There are licensed taxis, as well as cars that transport people and are deceptively similar to taxis in Warsaw. Whereas the taxis, driven by the legitimate taxi drivers, have to be properly labelled (backlit 'taxi 'sign on the roof of a vehicle, a sticker illustrating the coat of arms of Warsaw – mermaid_- on the driver's and the front passengers doors and a yellow-red stripe with a number on it), the car should be equipped with a taximeter and a cash register. The prices per one km are fixed by the city officials, hence the taxi driver cannot charge you more. The from unlicensed taxis drivers do not d follow such rules. They may theoretically offer low rates but beware - the driver of such a vehicle may ask for a gigantic amount of money, unless you did not set the price per kilometre of travel before the travel, and the price was not presented to you in writing. Such cars often lack the taximeter that counts the mileage (however they may have a cash register), but it all depends on the driver. If a car is equipped with a taximeter it does not necessarily have to mean that the honest service is guaranteed, since drivers in cartage service often use the impulse generators on taximeters or even a technique of mounting wheels with inappropriate dimensions, what results in the incorrect estimation of the mileage.
One should be also cautious when entering a taxi on the street, because there are a lot of taxis, whose drivers may charge you excessively. Be especially cautious at the airports and railway station. In order to avoid the overpayment, the best thing to do is to call for a taxi by phone. But still, when getting on the taxi, you should ask the driver what is the price per kilometre and ask him to provide you with the approximated price of getting to a particular place.
Moreover it is wise to check the taximeter and not to pay more than it indicates. During the night (usually from 10 pm till 6 am), at the weekends (Friday evening till Monday morning) and holidays, the prices are higher than usually. The higher prices apply also if one wants to get to the suburban zone. If one knows the route, then one should monitor the driver in order not to let him drive around to make us pay more.
The recent directive by the city council of Warsaw set the following maximum rates for the taxis in the capital city (does not refer to the cartage service):
- Initial rate - max. 6 PLN
- daily tariff (6am-10 pm) - urban zone - max. 3 PLN/km
- night tariff (10 pm-6 am) for urban zone and daily tariff on Sundays and holidays - max. 4.5 PLN/km
- daily tariff (6 am-10 pm) for suburban zone - max. 6 PLN/km
- night tariff (10 pm-6 am) for suburban zone, and night tariff on Sundays and holidays - max. 7 PLN/km
- When a taxi driver needs to wait for us - max. 40 PLN/h
The taxis need to have the cash registers installed and you can ask for the receipt which indicates the price and the route. . You can also ask the driver to tell us how many kilometres did you travel.
The cheapest cartage service (dated to 7 September 2009)
- Bayer Taxi (6 am-10 pm): 1.5 PLN/km; (10 pm-6 am) and from 8 pm on Saturdays till 6 am on Mondays, and holidays: 2.25 PLN/km, phone number: +48 (022) 1 96 67
- City Warsaw Taxi (6 am-10 pm): 1.80 PLN/km, (10 pm-6 am) and from 8 pm on Saturdays till 6 am on Mondays: 2.70 PLN/km, phone number: +48 (022) 1 94 59
- Night Drivers (6 am-10 pm): 1.60 PLN/km, (10 pm-6 am) and weekends: 2.10 PLN/km - the employees can deliver your car, do the shopping, deliver a parcel, and even walk your dog!; phone numbers: 0 502 200 967, 0 504 020 226, 507 828 277
- Grosik Taxi (6 am-10 pm): 1.60 PLN/km, (10 pm-6 am) and weekends: 2.30 PLN/km, phone number: +48 (022) 646 46 46
- Volfra Taxi (6 am-10 pm): 1.60 PLN/km, (10pm-6am) and weekends: 2.40 PLN/km, phone number: +48 (022) 1 96 25; Volfra also offers ordering a taxi by sending a text message (+48 602 10 96 25)
