should try it plus its such a saving!

Regards,
BB

I second the bus idea! Got one from Panjim to Baga and it was fine. It was easy there though as it had a bus station. Where do you get on the bus in baga? Can you flag it down anywhere?

There were literally hundreds of taxis parked up doing nothing while we were there in November.

A lot seem to be owned by cartels.I think they may just rent them out.It must still pay.

I must admit I really hate the rip off prices in Goa for taxis and we now hire a scooter to get around during the day.

However I will not use it at night so end up getting wound up trying to negotiate for a short journey.My OH says just pay but the robbing B******s really wind me up.

Papa

Compared to taxis at home they are still cheap. Petrol has gone sky high the world over.
The most we paid was R400 from the Marinha Dourada to Souymens Kitchen and back again.If you use taxis all the time it does add up over the course of your holiday so we walk as much as possible because it's healthier and compensates for all the over indulgence !

If you are a regular visitor to Goa you will most likely have your own taxi driver anyhow.

I have three local Goan taxi drivers who are dependable and honest who i use all the time.
I have been to their houses many times and it was always a pleasure to meet their families.
Having said that, i still use the buses for most short runs, from Arpora to Baga or Calangute etc.......for longer tour type trips i book one of my taxi drivers. They always are able to take me places and show my things that i would otherwise miss on the bus.

I think when talking about taxi fares we have to remember that for 6 months of the year in Goa Taxi Drivers make practically no money, so i really don't mind forking out a hundred rupees now and then .......by western standards its still for nothing and it helps support them and their families. Also a lot of taxi drivers don't own their taxi but rent it and at the end of the day after costs they make very little!

When you get to know the rates.....stick to them!......and ALWAYS agree the fare price BEFORE getting into the taxi!!!

Regards,
BB

Completely agree with you Bagaboffin, although I don't have a taxi regular driver.
I forgot, my most expensive taxi was from Arpora to the airport. After midnight, and it's nearly an hours drive....R800. Our house to Manchester airport is an hours drive...£90.

Have to disagree chaps.

Essentially what you are saying is its ok to pay 4 or 5 times more the official rate just because we are tourists.

The reason there are so many taxis parked up doing nothing in Goa is that they are making plenty off us gullible tourists.

It is exactly the same as getting in a taxi in England and the driver refusing to use his meter and picking any figure he chooses.You would just walk away.

The fact that it is still cheap compared to home is irrelevant and it is this whole attitude that has made Goa what it is.

I honestly think they must look at us with contempt and laugh at our stupidity.

A rip off is a rip off whichever way you choose to dress it up.

Rant over

Papa

Hi Papa,

No don't think i said that.
What i am saying is agree the price prior to the journey....if your not happy then by all means walk away.
In all tourist areas throughout the world you pay inflated prices...... but you always have a choice whether to use the service or not!

In Goa we have buses, taxis, rickshaws, motorbikes.......plenty of choice.
Even in all the restaurants and bars along the beach belt prices are also inflated compared with inland but we still use them......this is part of life which aint gonna change anyway soon.

Have to say that I totally agree with Papa.

On my last visit, on approaching a taxi driver outside of my hotel, I could plain & simply see in their faces as they try to work out how much they could take me for. As soon as they give me a ridiculous quote, I tell them 'you must be joking' & walk away. Then the chase is on .... by that time I tell them that I no longer trust them & will give me business for the remainder of my stay to another more honest & trustworthy taxi driver. You should see the look on their faces .... and still they persist crying out 'sorry' over & over again & literally begging you to let them take you for cheaper.

By this time I'm already talking to another taxi driver, agreeing a deal & driving off ..... not forgetting to look behind to see the gutted look on the idiot that tried to rip me off.

You may think this is cruel .... but it's a taste of their own medicine.

But all is not lost .... bumping into the same taxi driver again outside the Osborne Hotel, he is a changed man & offering you his services for a much more sensible price.

As soon as they give me a ridiculous quote, I tell them 'you must be joking' & walk away.

Stepsahead..I think you are agreeing with me and Bagaboffin !!!

We did say ask first .

yes .... i mean no .... oh b*gger ... need a large glass of honeybee!!!

lets all agree to disagree to agree about disagreeing . Agreed???

Pay the published fare as you get in the taxi; don't ask what the fare will be and don't wait until you get there to find out.

If you do it nice & casually like you make the journey several times a day then there's never a problem. The drivers seem to just assume you know what the correct fare should be and rarely try it on.

do it nice & casually like you make the journey several times a day then there's never a problem.

and tell them when you get in that you hope they have change because you only have a R10 note !!!!

Difficult to find out what the published fare would be for small journeys between say Calangute Candolim because they will not display the rate nor use their meters and this is my point.

When you go into a restaurant you are given a menu which displays the prices of the food.You can then choose to eat or not.

When you get into a Taxi he is supposed to use a meter and display the rate per kilometre which I am not sure of but think aroun 17rps per KM.This is the law but none of them obey it and this is why there are so many taxis parked up doing nothing.Because they earn enough by robbing us to sit around for days at a time.

It is exactly the same as certain shops which I suppose I cannot name putting higher price stickers over the MRRP.The MRRP is the law but they ignore it because we are gullible tourists.Most of you will know which places I mean.

Top and bottom of it we are being robbed.I know we cannot change it but you cannot dress it up any other way.

Papa

Papa wrote:

Difficult to find out what the published fare would be for small journeys between say Calangute Candolim because they will not display the rate nor use their meters and this is my point.

Not really, as long as you know roughly how far you're going then it's pretty simple to work out. Use your figure of 17 Ru /km and knowing it's about 3.5 Km the fare should be about 60 rupees so give them 60 rupees as you get in.

40 Km from Candolim to the airport so it should cost about 700 rupess.

Use 20 rupees if it makes the maths easier. It's really not rocket science.

Is it illegal to sell at over MRRP? maybe unethical but surely not illegal.

Also most minicabs (as opposed to Taxis) round us don't have meters. Taxis in India not using their meter - it's the same but different as far as I can see.

Are the rates per kilometre sometimes painted on the windscreen ? Talking of tourist prices we had Indian friends of ours over for a meal and after we had finished we got out some of the small sweets you get in the restaurants. They are like tiny 100's & 1000's liquorice flavour (supposed to help with digestion) he asked how much they were, we told him 50rps he was shocked and told us they should be no more than 5 rps....Keith

I don't think you would get anybody to take you from Calangute to Candolim for 60rps. I wish. When we go to the meet ups from Calangute we usually pay 150rps, on the return we were quite often told 500rps when we asked. I won't print my reply to that. Have to admit this year was the first time we have experiences rip off taxi drivers in 11 years. I would rather walk.