Taxi fares up?
by JACK 
, Saturday, December 10, 2016, 18:31 (3627 days ago)
I just got hit for 30 pesos to get home. Driver had a brand spanking new fare sheet that says 30 pesos in town and December 2016. Are they jumping the gun? Nothing in the papers about this increase being approved yet.
Taxi fares up?
by ZihuaRob 
, Zihuatanejo, México, Saturday, December 10, 2016, 18:47 (3627 days ago) @ JACK
I just got hit for 30 pesos to get home. Driver had a brand spanking new fare sheet that says 30 pesos in town and December 2016. Are they jumping the gun? Nothing in the papers about this increase being approved yet.
No authorized rate hike has been approved that I'm aware of either, but everyone has been expecting them to jump the gun. A rate hike sheet needs to be on official Estado de Guerrero letterhead and stamped with a state seal of the Director de la Comisión Técnica de Transporte y Vialidad del Estado de Guerrero - Delegación Zihuatanejo with his signature on top of the stamp. Any jerk can type up and print out their own rate sheet, so ten mucho ojo.
Taxi fares up?
by midalake , Saturday, December 10, 2016, 19:11 (3626 days ago) @ ZihuaRob
I have been seeing fake taxi rate sheets for years.
D
Taxi fares up?
As I understand it there are more taxis in Zihuatanejo than needed. It is also my understanding that the vast majority of the taxi drivers either lease their taxi’s on a per diem basis (200 peso’s a shift +/-) or they own the vehicle and pay a royalty to the taxi company they represent.
Additionally they pay for their own gas and in the case of the leased vehicle they are also responsible for repairs and damages.
This is what I have been told by numerous drivers over many years. They vast majority of the drivers I have had over the years are just guys trying to eek out a living for their families, many either doing double shifts or working a second job.
My point, these people are doing the best they can. They are human beings trying to survive in a place with a work environment foreign to most of us. Hunger is a great motivator, probably something that most of us don’t deal with as a way of life.
So my point, 5 damn pesos! A whole 25 cents……..wow! What the hell can you buy for 25 cents? I suppose if you add up all the 25 cents at the end of the day the guy picked up an extra $2.00 US. Now he can buy some carne or leche or hueveos for his family.
Give it a rest bitching about 25 cents. Please!
And yes if it was a 3 or 4 dollar gambit I wouldn’t bite either!
Taxi fares up?
by La Reina , Saturday, December 10, 2016, 23:21 (3626 days ago) @ QuietWatcher
I agree with you and your approach. I don't mind paying the extra five pesos.
Taxi fares up?
Taxi fares up?
by midalake , Sunday, December 11, 2016, 01:02 (3626 days ago) @ QuietWatcher
Really not the point.....How about a fare form Ixtapa to Z being quoted at 95 pesos not the real fare of 65? Or how about when I am short on time and they want 60 pesos in Ixtapa.
Do the rest of us a favor that spend lots of time here...........pay the actual rate and don't act like every job in Mexico is working for charity wages.
If ANY of the taxis in Z want to bitch let them go to other parts of the region and see how much they will make
D
Taxi fares up?
by cd69 , Winnipeg,MB,Canada, Sunday, December 11, 2016, 02:41 (3626 days ago) @ QuietWatcher
As much as I understand what you mean and that increase is for us a very small amount, for locals and folks living there, it isn't ad the vast majority of people using cabs are not foreigners so any increase affects them a lot more. This is not about the tourists that come for a week or two. When someone try to cheat on rates, being for a cab ride or any services, it has a trickle down effect on the local population. This has been clearly explained on this site many times already...
Taxi fares up?
by ZihuaRob , Zihuatanejo, México, Sunday, December 11, 2016, 09:58 (3626 days ago) @ cd69
Thank you for getting it. Disappointed to see so many foreigners think this is all about them.
Taxi fares up?
So my point, 5 damn pesos! A whole 25 cents……..wow! What the hell can you buy for 25 cents? I suppose if you add up all the 25 cents at the end of the day the guy picked up an extra $2.00 US. Now he can buy some carne or leche or hueveos for his family.Give it a rest bitching about 25 cents. Please!
