Taxis in Quito

Wherever you look in Quito you cannot fail to see several of the yellow taxis which are a very common form of transport here. You never have to wait long to find one. By contrast, I can't help wondering if there is enough work to go around for all the many hundreds of taxi drivers working here.

Quito is quite a "narrow" city in that it is only about 3-4km wide, but it is very long (about 30km), and the traffic is often heavy, which is why many people who work in the centre of town have a long journey to work every morning.

In general I have found the taxi drivers to be very knowledgeable people who in many cases would be studying for a profession if it wasn't for their economic situation. Without exception they have been friendly and informative and if you were to assume that all taxi drivers must be dishonest then you would be totally wrong. In fact we had more trouble establishing a fair price when we were looking for a taxi to the airport in Stockholm.

Official taxis are yellow and equipped with meters, although these are rarely used. The system is to agree a price with the driver to your destination before you get in. As a rule there is little difference in prices quoted from one driver to another. Once a price is agreed drivers do not attempt to negotiate further or give you a higher price once you arrive, as is the case in some countries.

Seatbelts are used sparingly, carseats for children and babies are not used at all and when our family of seven suggested to one driver that we should travel in two taxis he just laughed and told us all to pile in. We did. He said he would take us to a market which was "about an hour away". By the time we arrived just over two hours later the six of us in the back were so stiff it took a few minutes before we were able to were able to properly feel our limbs.

Being a passenger in any kind of vehicle in Ecuador is not to be recommended for the faint-hearted. Without exception everyone drives too fast. Traffic lights are meaningless, stop signs are apparently invisible and drivers beep continually just because they can. Overtaking on a bend and then swerving to avoid the oncoming traffic is part of the experience. In terms of pedestrians, drivers do not stop for anyone, no matter how many bags or babies you might be carrying, so if you are crossing the streets on foot you must be prepared to wait.

Having said all of that you can gurantee that whichever driver you choose he will know Quito like the back of his hand. The only navigation system that is used is the one in his head, and it invariably works well. Going across town will cost around $2. $10 will take you around 25km. Drivers know what is going on and if you want to find something they know where to find it. They also have an opinion on everything going on in Ecuador and are not afraid to share them - a huge help to me in terms of my research.

Most drivers work seven days a week and a minimum of eleven hours a day. You can work out how many hours that is in a week.

From our few days in Quito so far I have come to greatly respect the drivers we have met. Their work is relentless and they are all fighting for the limited amount of passengers that exist. In the majority of cases they would be doing other work if they only had the opportunity. Despite their difficulties they all smile, and are happy to chat. They are also predictable in one other way. Each time it becomes apparent that Frédéric is French, each driver will respond in exactly the same way. He will smile, shake his head, and say one single word......"Mundial......"

PS...(in case you didn't know, Mundial is Spanish for the World Cup...)