The key fact in taking taxis in Lima is this: the taxis do not have meters.
In most cities in South America that I have visited or lived in .. either the taxis have meters or they have some other system for determining a fair price between sectors or within a sector.
Lima has neither.
The result is a cat-and-mouse game between the taxistas and their paying customers.
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Here's how the cognoscenti play the game....
Do not enter a Lima cab without knowing what fare you will pay when you exit the taxi.
In my experience, the taxistas usually do not suggest or offer a fare amount when you get in the vehicle.
This is strategic. Once you are inside the taxi and it starts moving without you having established the cost, the taxista believes he has the right to declare the fare later, which may be higher at night or during the busiest times when traffic is the slowest .. or may carry 'the Gringo tax'. You have lost your right to negotiate .. unless you want to get into a Spanish-language confrontation.
If a fare is offered at the outset, you may counter the offer before getting in. Do not allow the driver or honking horns behind you to make you skip this step. Ask the taxi driver to pull over to discuss the fare if necessary.
One way to estimate the proper fare if you are new to the route you will travel .. is to ask a shopkeeper or security officer or cashier what the taxi might charge to get you to your destination.
If you offer five soles and the taxi driver says ten, you might offer seven.
If he won't budge below eight or ten, he may have offered you a fair fare to begin with.
If there is above-average static during the negotiation or along the way, attempt to pay the fare in exact change .. reducing the possibility of a dispute at the end of the ride.
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As you learn how to get around the city, you will discover that some trips are easily and comfortably made at many hours via metro-bus, metro-train or buses on major avenues. Your trip then may cost only one sol, about thirty cents US .. or a sol and a half late at night on Avenida Larco.
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