Taxis in Costa Rica are a common transportation option for locals and tourists. There almost 14,000 units in the country and you’ll see taxis almost everywhere you go in Costa Rica.
If you don’t want to take public transportation which at times can be slow and there aren’t routes to everywhere, a taxi can be a good option. It’s especially practical if you don’t need to go far, if it’s raining or if you’re feeling a little lazy to walk in the heat.
If you are visiting Costa Rica for the first time, here are our tips for taking taxis in Costa Rica from a local.
Always Take an Official Taxi
Official taxis in Costa Rica are red with the yellow triangle and light like the one shown below. You will immediately be able to tell the difference between a pirate and real taxi. Official taxis have newer cars, plates and the badge to signify they are official taxis. More on that below.
Official taxis will have a plate on the side of their door signifying which province they can operate in. Taxis cannot operate across province lines so for example, a San Jose licensed taxi cannot operate in Guanacaste.
If you are in San Jose, you will see something like TSJ001 (TSJ stands for Taxi San Jose and the numbers tells you the taxi number), in Heredia you will see plates TH, in Limon TL, etc.
Orange Taxis
When you land in the San Jose airport, you might see orange taxis, instead of red. These group of taxis are exclusive for the airport. They charge more than the RED ones but they are just right there outside the arrivals door. Both San Jose and Liberia Airports now have an official taxi stand which is right outside the exit. Go there to call an official taxi.
Security Tip: If you are in San Jose and the taxi has a Puntarenas plate, do not take it. Official taxis in Costa Rica can only pick up passengers within their own province.
If you don’t need to, don’t take a pirate taxi
I am Costa Rican and I always try to avoid non-official taxis. Wherever you go in Costa Rica you can find a line of cabs next to the bus stations, parks, restaurants and they will come to you saying, “taxi, need a taxi?” These are drivers who are not official taxis and they do not have the taxi medallion license to offer these services. They are just simply normal people with their own personal cars.
The popular way to call them are “Taxis Piratas” which mean pirate cab drivers. The main reasons why I don’t use them are that they can charge whatever they want, they don’t have the same insurance as the legal ones and they aren’t as safe. Many times they have a super old car in bad shape without insurance so it’s a risk if you take one of those.
Unfortunately, there are some destinations where only pirate taxis exist. These are places outside the city in more remote areas such as Tamarindo and Montezuma. If you have to take a taxi and the pirate drivers are your only option, then negotiate a price beforehand, do not go alone especially if you are female and take a photo of their license plate and get their name just in case anything happens.
Turn the meter on
Like in any part of the world, some cab drivers will try to take advantage of tourists or people that they normally don’t work with by charging more or denying to use the meter. According to Costa Rican law, every cab driver must use the meter (Costa Rica name for the meter is”MARIA”). If you find a cab driver that doesn’t want to use it even if you ask, you can get their plate number and report the cab driver to the government. They have to turn it on by law (more on taxi scams below).
As for rates, the rates are regulated by the government. Rates change depending on the area (rural or city) and the automobile capacity.
Tip: Another way to get a rough estimate of how much your taxi would be is to check the fare estimate on the Uber website. Whatever they charge, add a bit more for Costa Rican taxis.
Ask a Local Before
If you have the opportunity, ask a local before you take a taxi. Ask them about prices and transportation options because Costa Rica has a good public transportation system that might take you for less money where you want to go.
Like any public transportation however, it might take longer and you might have to walk a little bit. Don’t know Spanish? Learn some important Spanish phrases here!
Most of the Costa Ricans will help you and you will have a good experience, but always keep your eyes open and use common sense. Avoid these 10 mistakes when traveling in Costa Rica and read our Costa Rica safety tips to stay safe.
More Tips for Taxis in Costa Rica
- Costa Rican drivers take great care of their car as cars, so please don’t slam the door when you close it. Do it softly and your driver will be happy.
- For solo female travelers, it’s better if you sit in the backseat.
- Always have change with you and small bills in local currency. We do not recommend to pay in USD because 99.99% of the time, the driver will tell you he does not have change and will use an incorrect exchange rate.
- Costa Rica does not really have addresses so drivers will not know where you are going if your address is Calle 2, Segunda Ave 10. Find a hotel or business close by and use that as your destination.
- It is not absolutely mandatory to tip your driver but you may if you want to (10% is standard and we recommend to give local currency). Read more about tipping in Costa Rica here.
Scams to Watch Out For
Unfortunately there are some taxi drivers that will try to scam tourists. Look out for these.
- The driver tells you that your hotel is not in business anymore and will try to reroute you to a hotel they get commission for and try to charge you a lot more for the extra driving.
- If you’re taking a taxi to the bus station, the driver may say your bus already left, the route doesn’t exist, bus station moved, etc. Do NOT believe them. Tell them to take you to the station and verify the information directly at the station.
- Don’t take up their offer to go to a “cheaper/better” restaurant/souvenir store/business/whatever. Continue straight to your destination.
- Get a prepaid Costa Rica SIM card so you have Internet on your phone and open the route on Google Maps or Waze so you can make sure he’s not taking you in the long way around.
Read more about common tourist scams in Costa Rica.
Uber
Uber in Costa Rica is honestly so much better than taxis. Don’t get me wrong, taxis are necessary but like anyone else, we hate the constant taxi badgering when we leave the airport or are walking down the street. Not to mention, Uber is much better for pricing because you can see how much it will be in the app and unlike a taxi driver, it is very difficult for them to try to charge you a higher or ridiculous price.
We always use Uber when we’re in San Jose even if we have a car because it’s cheap, pricing is automatically in the app and we don’t have to drive. Read our tips for using Uber in Costa Rica.
Another app for ride share is Didi which is growing in San Jose.
