When taking a taxi it is difficult to know if the price you were charged was a fair price or if you got “taken for a ride.” If you have a little time to do some hotelchain.net quick research and some simple math, however, you can save yourself some money on your ride and get the peace-of-mind of knowing that you received a good deal.
The first step in calculating the fair fare is to map calculate taxi out your route to determine the distance. This can be done by going to any of the various hotelchain mapping sites such as Google Maps. Use the directions option to generate the route from your pick-up location to your drop-off location. Depending on the mapping site that you use, you may be presented with several routes. Always choose the route that is the fastest (in minutes). Since taxicab drivers are on a demanding schedule and travelers are typically in a hurry, drivers will almost always take the fastest route over the shortest route.
The next step is to determine what the taxicab calculator taxi rates are for the city that you are traveling in. Each city will have different rules and regulations regarding taxicab rates and the maximum rates that taxis can charge. This information can usually be found on a city’s government website (a quick Google search of “city of city name taxicab regulations” will usually get you to this page quickly). If you don’t want to take the time to find this, a good estimate is to use an initial fare of $2.50 and $2.35 per mile. Now that you know the distance and the rates for your ride you can calculate the cost of your ride using some simple math:
- Add 5% to the calculated distance calculate taxi (take the distance times 1.05).
- Multiply the new distance times the per-mile rate.
- Add the initial fare charge.
- For airport pick-ups, add $4-6.
To demonstrate, we will use an example from Minneapolis, MN:
Example fare from MSP airport:
Trip Distance: 13 mi, Taxi Rates: $2.50 initial fare + $2.50 per mi ($.50 per 1/5 mi)
Calculate the Fair Fare:
- 13 x 1.05 = 13.65
- 13.65 $2.50 = $34.13
- $34.13 + $2.50 = $36.63
- $36.63 + $4 = $40.63