Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, is notorious for having dodgy taxi drivers. Cabbies in the rest of the country seem to be required to charge a set amount per ride but in Managua, it’s a free for all and they really try to milk the tourists for all they can.
Here are a few tips for dealing with Managua cab drivers that should be transferrable to any city with cabbies looking to take advantage of travellers.
- Have an idea of the fare in advance - One of the hardest things about arriving in a new city is knowing what a fair price to pay for taxis is. Many cabbies who pick you up at airports prey on new arrivals into the country (drivers in Manila, I’m talking to you!) so asking someone at your accommodation in advance what the fare should be from point A to point B will make bargaining much easier.
- Know your destination - Printing out a map or learning how to say the address in the local language is handy. It’s also a good idea to find out if there is a landmark nearby that taxi drivers will know. Most times cabbies are good about knowing hostels in smaller, more touristy towns but in bigger, less touristy places it isn’t the case and communicating your location can be difficult. It also helps to have a phone number for your accommodation on hand in case all else fails.
- Learn a bit of the language - Knowing how to say ‘it’s very close’ and ‘that’s too expensive’ has helped me many times with my taxi fare negotiations. If you want to get a bit more advanced, learning how to say somethig along the lines of ‘I’ve taken this trip before for x price’ is helpful too… even if you haven’t.
- Negotiate with a smile - Don’t let the crazy prices they ask throw you off. Keep your fare negotations friendly and remember that, even though it’s scummy to take advantage of visitors, an easy buck is a hard thing for many people to pass up.
- Don’t be afraid to walk away - If you feel uncomfortable when dealing with a taxi driver, just walk away. If you feel uneasy for any reason, trust your instincts as there are usually plenty of other rides around. Don’t be afraid to venture a bit outside the bus or station either to taxis on the street where there will be more choice and a chance at a better fare.
- Be wary of drivers who quote fares in US dollars - Unless you’re in the US or somewhere that only accepts US currency, it is very likely that taxi drivers who ask for the fare in US dollars are out to scam you big time. In Nicaragua US dollars are widely accepted, but I doubt very much that drivers quote their fares to locals in dollars. I expect cabbies in Managua to ask for more money but the ones who ask in dollars almost always out-scam those that give a fare in cordobas by a large margin.
- Think about what you’re bargaining over – If it comes down to haggling over a small amount, I usually just suck it up and pay extra, even if I know I’m getting ripped off. It’s not worth my time to haggle over small amounts and preserving my bargaining pride is something I haven’t been worried about for a long time.
- Make them turn on the meter – This tip is more for Manila but it probably applies to other places as well. If a driver refuses to turn on his meter, just get out of the taxi because you will end up paying much more. In Manila they will say that traffic is heavy and they are doing you a favour… they’re not. I took enough cabs in this city, with meter and without (going back and forth to the Bangladeshi embassy) to know that you will always be better off on the meter.
- Don’t give aggressive cabbies your business – I have been in many situations where drivers have all out tried to grab my stuff or even pushed other drivers out of the way to get my business. I used to just go with them just because it was easier and the situation was a bit intimidating but these days I don’t. There’s no reason to give your business to a dickhead. If someone grabs my bag, I grab it right back off of him. If I’m being surrounded by loads of aggressive drivers, I will often push past them to someone who seems more laid back hanging out in the background.
Taxi drivers in many cities will try to take advantage of travellers but with a bit of preparation you can guard against their scamming ways. In my travels the worst places for taxi driver scams have been Manila and Managua. Which cities have you had your worst taxi ripoff experiences in?
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Pretty much snap on all of those Kirsty! Though my dogiest experience was in London- hailing mini-cabs illegally cause the tube had closed and we couldn’t afford a black cab. You had to walk down the street checking for 4 door salons driven by young men from the sub-continent. You then approached out of arm’s reach making sure to check they had a 2-way radio – so they probably were a mini cab – then you started the negotiation! The skills I’d picked up in Mexico were useful there!