Stand in front of a school and watch how many children arrive with their families in taxis. If you have more than 3 people a taxi is cheaper. Most local citizens do not have cars but rely on public transportation. Those 5 pesos add up quickly to a kilo of tortillas.
Taxi fares up?
by ZihuaRob , Zihuatanejo, México, Sunday, December 11, 2016, 09:59 (3626 days ago) @ OlsenMN
Stand in front of a school and watch how many children arrive with their families in taxis. If you have more than 3 people a taxi is cheaper. Most local citizens do not have cars but rely on public transportation. Those 5 pesos add up quickly to a kilo of tortillas.
Attaboy! Glad to see us finally on the same page! 
Taxi fares up?
by frostbite , Hamilton MT, Sunday, December 11, 2016, 09:35 (3626 days ago) @ QuietWatcher
I tend to tip, especially if the driver helps unload the stuff from the trunk. Last night we took a cab from Papa Loca back to La Madera. Traffic was terrible due to parades and it took us 45 minutes to get home. Needless to say, he got a lot more than just the fare.
Taxi fares up?
We use your approach. Always tip and pay more if they have had to fight delays. If they give me an inaccurate charge we tip nothing. If it is excessive we pay the correct amount and leave. You get a lot more from us if you are honest.
Taxi fares up?
by ZihuaRob , Zihuatanejo, México, Sunday, December 11, 2016, 10:02 (3626 days ago) @ frostbite
Foreigners tipping for no reason is what causes the taxi unions to seek rate hikes just before the tourist season. If they unload your groceries it's one thing. If they just drive you from point A to point B it's another.
Taxi fares up?
by frostbite , Hamilton MT, Sunday, December 11, 2016, 16:32 (3626 days ago) @ ZihuaRob
Foreigners tipping for no reason is what causes the taxi unions to seek rate hikes just before the tourist season. If they unload your groceries it's one thing. If they just drive you from point A to point B it's another.
Point A was Papa Loca, point B was home on La Madera. A trip that would normally take about 5 minutes, with normal traffic, took about 45 minutes. Hence the generous tip, since he could have had several other trips, rather than being stuck in and around the mess at Plaza Kyoto.
Taxi fares up?
by ZihuaRob , Zihuatanejo, México, Sunday, December 11, 2016, 17:57 (3626 days ago) @ frostbite
Really? With 600 other taxis in town you know he would've had several other trips? Please take the time to read my reply to Larry's question in a separate thread. Your actions have consequences for locals that you appear totally unaware of.
Taxi fares up?
by wcameron , Monday, December 12, 2016, 01:03 (3625 days ago) @ ZihuaRob
Sorry Rob, as one of the lucky Canucks that are NOT frosty at the moment, I'll go with Frosty on this one. Whether the driver, or may not have, had other opportunities for trips, I look at rates just the same as I would back home. Here they may have a SET rate for a SET distance, but that can be folly with changing conditions. In most places there is both a per mile/km rate as well as a per minute increment.
If driving me to a location that is clogged by events beyond the driver's control, I will tip far more generously, mainly because the are not compensated for that time. In Canada, it is unnecessary because the meter constantly spins away every minute. Ironically, the more we watch it spin due to seconds rather than distance, the harder any tip becomes.
Might those drivers have gotten more fares if they weren't stuck with me? maybe yes, maybe no. The meter is the mediator in most jurisdictions. Here, it lies in the kindness of the people in the back seat.
--
Fine Art Photographer. Images are available for purchase here: Ward Cameron on Pixels.com
Taxi fares up?
Hola
Coming from centro to our casa Sunday we took a taxi. It was quick uneventful trip. Upon arriving the driver insisted that the rates had increased on Dec 1. After a short "discussion" I gave him his 25 pesos and said adios. Forgot to get the cab number. Later that day my wife ran up to the corner and brought a taxi to our casa. We loaded it up with food and cervazas that we were taking to a friends place for dinner. He knew a short cut to where we were going so we arrived very quickly. After unloading our goodies I gave him the 25 peso fare. I also got out my roll of quarters and gave him a few. Two very different attitudes in the drivers.
Roll of quarters?
by needshendy , Monday, December 12, 2016, 09:11 (3625 days ago) @ victorio
I must be missing something here.
What good are US quarters to locals? Inconvenient enough for them to change US $'s, loose change is worthless. Or what?
Please enlighten me.
