Maybe1day

Are Taxi drivers in Spain obliged to to use the meter or is it just an accessory to a White car along with the light on the roof?

jonboy

I think taxi drivers are linked to an association in the area they cover and are expected to abide by the rules of the association. The association appears to answer to the council of the city/area.

Taxi en Malaga. Eurotaxis. Taxi-Unión Sociedad Cooperativa Andaluza

Radio Taxi Valencia – Teléfono 96 370 33 33

However some Taxi drivers with cabs that have standard markings will give you a handwritten receipt, even though the meter appears to be running. Others will take the scenic route and another has added just about every possible extra to the meter to bump up the fare! Most of the crap ones serve the hotels and airports/cruise ports. The vast majority seem to be honest, decent people who scrape a living (just) from their trade. The rest should be fed to Jeremy Clarkson!

big wheels

I'm sure that taxis operating within a city limit are obliged to use the meter. However if you are travelling out of the city there will be a set fare for your destination.
I can remember one example a few years ago where we jumped in a taxi outside The Malaga football stadium post match and asked for the bus station.

After around ten minutes going nowhere fast due to the football traffic and the meter clocking up the fare rapidly, the driver asked us our final destination. When we replied Torremolinos he looked at his list, advised us that he could get us there via the motorway for the then published rate of 12e.
This would probably work out cheaper in those traffic conditions than the metered fare to Malaga bus station, so we agreed and he turned the meter off.

cricketman

Exactly, that is how it works

On the meter inside urban areas, but if they cross a boundary into a different area then they must charge a set fee that appears in their book

Maybe1day

I live 5.4 Kms exactly from Malaga airport and they charge me 20 Euros, from the centre of Torremolinos 1.3 kms, they charge me 6 Euros. If I lived in Fuengirola would they charge me 120 Euros or better still from Estepona 400+ Euros? This is a ripoff even by Italian or Czech standards! Maybe they should get a good dose of UBER here too.

Lospacoshombre

I am in Fuengirola and in the last 12 months they have started using meters, the price of course has gone up, last year the prices were more realistic. So now I mostly walk as I am not prepared to be ripped off.

On the odd occasion I take a taxi I always tell them that I can take taxis in the UK for half the price they charge me here! (I live in the north and taxis are so cheap now it's frightening)

Regards
Al

davidinspain

A few years ago my ex-in-laws stayed in a villa on the Denia side of Oliva,over the fortnight they were never charged the same fare twice,even though several times having the same driver.

wilsman77

does anyone kno wif UBER is up and running again in spain? i downloaded the app last week (London) and what a fantastic way to get around without getting ripped off and no cash required along with a tracking facility so you kno where the car is....