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Peru: Callao authorities attempt to lower taxi prices at Jorge Chavez Airport

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

In an effort to provide passengers with more security, last year the Municipality of Callao limited the number of taxis that had access to Jorge Chavez Airport.

The municipality's goal was to keep people arriving to Peru from being robbed by criminals posing as taxi drivers.

However, this solution has had a side effect, said José Danós, head of Callao's transport council stating taxi fares were extremely high.

Danós explained that prices set by Taxi Green, a company authorized by Lima Airport Partners (LAP) to work on the grounds, were so high that people preferred to take taxis outside the airport.

He assured this greatly increased the risk of someone being robbed.

The high prices were attributed to the fact that taxi companies had to pay LAP a fee for parking at the airport and picking up passengers. Taxis wait in three lanes for people to take to hotels or other destinations.

With the intention of helping consumers in Peru, the Municipality of Callao promulgated a law that opens one of the three lanes to more taxi companies.

LAP will only be able to charge companies for parking in the first two lanes while the third will be free of charge.

Authorities hope this opens the door to more competition and lower prices.

Taxi companies that park in the third lane will be screened by police and municipal authorities.

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# Jamie says :
20 August, 2008 [ 20:09 ]

I´ve arrived at Jorge Chavez several times on both domestic and international flights. The usual price I pay for a taxi from Miraflores to the Airport is about 25 soles and vice versa. When the Green Taxi would quote me 40 soles, I would look at them, laugh and say, "don´t try that trick on me, I live here" - thinking they were charging tourists double.  Then I´d just grab a cab outside for 20 soles.

Glad to see they were simply passing on higher costs. Sad to see they had to pass on higher costs.

# David N says :
20 August, 2008 [ 21:22 ]

No way I would ever set foot again in a smelly old piece of junk Lima taxi with a lunatic behind the wheel and no air conditioning or heat. Better to have family pick you up..pay them if you feel obligated. Or if that's not an option, use a car service that has newer vehicles, although the driver will still probably drive like an idiot.

That said, any cab ride from the airport to my place in Surco is about $15 at the most, which is more than fair for that distance.

# Randy Civello says :
21 August, 2008 [ 11:39 ]

Log the driver and the customer in at the time of pick up. Do not let the driver get out of the car. Make them stay in line and document who is picking up who. If the customer is robbed there is a log of who is picking them up. Takes a second to do and insures the well being of the public. The fact that it is a free for all is unbelievable. No order! It's called a taxi stand people. First come first serve. If the passenger does not like who is assigned to them, make that driver get back in the end of the line. Motivation to look and be professional. This is simple, typical of Lima politics to keep it complicated. Keep the people of Peru off ballance and out of order at all times seems to be the way. That way the government controles them.

# Splaktar says :
22 August, 2008 [ 08:51 ]

Yeah, that's unfortunate that LAP put such large expenses on the taxi companies, which as usual in Peru are just passed down to the customer.  So LAP was making all of the money from the high taxi fares and not the taxi companies.  At least they are using some of it to expand the tiny airport.