Is there a Prague taxi company that has a reputation for reliability?

I have heard stories about Prague taxis that leave me wondering if I can trust any of them.

I will need one at least once to take me to the train station from the hotel.

As an ancillary question:
Can I rely on the hotel to call a taxi from a reliable company?

When I researched this question a while ago, the answer was AAA Taxis. Things change, though, so check further for yourself.

I would not rely on the hotel. I am sure that some call reliable firms, but I am equally sure that some others do not.

can your hotel send you a driver to pick you up or call a taxi for you?

if it's a driver supplied by the hotel you get the price quoted ahead of time and you can decide if that's ok.... that's what we'll be doing when we land in prague.

I think you can trust your hotel to call a reputable cab driver. And you can get a firm quote before you even get into the cab.

PeaceOut wrote: "I think you can trust your hotel to call a reputable cab driver. And you can get a firm quote before you even get into the cab."

Do you know Prague? I can tell you from experience that is not always true. That is why I gave the opinion that I expressed above.

Yes, we've been to Prague and that's how we did it.

All that indicates is that you can trust one hotel. And I know another hotel that should not be trusted to find me a taxi driver who is honest. His effort to extract from me more than the agreed (and already high) fare led to a most entertaining row on the street. I won, because I am not embarrassed by such things.

There are many in Prague who try to rip off tourists. Taxi drivers are notorious, which makes the OP's question a good one.

Another thing that happens a lot is the padding of restaurant bills -- charging for items that you did not order or receive, adding up manually and arriving at too high a total, or adding in a service charge that is not part of the restaurant's pricing policy. When you challenge the bill, you are told it was a mistake, and things are rectified. In one longish visit I had 13 restaurant meals; for seven of them, the bill was padded. That's a lot of mistakes.

I'd still be happy to visit Prague again, but I would be alert to the ways that some people try to rip the visitor off.

Have been to Prague 3 times - once on business - and we used taxis a lot on all 3. Perhaps 40 cab rides all together. If the hotel calls the cab it is fine. If you pick it up outside the hotel door it will be fine. We also did very well picking up taxis at major tourist sights.

In all 3 trips we had only 1 incident. We needed a cab for a short trip since my companion had a bad knee - and limited walking to the sightseeing part. So we took a cab from the rank in Old Town Square to the hotel. I knew where both were and the approximate time and correct cost. He started on a long way around and when I commented he said something about a street being closed. Then, he didn't want to stop at the hotel - but drop us on the corner. I had my companion get out while I fumbled with the money - then paid him what I knew the trip was worth. It was about half of what he wanted. He insisted - and I told him - call a cop if you want more. And - next time don;t try to cheat a New Yorker. He used some unpleasant language - but what could he do? He knew I was right and had him cold.

If you're timid - or unsure of prices - by all means just use cabs caused by the hotel.

Two reliable companies : AAA and City. Even when you ask a hotel to call a taxi, better to mention above names. Maybe not necessary at 5* hotels but you never know. I have read posts by those who stayed at 3/4* hotels and got ripped of by taxis called by their hotels. Maybe rare cases but that happened. Do a search here or better at tripadvisor.com. I have seen many times posts by locals mentioning above names and even phone numbers (English speaking).

And on the street, take a cab always at ranks with the sign "Fair Place TAXI". I have seen these ranks all over the city center now. See a photo below.

http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2...irer-fares.php

I don't know what private car service other posters' hotels booked for them. But we had no problem with the private car our hotel booked for us. They quoted us the fare via email before we arrived and had the cost added to the hotel bill.

Just because some people feel that they were not ripped off in Prague, it does not follow that nobody is ripped off. See http://tinyurl.com/6bpgkm

It happens. I agree but not always. We've been ripped off by taxi drivers at home too.

Well, perhaps it's different for me since I use cabs all the time - a minimum of several times a week for the past 20 years - versus people who usually drive their own cars.

Have never been ripped off in europe (and the only guy who tried was the one in Prague). And only one really stupid driver in NYC tried. Again I gave him what the fare should have been plus toll but minus any tip. I told him his meter was way too fast and he didn't even try to protest. (I knew it was fast since the trip to my place from LGA was more than twice what it should have been.)

And I took his name and number and turned him into the T&LC. They asked me to testify against him - but later pulled his license before the hearing - I guess due to a lot of other complaints.

Thanks to all who responded.
I took the advice and looked at Trip Advisor.

The web site listed three taxi services as being ok.

AAA Radio Taxi
233 113 311
www.aaataxi.cz

City Taxi
257 257 257
www.citytaxi.cz

Profi Taxi
244 114 411
www.profitaxi.cz

AAA is considered the best, followed by City Taxi. I've been to Prague 11 times in the past decade, and AAA is considered the most reputable as far as consistently honest service, and staff that speaks English. It is most people's 1st choice. City taxi is fine, also, but I always just call AAA.

Asking for a transfer from the station to the hotel is possible. You could also just go to the taxi que and see what the set rate is to downtown. That is how it is from the airport, and it should be similar from the train station.

definitely go with AAA and be sure to ask your hotel to phone that particular company

we were caught out and burned badly when staying at antique city hotel
...the guy at the desk phoned for a cab for us and we then found out that he was someones uncle...not a registered cab..he volunteered this info when he asked if we wanted him to pick us up from the restaurant later on ...
no way! !!!

he charged us an incredible amount
..when we worked out the distance it was horrible to find out how we were ripped off
earlier that day we had caught a AAA taxi with a lovely lady cabdriver and it was all fine...

just another voice to say we did get ripped off by a cab called by a high end hotel in March 2008...later got some compensation from the hotel, but it was a hassle.

Yeah, I would say that the only time it's OK for the hotel to choose the taxi company/private driver would be when they are providing you with a fixed rate airport transfer. Otherwise, you are risking the nepotism problem, and could be dealing with some inside ring of crooks. By specifically asking for the hotel to call AAA, or just asking to set a rate ahead of time, you take the surprise factor out of having to deal with crazy high charges.

That's too bad about the hotel recommended taxi. We stayed at U Zlate Studne and arranged for a car to pick us up (fixed rate). It went well and we had no hassles.

Btw, amp322 should be our Fodor's Prague expert. She has visited Prague many times and always provides helpful advice!

Lol, "francophile"...!

The exact count is 11 times (I think! - kinda lost track...) Prague has really changed, since I started going over a decade ago. Very interesting. One thing has not changed - AAA taxi is still #1.

Anyway, in 3 weeks, I'm leaving for Russia. My first time, so I will be on here looking for tips, myself! Help!!