Aleks says
Your website has been incredibly helpful! This summer, we are going to Costa Rica (Arenal, Monteverde, Quepos, Carara) with a young toddler and NOT planning to rent a car (my husband and I both hate driving and are wary of difficult driving conditions, particularly to get to national parks). We plan to do a few day/half day tours that will provide transportation, but we mostly want to explore on our own, which will usually include a morning hiking, a return to the hotel for our toddler’s nap, and then another activity later in the afternoon. We will need transportation to and from our locations, and we will need to either bring a car seat with us or rely on taxis to have them. I have a couple of questions:
1) Do taxis usually have car seats available or do we need to have our own to install for each trip?
2) Do you know if there is ever a place to stash car seats at national parks (such as the ticket booth) so we don’t have to figure out a way to hike with one?
3) Booking a taxi (or uber) from our hotel is easy enough, but what about when we are at an out-of-the-way park that doesn’t get many travelers, such as several of the parks near Monteverde? What do you suggest for getting a ride to come home? Is there cell service to call one? Would we need to arrange pickup at a specific time before we go?
4) How hard is it really to drive to all the parks around Monteverde, Arenal, Carara, and Manuel Antonio?
Thanks for your help!
Sammi says
Hi Aleks, we have sent you an email with information
Kelly says
Thank you in so much for providing this valuable information but I do have one more question (well, two);
in a week We’ll be arriving at SJO at 4:30 AM on a Monday, heading to Jaco.
1: are red taxis available that early in the morning?
2; you mentioned that the taxis can only legally operate within their designated provinces – should the taxi I need have the “Puntarenas” province printed within the triangle on the side of the car?
Thanks again – this transport from the airport to Jaco is the most “unknown” of our trip and I am very nervous!
Sammi says
Hi Kelly, yes there should be airport taxis but honestly I recommend trying to for an Uber instead or a private shuttle is better. Taxis can operate within their designated provinces but if its a SJ San Jose taxi they can take you to other places
Maggie says
Your guide was very helpful. We will be spending 1 day in Costa Rica, landing in Puerto Limón from a cruise, from 9-6 next month. We’re hoping to see the sloth sanctuary and either go to Cahuita National Park and/or Tortuguero National Park. However, we are bringing a baby with us, so that means either taking the public bus so we don’t need his car seat, or taking a taxi and bringing his car seat. We wonder if we can rent a taxi for the whole day so we can bring the car seat with us? However do you think we would be at risk for having the car seat stollen, leaving it in the taxi? We don’t want to have to take multiple taxis and haul the car seat with us everywhere. Thanks for your advice.
Sammi says
If you’re only there for 1 day, book a private shuttle. This is the safest, and fastest way. There are also a couple tour companies in the area so maybe they can put together a package of transportation + your activities for you – check with Caribe Fun Tours, they’re a main operator based in that area.
Anna says
Your website and guides seem super helpful for planning our first trip to Costa Rica in March!
I am wondering how easy it is to find an Uber or taxi especially at night in smaller towns? For example we plan to stay in a hotel in Playa Hermosa for some days but want to visit Playa de Coco for a day and probably some drinks in the evening. Can you give us some advice how to find a driver at night for the ride back to Playa Hermosa? Thanks so much!
Sammi says
Uber is not as common in that area, there may be a couple but I wouldn’t rely on it 100%.
Mary says
Hello!
Thank you so much for your helpful blog.
I want to take buses from the SJO airport to La Paz Waterfall Gardens next week. I figured out the route (I think) and it mainly starts in Alajuela and ends in Jualares. Rome2Rio says to take a taxi from there for the last 20 minutes.
Can I depend on a taxi (or Uber/Didi) to be available at the bus stop?
We also will need to take the same route back before noon to catch our flight to Limón. Will a taxi/Uber/Didi be available to bring me back to Jualares when I need it?
There’s only so much info I can seem to find and it’s frustrating at times!
Thank you so much for any help. Private drivers keep telling men they should take us but we’re on a budget…and not sure how safe those shuttle/private drivers are either.
Sammi says
There isn’t really rideshare for the last stop but local taxis, which may or may not try to rip you off since it’s not very regulated – they are supposed to use a meter but they can mess with it.
Best and safest option is to take a private shuttle or start with an Uber in San Jose and then look for a taxi or ask your Uber driver to stick around until you’re done
Apollo says
I’m going to CR next week for the first time. Is it possible to get Uber from San Jose airport to Zarcero? It seems to be way cheaper than Taxi’s or the shuttle services I have contacted.
Sammi says
You probably can – the only stipulation is the driver needs to accept it but I know drivers who have done SJO – Jaco and SJO – Manuel Antonio and Zarcero is not terribly far
Val says
What is the max occupancy of taxis?
We are a family of 5 adults staying at the Riu Palacio & are thinking of visiting Tio Leo Coffee, Haras del Mar Equestrian Center and the town of Coco for various 1/2 day trips on our own instead of booking private excursions.
Sammi says
You can hire a bigger taxi (they have sedans and SUVS available)
If you want to do day trips on your own, I’d recommend renting a car in Costa Rica instead of booking taxis. You’ll have more flexibility with your own car and you don’t have to worry about taxis ripping you off or not showing up.
Carla says
I am traveling to Liberia airport but I’m trying to get to nicaragua. Is it better to get an Uber or taxi?
Sammi says
Uber doesn’t readily exist in Liberia or the airport, the best option is to take a taxi or book a private shuttle. If you’re on a budget, there is a public bus (must go from airport to Liberia, then Liberia to the Penas Blancas border)
daisy says
We are arriving to the san jose airport in the evening (9:00pm) and our hotel is an hour and a half away.. do taxis travel that far?
Sammi says
yes probably, it depends on the driver but most will
Sammi says
You just need internet on your phone (and an Uber account)