TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Baja News Wire

""All the taxi guilds do this. When a driver sees that it is an American, they charge in dollars and a little more. But from that to the central office telling about differential rates via telephone, is a shame."

http://ecosderosarito.com/articulos/?sn=181

While some taxi guilds do it "under the water," others do it right out in the open.

These are the taxi guilds that use a double fare structure on their routes. One for Mexicans and the other a little higher for Americans.

Tourists and tourist sector representatives have been witness to this abusive and discriminatory practice used by taxi drivers, and even those in charge of the central radio dispatch of some guilds.

According to the taxi drivers, it is a common practice in all the transportation guilds, however, most of them do it "under the water," and not like at the taxi stand of Primo Tapia Union Eco Taxis of Primo Tapia and La Misión, A.C., which via telephone reported the dual fares they use for Mexicans and Americans.

This information was requested by the former president of the Rosarito Tourism and Conventions Committee, Citlalitl Pereda Gómez, to then report to some customers who will soon visit Rosarito and who do not want to drive their vehicles.

"And much to my surprise, upon asking for prices I received the following fares:
Mision Viejo to Rosarito: 140 pesos (US$10.75) for Mexicans and US$25 for Americans, for an increased commission.
Gaviotas to Rosarito: 140 pesos (US$10.75) for Mexicans and US$20 for Americans", he pointed out.

On the same internet portal, Pereda Gómez lamented that transportation leaders and transport authorities just cross their arms on all this, which diminish the efforts to reactivate tourism and offer a pleasant stay for all visitors, irrespective of where they came from.

"It is not the cost nor the exchange rate difference, we know we have problems with the cost of gasoline which is very expensive, it is the act of having different fares for the same service and route. If a service is worth one dollar, it should be the same for everybody. There should be no differences," he cautioned.

He bemoaned that the municipal authorities, including PROFECO (Mexican consumer protection agency), don't straighten out the fares and force the taxi guilds to display their fares to customers at their taxi stands.

"I have seen some large Mexican ports and I have noticed that the taxi stands have their fares displayed and there is only one fare structure," he said.

For their part, taxi drivers from other guilds complained that the taxi guild offices tell them about differential fares, and it is still a common practice, and many taxi drivers use that criteria when they see foreign passengers get in.

"All the taxi guilds do this. When a driver sees that it is an American, they charge in dollars and a little more. But from that to the central office telling about differential rates via telephone, is a shame," said a cabbie.

A member of the Businessmen United for the Reactivation of Rosarito Tourism asked the responsible authorities to regulate the fares and obligate the taxi guild to place them in plain view of customers, as few now do it.


Mientras algunos gremios lo hacen por “debajo del agua”, otros lo llevan a cabo con todo el descaro del mundo.

Son los gremios de taxis que utilizan doble tarifa en sus rutas. Una para mexicanos y otra un poco más elevada para norteamericanos.

Turistas y representantes del sector turístico han sido testigo de esta práctica abusiva y discriminatoria que emplean taxistas y hasta los mismos encargados de las centrales de radio de algunos gremios.

De acuerdo con taxistas, es una práctica común en todos los gremios transportistas, sin embargo, la mayoría la lleva a cabo “por debajo del agua” y no como lo hace la centralera del sitio de eco taxis de Primo Tapia Unión Eco Taxis Primo Tapia y La Misión A.C., quien vía telefónica informó las dobles tarifas que manejan para mexicanos y norteamericanos.

Esta información fue solicitada por la ex presidenta del Comité de Turismo y Convenciones de Rosarito Citlalitl Pereda Gómez, para informar a su vez a unos clientes que visitarán próximamente Rosarito y no tienen deseos de manejar sus vehículos.

“Y he aquí lo que para mi sorpresa, obtuve al solicitar el costo de las siguientes tarifas:
Misión Viejo-Rosarito: 140 pesos si son mexicanos y 25 dólares si son americanos, por aumento de comisión.
Gaviotas-Rosarito:140 pesos si son mexicanos y 20 dólares si son americanos”, detalla la información.

En su mismo portal, Pereda Gómez lamentó que los líderes transportistas y autoridades de transporte se queden cruzados de brazos antes estos hechos que echan abajo los esfuerzos para reactivar el turismo y ofrecer una estancia placentera a todos los visitantes, sin importar su procedencia.

“No es el costo ni la diferencia monetaria, que sabemos que tienen problemas con la gasolina que está muy cara, es el hecho de que manejan tarifas diferenciadas en un servicio y una ruta que es la misma. Si un servicio vale 1 dólar, debe ser para todos. No tienen por qué hacer diferencias”, reprochó.

Lamentó que las autoridades municipales e incluso la misma PROFECO, no pongan orden en las tarifas y obliguen a los gremios de taxis a poner a la vista de los clientes sus respectivas tarifas en los sitios que tienen.

