Taxi Guide Delhi
Although taxis are widely available in Delhi, they aren’t usually that easy to hail off the street. Instead, you either book one over the phone or you simply walk to your nearest taxi stand (most neighbourhoods have one or two of these). It’s a good idea to get the number of your local taxi stand when you move in to your new neighbourhood so that you can arrange for pick-ups from your doorstep.
Taxi stands usually have two types of cabs–private hire “tourist vehicles” (many with air conditioning) and more basic black cabs with green trim. The latter are usually metered. Both can normally be rented out for a day or a half day. A non-AC car will cost around Rs. 600 for four hours and up to 40km or Rs. 800 for eight hours and up to 80km.
Alternatively, you can call a radio taxi (known locally as dial-a-cab). Some radio taxi companies also offer online booking.
Green and black cabs and radio taxis operate on a meter system (Rs. 20 for the first kilometer and Rs 11-13, depending on non-AC/AC). If a metered car is not available, you will have to negotiate a price (base it on the Rs. 20/km standard). Note that with metered and unmetered taxis, a 25 % night-charge will be levied if any part of your trip occurs between 11PM and 5AM.
A chart with detailed pricing is provided by the Delhi traffic police at http://www.delhitrafficpolice.nic.in/.
Most drivers speak at least some English, perhaps not enough to have a conversation, but definitely enough to get you to where you ask to go. Most taxi stand owners and all dial-a-cab operators will deal with you in English.
Popular Dial-a-Cab companies in Delhi
- Easy Cabs http://www.easycabs.com (Phone: 43434343)
- Mega Cabs (Phone: 41414141)
- Meru Cabs http://www.merucabs.com (Phone: 44224422)