Roll of quarters?
by ZihuaRob , Zihuatanejo, México, Monday, December 12, 2016, 09:22 (3625 days ago) @ needshendy
Change in foreign currency is pretty useless here to the great majority of us. Anyone gives me change is gonna get it thrown back at them!
Taxi fares up?
Frosty,good move,no taxi wants to wait in traffic,esp from papa loca to Madera.
Effect on locals
by ZihuaRob , Zihuatanejo, México, Sunday, December 11, 2016, 09:55 (3626 days ago) @ QuietWatcher
Excuse me, but it's NOT 25 cents or whatever to us Mexican residents. It's the difference in whether we can afford to have fresh tortillas or not, whether we give our children milk or water, whether we have fresh fruit or not. The increment is unjustified, and as you pointed out there are too many taxi drivers and not enough customers, and THAT is the fault of the state government for issuing too many permits to curry favors at election times, just like the eventual approval of this rate hike will be. It's not on us citizens to make an oversaturated industry cost viable for its excessive number of employees. In a true market economy they should have to either find a different line of work or move on to somewhere where the market isn't oversaturated. The great majority of my fellow Mexican citizens are against permitting this rate hike unless the owners of the micros, Urvans and taxis upgrade all their vehicles as well. For those of us scrounging out a living here where more and more people are competing for fewer and fewer jobs, 10 additional pesos a day for transportation is a big deal. I hope you can appreciate that. This isn't about what foreigners can afford. You folks are a drop in the bucket among the local population, and I'm surprised I should have to point that out to you, old timer that you are.
Effect on locals
"You folks are a drop in the bucket among the local population, and I'm surprised I should have to point that out to you, old timer that you are."
Read Below:
"The most important economic activity for the municipality is tourism, with the major attractions being the beaches. Most international visitors come between November and December and most Mexican tourists come in December, April, July and August. Seventy-one percent of the municipality's population is engaged in the commercial and tourism sector of the economy.[1] Outside of Zihuatanejo Bay, some of most important beaches include Quieta Beach, Majahua Beach, Playa Larga and others.[1][22] Prior to the 1970s, economic activity was based on fishing and agriculture.[2] At that time, the federal government decided to make a planned resort at Ixtapa, just north of the municipal seat of Zihuatanejo, constructed on what was once a coconut plantation and mangrove estuary.[13] It is a complete tourist center with a hotel strip three kilometers (1.9 mi) long, white sands, shopping centers, restaurants, nightclubs, golf courses, residences.[2][6]"
Apparently you totally missed the point that your entire website is for the benefit of the tourism trade. Go thru it and take out all the restaurants and hotels and what you have left is "squat"! Now it becomes a local rag for which most locals don't need any way!
And I am sure the only reason you have your site in Spanish is to capture Mexican TOURISTS!
Do you honestly believe there isn't a double standard on taxi fares? One for touristas and one for locals?
As I said earlier I don't bite for ludicrous false taxi rates either but 5 pesos is 5 pesos and it still doesn't buy much! Beats sticking up banks, street robberies, burglaries and drug sales.
So, now I'll finish packing for my 23rd visit to Zihua, also putting a couple of rolls of quarters in, to exhange for 5 pesos coins so I can pay the excessive exorbitant taxi fares. I think I will also throw away the big brown envelope full of eyeglasses we were going to drop off to your Saintly wife...........perish the thought that we might hamper the ophthalmology trade in Zihuatanejo.
Of course they will get dropped off, but you get the idea!
Really sorry that 5 pesos can crawl so deeply under some peoples skin!
Effect on locals
by ZihuaRob , Zihuatanejo, México, Sunday, December 11, 2016, 11:32 (3626 days ago) @ QuietWatcher
"You folks are a drop in the bucket among the local population, and I'm surprised I should have to point that out to you, old timer that you are."
