I am in Prague a lot. Some of the hotel/apartments use private drivers. You should be ok with these private drivers as far as a fixed rate. I have stayed at a hotel where they advertised a fixed rate with a taxi company. They called a taxi for me and when I got to my destination I was charged a higher rate.

I think that I messed up by meeting the taxi outside the hotel. If I had to do it again I would have the taxi driver come in the hotel and confirm price with taxi driver while hotel personnel there. The taxi driver act like he did not understand english when I got to where I was going. I did inform the hotel what the taxi driver had done.

It seems like the worst taxi drivers hang around the train stations. You have to be very careful when getting a taxi at a train station. I agree that AAA is the best.

AAA taxi is the most reputable and reliable taxi company.. Make sure there is a meter in the cab and always ask Before you get in how many crowns for the trip..

susannah, I think your message is mixed. If a taxi has a meter and is operated by a trustworthy operator, then you pay what the meter records. If you get a price from the driver beforehand, then you are effectively contracting to ignore the meter -- and you will end up paying more unless the driver is an idiot.

Padraig, there is a set fee for taxis coming from the airport to downtown. Every taxi must adhere to that set rate (they are in a que outside arrivals). Prague has 10 zones. A taxi to Prague 1 will cost "x" amount, and if the meter were running, it might go over that amount, but it wouldn't matter, because the set amount stands.

Many people negotiate a rate before getting in, especially if you are riding from one landmark to another (Hradcany to Wenceslas, etc). With Prague being notorious for taxi driver rip-offs, savy people know how much it costs to go from "A" to "B", and they refuse to pay over that amount. It can't hurt to get an estimate beforehand. If the guy says 2,000 Koruna for a trip that takes 5 minutes, you're in trouble. If you have no idea how much it should cost, then make sure you are in AAA or City Cab, to lessen your chances of becoming a victim. You are assuming that the meters are not rigged & that the driver is honest... remember, even officials have been ripped off by these drivers!