“He visitado algunos puertos importantes de México y me he dado cuenta que los sitios de taxis tienen a la vista sus tarifas y es una sola”, expuso.
Por su parte, taxistas de otros gremios lamentaron que en las oficinas de un gremio transportista se informen tarifas diferenciadas, pues aun cuando es una práctica común, muchos taxistas usan el criterio cuando suben a pasajeros que ven que son extranjeros.

“Esto hacen en todos los gremios. Cuando el taxista ve que se trata de un norteamericano, le cobra en dólares y un poco más. Pero de eso a que la misma centralera informe vía telefónica las tarifas diferenciadas, es un descaro”, dijo un taxista.

La también integrante de la agrupación Comerciantes Unidos por la Reactivación de Rosarito pidió a las autoridades correspondientes, regular las tarifas y obligar a los gremios a ponerlas a la vista de los clientes, ya que muy pocos lo hacen.

That is shameful. Wish the United Society and the cable channel would put their time and efforts behind THAT problem...

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

That is shameful. Wish the United Society and the cable channel would put their time and efforts behind THAT problem...

Alnozo actually overhgeard the dispatcher talking to the driver and was asked if he was Mexican before they quoting a fare from central Rosarito to downtown TJ. He thought it was a strange question but didn't know it was a two tier system. They charged him 200 pesos which he says is fair.

Don't know what the Gringo fare would be. Anyone know?

A year ago the pocho fair was $20.

Originally Posted by Doc Rey

A year ago the pocho fair was $20.

same.

Originally Posted by Woooosh

same.

Taxis in TJ and Mexicali usually do not use the meter, if they even have one, and if you ask for them to use it they will always tell you it doesn´t work and you negotiate the fare before getting in.

In all the cities in Central Mexico I visit or live in here all the taxis have working meters and have to have the state verify them once a year or their taxi license is put on hold. I see verification sites in all corners of the city here where I live with lines of taxis waiting.

This slack of regulating taxis in Baja is a state gov´t.´s problem and they are not doing their job. IMO

The federal gov´t.´s Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes [SCT] seems to only be regulating taxis at airports. I am sure there are state laws and a municipal gov´t. agency that should be regulating taxis on the streets.

I also have heard rumors that very few "madams" own most of the taxis in Mexicali and TJ and they are quite powerful.


http://www.bajacalifornia.gob.mx/por...28-09-2012.pdf


"Working taxi meter and taxi meters serial number should comply with NOM - 007 - SCFI - 2003"


"taximetro funcionado y su numero de serie taximetros deberan cumplir con la norma NOM - 007 - SCFI - 2003"


The taxi companies are breaking the law by not using a taxi meter and here [above Baja gov´t. link] is the fee schedule and rules of what a taxi must have in the taxi and use in Mexicali to comply with the rules to transport people for a fee sanctioned by the Baja state government. [regulated]

Interesting. I occasionally use taxis here in La Paz and don't recall any driver using a meter. Everyone just seems to "know" how much the fare is supposed to be: 40-50 pesos in town or up to 80 to a more distant suburb, for example. The only time I've ever negotiated a fare in advance is for something complicated, like wanting the driver to make several stops, or take me somewhere, wait, and bring me back. For normal one-way trips, the fares are pretty consistent.

Originally Posted by kate

Interesting. I occasionally use taxis here in La Paz and don't recall any driver using a meter. Everyone just seems to "know" how much the fare is supposed to be: 40-50 pesos in town or up to 80 to a more distant suburb, for example. The only time I've ever negotiated a fare in advance is for something complicated, like wanting the driver to make several stops, or take me somewhere, wait, and bring me back. For normal one-way trips, the fares are pretty consistent.

I take taxis here and for $80 pesos I could tour this large city for an hour and for $30 pesos go downtown from my house which is about 10 miles because the "get in" fee is $11.40 pesos all on a meter. The "get in" fee after 9PM is $12,75 pesos and the "get in" fee if you call a taxi by phone is $12,75 pesos day and $14.00 pesos after 9PM. Cheap.

Originally Posted by MexicaliAlan

"madams"

The Español word for that position is, "Mamacita"........an extremely derogatory term which Americans commonly mistake for an endearment.
The word they should be using is "Madrecita."

Originally Posted by MexicaliAlan

I take taxis here and for $80 pesos I could tour this large city for an hour and for $30 pesos go downtown from my house which is about 10 miles because the "get in" fee is $11.40 pesos all on a meter. The "get in" fee after 9PM is $12,75 pesos and the "get in" fee if you call a taxi by phone is $12,75 pesos day and $14.00 pesos after 9PM. Cheap.

That is cheap. La Paz taxis are expensive, I'm told, because the drivers spend most of the day waiting at the stands. I see them all the time with doors open, napping in the front or back seats.

Originally Posted by kate

I see them all the time with doors open, napping in the front or back seats.

That's pretty much the case at all that taxi stands. Here there seems to be too many for the demand. They are already running on near zero profit margins. Better to park, take a nap, read the paper, eat and wait your turn.