boboqui

Apparently Uber did not grease the palms sufficiently.

jbcarioca

If you've been following the subject closely you may have noticed the outrage among taxi drivers who do not want competition.

From my personal point of view i would not hold them in such disdain as i do if they would respond to calls to come to my house, but they will not. Uber, OTOH, arrived consistently in 10 minutes or less. The grand exception is Aerotaxi, which never misses for me, and it may help that most of their drivers know me. perhaps I travel too much.

pianoamit

Damn... I was counting on using them when we come to Rio for a holiday in August. Any recommendations on how to book this Aerotaxi from GIG to Ipanema?

Incidentally, I just checked, and the Uber app still shows available pick ups in Rio and in SP...

jbcarioca

From GIG if you want the Yellow Taxis, including Aerotaxi, just exit the terminal and they are lined up. You'll need to pay in reads, according to the meter. Tip of <10% of NOT normal but is accepted by drivers. If you want to use a credit card, there are kiosks just as you leave customs. You cannot miss them. The cheap Aerotaxi rates are for return to GIG, not leaving it. Your hotel concierge can call them for you, they are bookable in advance, just use the card Aerotaxis all have to know the number, I do not know if the Aerotaxi operators know english.
Uber app still was working yesterday in Rio.

RafKa

From experience, you need to literally beg the women at the kiosks to allow you to pre-pay for your ride using a cc. They will use every sort of excuse, from the machine not working, to there's no cabs, but it all boils down to the fact they cannot be bothered to do any amount of work whatsoever. I've complained numerous times to the drivers as I think it's disgraceful, embarrassing behaviour in a city that'll be holding Olympic Games in little over a year.

Anyway, I hope you have better luck than me since it is actually the cheapest taxi service into town.

VidaNaPraia

Real. Reais.

10%? Local custom for taxis throughout Brazil is simply to round up to the next real, normally a few centavos.

C010T3

The rounding up is for practicality. If the fare is BRL 25.20, it's fine paying 25.00. Brazilians do not tip taxi drivers. They only expect it from foreigners, because foreigners usually do that.
It's like at the hairdresser. Tipping is not expected from men, only from women.

jbcarioca

For this clarification, VidaNaPraia might also think a little. From Brazilians anywhere other than a handful of major airports and tourist spots tipping is almost unheard of, just as you both say.

However, that is simply not the case for foreigners coming in to GIG, SDU or GRU, less so I suspect at other airports. At these the taxis do expect tips from foreigners unless they are speaking Portuguese pretty well.

I say <10% because that is what I have observed. I tip in only situations where I am demanding extra or use Aerotaxi from my house, where I give and extra five reads or so, generally partly because they never add the permitted baggage charges, so I'm paying less than they could charge even though I tip. I did not think it necessary to make all those points, but maybe it is. OTOH, if you want a taxi to come to you at a peak time in an odd place, you too will tip. With Uber that was built in to variable pricing which was delightful for people like me who live where taxis do not want to go.

VidaNaPraia

Expect tips from foreigners? As in "gringo tax"?
Most foreign travelers simply are clueless.

Personally, I feel it more important, if you are feeling your privilege in the world, to make sure the hardworking and underpaid hotel maid, who makes your visit comfortable, gets a tip that verges on lavish. She does not make nearly what my taxi driver friends do per day.

jbcarioca

FWIW I tip hotel maids.

boboqui

+1

zackery149

Good on you both for that.

BTW, for visitors to Rio, it is the practice to 'pool' the 10% (or whatever it is, don't stay in hotels there). This service charge pool is then periodically distributed to employees.

But, its on a points system according to your position. Yes, the higher your position/salary the more points you get. So , if you work reception you get way more than the chamber maid or the boy/girl that washes dishes.

So, if possible, do HAND a tip to your maid or the waiter that is working his butt off.

Their salaries are really low, they work 6 days a week, and cost of living is outrageous in Rio. A waiter friend of mine working at the Sheraton clears 1400 R$ a month , has to know English, and works hard.

Your karma will shine.

nsummy

Just grab a taxi at the airport in Rio. For best results go up a floor and grab one dropping someone off. Easier transaction with less chance of getting ripped off. The women in the booths soliciting you for a taxi ride should be warning enough that you are going to overpay. I always tip the taxi driver up to the next bill. If its R$36 I'll give him 40 or 50. It honestly doesn't matter to me. I'm not a rich guy but taxis in Rio are the cheapest I've seen anywhere I have traveled to.

As for Uber, its back in action. Uber never even complied with the judge to begin with. The more you read about Brazil the more you will see these wacky rulings to shut down major services, and it never happens. A judge ruled last year to shutdown Whatsapp for the whole country. Didn't happen. I can't recommend Uber in Rio though. The few times I have taken it there, the drivers have almost been more unpleasant that the taxis, not to mention more expensive. As others have said though, if you live there it might be the best way to get a car to pick you up. Definitely legit in Sao Paulo though: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NP24220150504

nldogbert

Hi,

I will be arriving in GIG late at night. I was planning on using UBER, but it seems that they are even worst compared to the local taxis.
Anyone can give advise on the easiest/cheapest between GIG and the Hilton in Barra de Tijuana?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers!

VidaNaPraia

Barra de Tijuca.....to make yourself understood, if indeed you wish to end up at your hotel in Brazil rather than in a town in Mexico


They use child labor? Shocking! I would not pay to support this.