Tricks of The Taxi Trade

Taxi is a convinient, inexpensive and relatively fast way to get around Buenos Aires. The only exception is during rush hour when it pays off to walk or just have a siesta.

But one should be careful when using taxis in Buenos Aires since it's not a very regulated industry and that opens up for bad apples. There is no training which means that everyone and his uncle is driving taxis. The taxi drivers aren't very friendly and have in most occasions no idea where restaurants or other destinations are.

The first thing to think about is to always use the Radio Taxis. They are more reputable and safer than the street taxis (very often run by the local mob). You recognize them by the the Radio Taxi sign on the roof and on the passenger doors. To call them is the best thing but you can also hail them on the street. Just be sure that it really is a Radio Taxi.

The street taxis are known to prey on tourists, outside the airport, outside banks and restaurants. Never grab a taxi that is waiting outside any of these areas. You'll be asking for trouble.

The most common ways of releaving tourists from their hard earned money is:

1) Pick them up outside a bank or a restaurant and then robb them. People tend to be safe when they are in a taxi but the truth of the matter is the reverse. Ever heard of captive audience?
2) Fake an engine breakdown and ask the tourist to take the taxi behind (which is driven by a mob friend) and then robb them.
3) Use counterfeit money as return change.

Here are the main things to think about:
1) Only use Radio Taxis. If at a restaurant or hotel ask them to call one for you, especially if you are a little intoxicated. Otherwise only hail moving Radio Taxis.
2) Give directions by street and cross street, not by restaurant name. For example: Calle Uriarte (street) con Honduras (cross street) en Palermo Viejo (neighborhood). That said, once at the location, ask him to drive all the way up to the hotel or outside the restaurant. The driver is less likely to pull any tricks while other people are watching.
3) Always have exact change. Once you have paid, get out of the taxi. If the taxi driver is making an argument, just walk away.
4) Check that your bills are valid by looking for the water stamp. Do this so that the taxi driver can see that you are aware of the counterfeit tricks. A common trick is for the taxi driver to exchange your bill for a counterfreit and then return it too you saying that it's counterfeit. That has happened to us twice, fell for it once.
5) If the driver is pulling any crap like engine breakdown, need to stop to check the oil, fill up gas, pick up something on the way et cetera just get out and walk away.
6) Ask the driver to take the major streets and then observe where you are going. It's a great way to get to know the city as well as knowing where you are at any moment.
7) Chit-chat with the driver. Football is always a popular subject as is weather. That gives you an idea of what kind of person the driver is and shows that you are not just the average dumb tourist.

Stick with these rules are you'll be fine. We have taken about hundred taxi rides in Buenos Aires and only had trouble twice: the first time the driver argued counterfeit and we just left and the second time (after a visit to a restaurant at nightime) we fell for the counterfeit + letting us off in a dark spot around the corner of our hotel trick. Lost AR$10 (US$3) which is a small price to pay for an important lesson.