Airport taxis in Latin America
Don't get abducted
“Taxi amigo?”. If you’ve ever been to Latin America, you’re very familiar with this phrase.
You’ve been on a long ass flight. You’re completely exhausted. And the second you exit the immigration part of the airport 5-6 dudes ambush you and start trying to get you to go in their taxi.
While I respect the hustle, I honestly need to take a piss. And I don’t want to make any split second moves. I’m not trying to jump in the car of random dude that hits me up in the airport.
After several years of living in Latin America and being in tons of airports, I can honestly say it’s not that hard to stay safe when it comes to taxis. However, you do need to think before you act.
Resist the urge to jump in a suspect taxi because you’re tired.
Airport situation
Depending on where you are landing, the taxi situation can vary at the airport.
To use Colombia as an example, in Bogota or Medellin, the “taxi amigo?” gets spammed in your face the second you get near the exit of the airport. In Cali and Cartagena, there is infrastructure for getting a “taxi oficial” (official taxi). These guys don’t seem to be allowed inside of the airport.
The first thing you want to pay attention to is which situation you are dealing with. It should be obvious fairly quickly but either way your goal is the same.
Ignore the guys who appear to be independent spamming “taxi amigo”, they are usually not official taxis. These are guys that park in the parking lot across the street and hustle to try to make some extra money. But they aren’t authorized at all.
I’m not gonna lie, I’ve gotten rides with these guys multiple times early in my time in Latam but I’ve completely stopped doing it. While the majority of the time you will probably be fine, it’s like playing Russian Roulette. You can get robbed or worse.
These are the same dudes who spam “stripclub amigo” or “cocaina amigo” while you’re riding toward your destination. Like I said, I respect the hustle but I think you get the vibe.
How to find a taxi
When you are getting near the exit, look for signs that say “taxi oficial” or “transporte autorizado”. You may just see the sign “Taxi” which is also fine.
This can look several different ways but you will see one of these scenarios:
People waiting in a single line outside the airport waiting for official taxis with airport staff guiding it. You pay the driver cash directly. (Cartagena)
People waiting to pay a cashier. You pay the cashier and they give you a ticket. You go to another line where you give the driver the ticket. (Bogota, Sao Paulo)
There is no official line. But you see a bunch of taxis that look the same outside of the airport. There is a guy with a uniform on guiding you towards the taxis or the taxi drivers themselves come up to you. (Medellin)
There are multiple taxi companies right before the exit of the airport. You can go to any of them. (Lima, Mexico City)
The color of the taxis varies. In Medellin the taxis are white, Cartagena they are yellow, etc. It’s more important that all the cars look the same.
If you’re dealing with a case like Medellin, ask the driver if it’s an official taxi and have him show you the car. If he is not parked directly in the front of the airport with the other cars that look the same, it’s not official.
Uber and other apps
If this taxi stuff seems overwhelming, grabbing an uber is a good option in many cities. There are other apps depending on which country you are going to, but uber is available in pretty much all countries.
While it’s been problematic at airports in places like Colombia because of beef with the taxis and legal gray areas, it’s pretty good in other countries.
In Mexico City, Panama City, and Buenos Aires, the infrastructure for getting an uber is great. There is an easy spot to get picked up outside the airport and it’s my preferred way to catch a ride. It’s nice to know the driver is vetted and you are being tracked by GPS. Make sure you have some phone data before you leave the airport.
I’ve never liked it in Colombia because of the legal issue. Drivers have to park in the parking lot at Bogota or Medellin airports to hide from the the taxis and police. Then you need to follow a GPS dot until you find the corner of the parking lot they are waiting in.
When you get to the car, the driver instructs you to sit in a certain part of the car and say you are his amigo for police purposes. I’ve been in multiple situations where we got pulled over (because I look gringo as fuck) and the driver needs to bribe the cop. It’s a lot of work compared to just getting a taxi.
Assuming you are riding with official taxis or uber, your chances of having issues are minimal. I’ve been doing this for almost 7 years and have never had an issue.
Being able to spot red flags and resist persistent sketchy drivers is important because airports in Latin America can be chaotic and overwhelming.
Knowing how to be patient and find official taxis is key because uber is not always there to hold your hand.
Get out there enjoy your trip. Safe travels.