Is either the Cayman Islands Tourism Association’s fare schedule or the Public Transport Board’s recently produced fare schedule available for publication? It would be really useful to have these to hand because on occasions that drivers have tried to charge me excessive fares, they have often been less than forthcoming with documentary evidence of the “proper fare”.
Auntie’s answer: This issue definitely raises the hackles of many readers, as evidenced by the reaction to a recent column on fares charged from the airport (see Sharing taxis from the airport). One reader posed today’s question based on that item.
I have obtained two fare schedules for you. They are nothing if not thorough, though I have to admit that my eyes did start to glaze over from all the numbers. I hope they are useful and help to avoid any overcharging that may be attempted by any taxi drivers.
I would hope that this is a very small minority but by the vehemence of comments prompted by the previous column, I may have to concede that might be wishful thinking, unless there is anyone out there willing to share some positive stories.
Here is the approved fare table published by the Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA).
Here is the list of official taxi rates from the Public Transport Board.
For more information on taxi service from the airport, go to the CIAA website
The fare list is from 2008, has it not been updated in 9 years?
Thank you for posting the approved fare tables Auntie. You are the best Auntie ever!
Looking at the “official price table” which presumably applies to fares from anywhere other than the airport, it seems the fare for up to three passengers can simply be stated as “$7.60 for the first 1.4 miles, plus $3 for each additional mile.” If you can do simple maths, then there is no need for the bewildering array of numbers in the fare table. Those tables are not easy to read at all….and would be nearly impossible after a good night out!
Interestingly the “Airport Taxi Rates 2008” table at the end of the “approved fare table” pdf contradicts the fare table itself in the way additional passengers are charged. The former indicates that each additional passenger pays and additional 1/3 (33%) of the fare, so for example if you have 6 passengers the fare doubles. Obviously, if you have more than 6 passengers you may as well share the love (or at least the money) and get multiple taxis.
However, the “approved fare table” shows that each additional passenger pays just 20% more than the previous additional passenger. So if the first 3 passengers pay $10, for 4 your pay 10 x 1.2 = $12, for 5 you pay $12 x 1.2 = $14.40 etc. The fare increases exponentially as you add passengers! Using this calculation, you will pay more than double the fare if you have more than 6 passengers, so you should get two taxis unless money is no object to you. I am convinced that this fare structure is based upon the author’s grasp of Excel (or lack thereof) rather than on a defined policy.
Since the tables seem to contradict each other, we have to assume that fares from the airport are different from fares from elsewhere. But I think the question that everybody would like answered, is whether or not taxis are permitted to charge multiple fares when different people are being dropped at different destinations. From the airport it is clear that this is permitted, but my belief is that it is not permitted for non-airport fares, and I would love to have this confirmed.
Have to agree with all the negative comments – my husband had to use a taxi to take our (crated) dog from the airport to Cayman Animal Hospital on Crewe Road (at most a 5 minute drive) in January this year and that one way trip cost him $34CI. We were absolutely appalled and will NEVER use one again or recommend anyone else using one.
Cayman’s taxi fares are atrocious!! Must be the dearest in the world. New York and London are cheaper and UK’s petrol is far more expensive so justify your charges Cayman Taxi’s
Not so! More expensive than New York, but not London. A six mile journey in Cayman is listed at CI$21.40 for up to 3 passengers during the day, but the same journey in a London cab would cost between £23 and £34 (~CI$28- CI$42), depending on traffic and the time of day.
Now that’s only if the Cayman taxi driver charges you what’s actually on the rate sheet…which I think is a rarity.
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-minicabs/taxi-fares
A 7 mile journey by taxi in Wales, UK is £10. I catch one every Friday night! That is for the taxi not per person. The smallest taxi will take 4 passengers. So 4 divided by £10 is £2.50 each. Way to go UK!
Ryans Retreat is listed on the CIAA sheet at CI$13.44, and that’s further than the animal hospital. The dog would probably have been an oversize, and therefore would incur an $3 additional fee. You should not have been charged more than $17. You were ripped off. Royally! But if you were coming from the airport, you should have been given a receipt by the dispatcher, so you should have known the charge before you left.
Excellent. Thanks for sharing the fee schedules. I will be sharing that with my clients visiting the island.
They’ve been ripped $60 airport to ritz. $45 Kimpton to new Morgan’s. $60 ritz to Catch. Daylight robbery. And in a beat up minivan too. For that fare you’d expect a limo.
Bring in metered taxi’s. A set start rate of say $5.00 then $1.00 for every mile between 9am and 4pm and $2.00 per mile between 4pm and 9am REGARDLESS of how many people are in the taxi. Clear fair rates across the board.
With reasonable fare Taxis will probably make more $$ because public will be willing to use them without having to worry about pawning a kidney or 1st born to get around safely.
Current taxi fares are Daylight robbery. If people share part of a route who pays what is between the travelers not the taxi. All taxi should care it that they are paid for route A-C. Bring in fair fare meters.
uber
I was once charged $190 to go from Queen’s Court on 7 Mile to the Yacht Club on 7 Mile (pre Dart, back then only a 45 minute drive). The driver said it was because it was after 2 am and we had to be charged $95 each because there was a “risk charge” involved for picking up 2 people that late at night when the driver couldn’t get someone to travel with her for protection. This Island needs to self regulate…I mean no wonder so many people choose to drink and drive, the penalty is much less than the cab fare. In fact it seems if you do drink and drive you may get a seat on the legislative assembly.
All we need is meters and better buses. If we had a better bus system there would be less cars the road. If meters are cost prohibitive then I’ve seen countries use an app that uses GPS to track the miles or to set rates, this really isn’t a hard thing to fix.
The time has come for UBER on island as I am sick and tired of friends and tourists being ripped off by taxi drivers. It is certainly not good for the image of the island and certainly makes a mockery of the so called Cayman kind. If one does not believe me just look at all the negative comments about taxis on Trip Adviser and other tourism blogs. We do not need this negativity as it hurts us in a major way.