Read Below:"The most important economic activity for the municipality is tourism, with the major attractions being the beaches. Most international visitors come between November and December and most Mexican tourists come in December, April, July and August. Seventy-one percent of the municipality's population is engaged in the commercial and tourism sector of the economy.[1] Outside of Zihuatanejo Bay, some of most important beaches include Quieta Beach, Majahua Beach, Playa Larga and others.[1][22] Prior to the 1970s, economic activity was based on fishing and agriculture.[2] At that time, the federal government decided to make a planned resort at Ixtapa, just north of the municipal seat of Zihuatanejo, constructed on what was once a coconut plantation and mangrove estuary.[13] It is a complete tourist center with a hotel strip three kilometers (1.9 mi) long, white sands, shopping centers, restaurants, nightclubs, golf courses, residences.[2][6]"
Apparently you totally missed the point that your entire website is for the benefit of the tourism trade. Go thru it and take out all the restaurants and hotels and what you have left is "squat"! Now it becomes a local rag for which most locals don't need any way!
And I am sure the only reason you have your site in Spanish is to capture Mexican TOURISTS!
Do you honestly believe there isn't a double standard on taxi fares? One for touristas and one for locals?
As I said earlier I don't bite for ludicrous false taxi rates either but 5 pesos is 5 pesos and it still doesn't buy much! Beats sticking up banks, street robberies, burglaries and drug sales.
So, now I'll finish packing for my 23rd visit to Zihua, also putting a couple of rolls of quarters in, to exhange for 5 pesos coins so I can pay the excessive exorbitant taxi fares. I think I will also throw away the big brown envelope full of eyeglasses we were going to drop off to your Saintly wife...........perish the thought that we might hamper the ophthalmology trade in Zihuatanejo.
Of course they will get dropped off, but you get the idea!
Really sorry that 5 pesos can crawl so deeply under some peoples skin!
Wow! All I can say politely is that you don't know 1/10th of what you think you know.
One price for tourists and one for locals? Not since I began making the official rates available to the public over 15 years ago. The taxi drivers who try such things we locals consider to be unethical and even their bosses say we should report them. Sorry to see your moral compass is akilter.
Uh, yes, we are a tourist based economy of over a hundred thousand people trying to make do with fewer jobs while more all-included and time-share lodgings are ruining the local economy, and tourists with less spending power than ever are coming. We locals spend much more in the local economy than all the tourists do. Especially now that so many tourists stay at time-share and all-included lodgings. You don't actually think all those big Ixtapa hotels also spend all their money here, do you? They barely pay their workers.
Hey, if you're going to be an ass and threaten NOT to bring donations then please keep them. Either give from the heart or don't bother. Your call. But don't act like a baby because I criticize your flawed logic. Grow up.
And you'd be surprised what locals say about my "flawed rag". I actually speak their language just like they do, same accent and all! Really, what sadness you display with such comments.
Now you just go right ahead and have a super peachy keen day now, ya hear?
Effect on locals
Rob,quiet watcher,the cinco peso dude,walking the streets with rolls of quarters in his pocket,camera around his neck,think I've seen him in the last 23yrs,just hope he can catch a taxi when tired and sweaty from walking...and don't forget the propina,but dont leave it in quarters...!
Effect on locals
Wow!!! Way to go Rob!! Said it better than I could!! Keep it up
Effect on locals
by wcameron , Monday, December 12, 2016, 00:53 (3625 days ago) @ ZihuaRob
I wrote a really great response to quietwatcher's post. It felt sooooo good It' so easy to respond with kind in kind, but then I thought, why not just disengage? I don't know why he replied the way he did. it must have been a really bad day. Otherwise he might have remained silent and watched. This is a magical place and so often, the crap we have to deal with that allows us to come here, usually happen JUST before we come here, and can become overwhelming.
Reading news headlines, at least for me, helps. Mexico is dealing with government challenges and cartels, the U.S. is more divided than it has been since...well...OK I got nothin...but a really long time. Way up in Canada, we're freezing our snowballs off dreaming of...of...oh yah...Zihua.
My most beautiful lady, Julie finds the humidity really hard to handle here, so we came up with a compromise, cause that's what we do in Canada! We promise not to complain about the warmth. We promise to say it's really really really...not cold.
For me, corrupt is corrupt. Changing rates illegally qualifies but we, as visitors set the tone. Whether we are American, Canadian OR Mexican Nationals. For every family that relies on taxis, I want them to feel they have reliable fares that help them to budget and make sure their basic needs are covered. When there is an official rate change, then they will need to rebudget, as do we all.