I still dislike dealing with cabbies – I’d rather take public transport or hire a driver by the day – that worked very well in India – you found a decent rickshaw wallah (and they make taxi drivers look like pussy cats) – and then “your” rickshaw protected you from the rest of the mob – I think being a single women them feel quite protective too. I had one for 3 days in Agra and he was great value for money!
I have also had bad taxi experiences in Manila and Managua. Must be something in the water. Really gave me a bad first impression of both countries.
I’ll keep these tips in mind next time I’m traveling. I don’t think I’ve had any really bad taxi experiences, but I haven’t been able to travel much. I’m sure a lot of tourists would go ahead and pay the high rates not knowing what it should cost. Leaving the meter off is an especially sneaky trick if they’re really charging more. Thanks for the heads up Kirsty.
The Taxi touts at the Bangkok airport are pretty much all a rip off (3 x the going rate), your hotel should be able to tell you the normal fare with a quick call. In Thailand you are also expected to pay the road tolls in addition to the metered fare.
You should also avoid any taxi that’s just “hanging out” in the tourist areas like the Grand Palace or the nightlife areas – they will wait all day for the one fare that they can get 5 times the normal price while you might be a bit inebriated.
Also – if they don’t turn on the meter, just step out and grab another.
Great tips!! I will definitely need them, as I’m finally leaving for my big trip in 1 month
First stop India!
I usually check what Lonely Planet says about the cab fares from airports, but still, one is usually expected to pay more than locals being a wealthy backpacker (uuuh?) …
Haven’t been able to whip up any ads on my sites yet (have tons of ideas and a few interesting affiliate sites I’ve looked into, but sooo much other stuff gets in the way …), have big hopes for this new one though … I would be very happy to hear what you think of it!
Seems that using Nicaragua’s cabs must be a lifetime adventure;) I’ve never been to Central America, but if I ever went there I would remember those tips. And I must say that Your arvices can be used in many countries, around my neighbourhood we had some problems with unfaithful cab drivers, and special attention was needed especially whet it came to pay for a ride.
You have occurred frequent problem with the taxi drivers and i will keep it in my mind when i will use traveling anywhere..
The really tricky thing in Managua is that there are no real addresses! Everything is “2.5 blocks east of XX circle.” So if you’ve never been someplace, you really are lost since you can’t look for the number or a street address.
It helps that there are two of us, so we play “good cop, bad cop” in the bargaining process. Like you, we avoid any taxi driver who is grabbing at our bags or physically pulling in a direction. Go over to the side and wait until the scene subsides; then pick a mellow taxi driver.
these are the realy very nice tips. We can say money and time. These are very helpful when we are out side the station. thanks for it.
I’ll keep these tips in mind next time I’m traveling. These are very helpful.
Thanks
Great piece. Very useful to travellers to places where a dollar goes a long way.
Most places where cabs run on the meter it should be possible to get a copy of the tariff card and know to read it correctly. It is based off the distance, helping you to calculate the fare appropriately if you know the distance.
Check for an Traffic Help number the government might put out for tourists.
Like you rightly said, getting the correct local inflection to a few phrases, and an idea of the fare will go a long way.
Those sound like some shady cab drivers. I’m glad the ones I’ve dealt with aren’t so bad. It would be far too easy to scam tourists who don’t realize the actual value.
I see taxi drivers as people who just want to earn as much money as possible (like many of us). And this job is just too corrupted because it is easy to earn money not entirely lawful. Sometimes I wonder is it possible for taxi drivers not to take some kind of “bribes”. I mean of course unfederated taxi cars, because I believe that in federated taxi is impossible to cheat clients or employers.
Good tips for dealing with taxi drivers. Tourists have no idea about that place and sometimes they are take benefit of this. Thanks for good advise.
I would agree with Manila. I actually had a taxi driver start crying because I wouldn’t pay his ridiculous overcharge. He tried to charge me nearly 15 times his original quote (which I had asked him to repeat 3 times to be sure it was what he meant before entering the cab).