Taxi in Bucharest

After a 35% uplift in taxi fares this year, taxis at around 12.000 lei per kilometer still appear relatively cheap- relative to Paris and London who shamefully boast the most expensive taxi charges in the world. But compared to the rest of Europe , they are creeping the prices up, and the next price uplift will almost give them price parity.

All of the genuine taxi companies run their cars on LPG rather than petrol which gives them a huge profit potential, so save your pity for the cheap taxi company -they are doing OK. No taxi drivers speak English, or any other foreign language, so if you cannot pronounce Romanian names have your destination written down for his benefit. ALWAYS telephone for a taxi, as the roaming thugs with a black disk containing a meaningless number on their doors are not real taxis at all, and you will take your life in your hands if you hail one down. The same thugs are now often drive yellow cars disguised as real taxis, the difference being that they do not display the tariff on the front and rear of the car.

There are about 10.000 taxis in Bucharest. You can fiind one almost anywhere in the city or you can order one by phone.

TAXI SERVICES

For a short journey anywhere in the centre, a few dollars should suffice; you shouldn't pay more than $5 or so to travel right across the city, while the airport run starts at $25.

TAXI AROUND

Finding a taxi on the street in the centre of town shouldn't be a problem, but do make sure that it belongs to a reputable company. Never get in to an unmarked cab! Taxicabs can be found near around the hotels, underground stations, railway-stations, airports etc. You can even stop a taxi in the street or you can order one from the special authorised companies.

Taxis are a very mixed lot. The best, such as Cristaxi (tel: 9461), MERIDIAN (tel.9444), LEONE tel.9425), AS (tel.9435), Taxi 2000 (tel: 9494), and Cobalescu (tel: 9451), are insanely cheap, running no more than 35 US cents per kilometer, plus an initial fee about the same. The worst will try to charge you ten times as much, or even more. Some of the worst will make up names awfully like the best (e.g. "Cristi Taxi" or "MERIDIANE"). In general, before getting into a taxi on the street, make sure that it has the name of an identifiable company, looks decently maintained, and (most important) has its price per kilometer posted on the front window.

You may think that because public transit is difficult, you should rent a car. Think again. Bucharest is a very hard city to drive in (potholes, irregular cobblestones, aggressive drivers, beggars at traffic lights, lack of parking) and it is compact enough that you will probably be on foot most of the time. Leaving the city, it's not a lot better. The highways are not great, and what happens if you break down? If you really need a car, you should at least consider actually hiring a car and driver.