Tourists are dealing with hotels and condos charging in U.S. dollars so as rates fluctuate, only landlords benefit. But still we come. We are as driven to the southern sun as the monarch butterfly that will take three generations to do a single migration (and if you want to learn more check out my podcast).
We Can't change the beliefs and opinions of others, but we DO control how we react. When I think I might do the wrong thing, I'll just stay quiet and watch.
--
Fine Art Photographer. Images are available for purchase here: Ward Cameron on Pixels.com
Effect on locals
Wow, you seem awfully angry for someone packing for his 23rd visit to paradise. We have been visiting for almost the same time and have come to know many taxi drivers very well. They all work a second job in order to support their families and they all say that the fare is the same for residents and tourists. None of them would resort to bank robbery, drug sales or street robbery to supplement their inadequate income. Your remark about throwing away the envelope of glasses strikes me as a childish remark a temper tantrum throwing 4 year old would make and must embarrass you in retrospect and the sarcastic reference to Lupita totally uncalled for. She has no dog in this race and doesn't deserve your mean spirited comment.
Effect on locals
by ZihuaRob , Zihuatanejo, México, Sunday, December 11, 2016, 12:06 (3626 days ago) @ ingrid
Wow, you seem awfully angry for someone packing for his 23rd visit to paradise. We have been visiting for almost the same time and have come to know many taxi drivers very well. They all work a second job in order to support their families and they all say that the fare is the same for residents and tourists. None of them would resort to bank robbery, drug sales or street robbery to supplement their inadequate income. Your remark about throwing away the envelope of glasses strikes me as a childish remark a temper tantrum throwing 4 year old would make and must embarrass you in retrospect and the sarcastic reference to Lupita totally uncalled for. She has no dog in this race and doesn't deserve your mean spirited comment.
Exactly! Most taxi drivers are decent folks who often hold 2 or 3 jobs. I try to help as many folks as I can and many of them have been my friends for decades. Some I even used to work with back in the old Sheraton hotel. Some used to run errands for Lupita and me as youngsters. Others were students of mine.
I love the folks in my community, and I feel like we are all family. Not like in the USA where too many city folks (and even some small town folks) tend to see everyone as adversaries. Here if we aren't actually related by blood we're often related in other ways that matter to us, sometimes even including a gringo like me. Imagine that!
There was recently an indescribably horrific incident involving a group of narco punk thugs and a taxi driver that still has the entire local community extremely upset. While we may criticize rate hikes and overcharging and blocking vehicles by the taxi unions, the drivers are part of our community and we care very much for them. Criticizing someone's behaviour or actions doesn't mean we are enemies, just like it shouldn't here when folks disagree.
Effect on locals
by midalake , Sunday, December 11, 2016, 12:17 (3626 days ago) @ ingrid
Wow, you seem awfully angry for someone packing for his 23rd visit to paradise. We have been visiting for almost the same time and have come to know many taxi drivers very well. They all work a second job in order to support their families and they all say that the fare is the same for residents and tourists. None of them would resort to bank robbery, drug sales or street robbery to supplement their inadequate income. Your remark about throwing away the envelope of glasses strikes me as a childish remark a temper tantrum throwing 4 year old would make and must embarrass you in retrospect and the sarcastic reference to Lupita totally uncalled for. She has no dog in this race and doesn't deserve your mean spirited comment.
Well this will be my 27 year and I am just as mad at the person packing for 23years.....
Simple math and consequences escape people. This persons condoning and paying 20% more for a taxi ride in town might only cost them 5 pesos......HOWEVER it is this that causes me to pay 20% more for my taxis, and that number can go from 40 to 60 pesos more. How about someone that has to go from Z to Troncones or La Barra......are you going to condone that for them too? So now I am mad at Ingrid too.........Add that up over a four month period!
D
Well this will be my 27 year and I am just as mad at the person packing for 23years.....
Simple math and consequences escape people. This persons condoning and paying 20% more for a taxi ride in town might only cost them 5 pesos......HOWEVER it is this that causes me to pay 20% more for my taxis, and that number can go from 40 to 60 pesos more. How about someone that has to go from Z to Troncones or La Barra......are you going to condone that for them too? So now I am mad at Ingrid too.........Add that up over a four month period!
D
Mad at Ingrid? Are you sure you read her comments correctly?
![[image]](http://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/10/a3/e6/10a3e6246bdfcbd3d8a95d185a40bf77.jpg)
Effect on locals
Muddlofthelake,every year...TAXIS,TAXIS,TAXIS,just be glad you don't depend on one to get here...four months of getting 20-30pesoed to death...ha,ride a combi
Effect on locals
Wow, you seem awfully angry for someone packing for his 23rd visit to paradise. We have been visiting for almost the same time and have come to know many taxi drivers very well. They all work a second job in order to support their families and they all say that the fare is the same for residents and tourists. None of them would resort to bank robbery, drug sales or street robbery to supplement their inadequate income. Your remark about throwing away the envelope of glasses strikes me as a childish remark a temper tantrum throwing 4 year old would make and must embarrass you in retrospect and the sarcastic reference to Lupita totally uncalled for. She has no dog in this race and doesn't deserve your mean spirited comment.
Well this will be my 27 year and I am just as mad at the person packing for 23years.....
Simple math and consequences escape people. This persons condoning and paying 20% more for a taxi ride in town might only cost them 5 pesos......HOWEVER it is this that causes me to pay 20% more for my taxis, and that number can go from 40 to 60 pesos more. How about someone that has to go from Z to Troncones or La Barra......are you going to condone that for them too? So now I am mad at Ingrid too.........Add that up over a four month period!
D
Why are you mad at me? I didn't comment on your cab fare to Troncones or
Barra. My comment was to the petulant tone of the post and not so much the content. Seems to me that you people who have been coming for 20 plus years are getting crusty and prickly and not realizing how fortunate you are. You are wasting a lot of energy being mad and not celebrating good enough health to travel and finances comfortable enough to support the journey. It may not always be so. If you are into the egg nog, slow down and if you aren't into the egg nog, please do.
Effect on locals
Ingrid,don't usually say this,but 
Taxi fares up?
Uber and Taxify are here in Mazatlan and man what difference it is making! The entire attitude of the taxi drivers has changed and the price gouging has ceased for the most part. Competition does work for sure.
Dead meat
by Craig AKA the cruise ship guy , Sunday, December 11, 2016, 11:22 (3626 days ago) @ D-Loco
Last trip we stayed in Ixtapa for the first time at the Azul Grand. There is a special rate to be picked up there just like the airport. I'm stuck wearing a wristband so on the ride back they want to charge me the same inflated amount, having that wrist band on is like having sucker tattooed on your forehead. I don't like being the stupid tourists and I did get into one argument about the rate but it's not worth it for a 7 day vacation. We did 7 meals outside our resort, 2 days of fishing, I won't tell you how much at a local jewelry store on my wife along with leaving some stuff with Lupita for the kids. So yes I'm doing some damage with the taxi fares but I believe this is well offset with my other purchases with local vendors. I also would not expect any tourists coming to California to fix our local problems, that would be up to me.
This could get real interesting... UBER anyone?
by ZihuaRob , Zihuatanejo, México, Sunday, December 11, 2016, 11:39 (3626 days ago) @ JACK
There's lots of local support for this!
This could get real interesting... UBER anyone?
by wcameron , Sunday, December 11, 2016, 19:36 (3625 days ago) @ ZihuaRob
Now yer talkin
--
Fine Art Photographer. Images are available for purchase here: Ward Cameron on Pixels.com
Taxi fares up? UPDATE
by ZihuaRob , Zihuatanejo, México, Monday, December 12, 2016, 09:18 (3625 days ago) @ JACK
Okay, apparently a 44% rate hike was authorized by state officials though it has not yet appeared in the official gazette as any such change must do in order to be considered legally enacted. Supposedly our thoughtful taxi and bus drivers are only going to increase their rates an average of 20%. But since details are supposed to still be worked out, the rate increase should still not be taking effect even though of course as we see it already is. It's really a shame, because not only are legal protocols not being respected, but this increase hurts the already suffering economy of the majority of locals. It is timed to coincide with the arrival of foreign tourists, a predictable pattern. So never mind the fact that supply exceeds demand. Market forces don't apply here. Only greed, cronyism and political paternalism. #PobrePueblo
Unfortunately the actual rate hikes are only available to the taxi and bus drivers so far, not the general public. I'll see what I can do to obtain an official copy and publish the rates here as soon as possible.
