crowdpub

According to press reports, there are ten bands of thugs who target foreign visitors to Lima. Thursday in the middle of the night an Australian, age, 26, was shot in the stomach after she and her husband took a taxi which turned out to be what police call a fake taxi. The victim resisted the assault and then was shot. There were no reports about the husband in the press.

Police have reported 20 assaults/robberies so far this year in Lima.
Anyone taking a taxi needs to be vigilant about taking cabs from or to the airport. If arriving it is a good idea to have someone meet you at the airport and if you are going to the airport have someone arrange for a taxi to pick you up.
http://latinamericacurrentevents.com...ist-shot-lima/

Graziella5b

A friend living in Lima told me that the tourists that were shot took a taxi in a very questionable area of Lima, called el Cercado, this is an area no one would venture at night
and taxing a taxi there is totally irresponsable. This is not to justify this sad affair, but
tourist better be alert and aware of the circunstances in each city whenever possible.
In Lima my friend tells me most taxis are not official, and people should be cautious.
One good thing the criminal was inmediately caught by police.
I would like to know more about taxis in Lima. ..anyone?

Afroginlima

There are an estimated 210 000 taxis operating in Lima. Only half of them are official taxis. To give you a comparison, 17 000 taxis are operating in London (Uk). Here are my 3 points :

1. Everybody visiting Lima, and Peru in general should remember that Peru is still a third world country. More than 30% of the population lives under the poverty line.
2. Moreover Police is highly corrupted. So don't count on them really.
3. At last but not least, cost of life (respect of Life) for Peruvian is culturally not the same than for others. Some delinquent will not hesitate to shoot you for 1 dollar

So for any tourists visiting Peru, be aware of the situations, and be very careful with your belongings.

hup234

So how do you get a taxi safely in Lima please?

crowdpub

Here are a couple of tips for you - The couple per reports were on the way to the airport. There was no indication what happened to her partner or what hotel or hostal they were staying in.

1. Use radio taxis where you call - but being a tourist you may not have a cell phone. If you are staying in a relatively nice area the hotel or hostal should have qualified taxis to pick you up.

2. Try to have a taxi service pick you up from your hotel.

3. If you get in a taxi make sure you can open the doors and the locks don't shut you in.

4. Another scam that has been reported in different parts of Peru - is the driver will have you place your bags in the backseat - and you sit in the front - this may be a setup - as there have been reports of thieves intercepting the car at a stop sign and then removing the items from the backseat and they are off.

latinamericacurrentevents.com

hup234

OK thankyou. cheers

ncounty

thanks for the warnings.

jwhitt

I spent a week in Lima two weeks ago while sorting out a visa problem for a high school student with whom I was traveling. (I'm a teacher & it was my 4th trip to Peru) We took "green" taxis from the airport to our hotel in Miraflores. The drivers are dressed nicely and have big placards around their necks certifying their authenticity. They cost a little more. Otherwise, we hailed taxis on the street in front of our hotels. We asked hotel staff to arrange taxis sometimes and then asked the hotel to schedule a taxi for us for the final trip back to the airport. Because we didn't have reservations, we stayed in everything from 5* to 2* hotels. The green taxi was the most expensive at 70 soles (about $26 USD) and other taxis were $3-$8 per ride across town from Miraflores to the US embassy.
I would use the same caution used anywhere in the world. Don't stand outside with a big camera around your neck or fancy watches dangling off your arms and not expect to get noticed by the wrong crowd. If you visit rough neighborhoods then you need to be prepared to interact with a rough crowd.
If I didn't like someone for any reason, I would wave them on. If the windshield was cracked, I waved them on.

crowdpub

Your information on haling cabs from hotels is very good - while it may cost a little more - hotels will usually have good drivers. Even if you are not a guest at a hotel if you walk up to them they will usually give you a ride.

Leslie_S

Scary stuff.
When we were in Peru we took the train back from Aguas Caliente and got off in Ollantaytambo rather than riding all the way to Cuzco -- the guide we dealt with in Ollanta + MP had recommended that because the last leg is so slow & winding. His advice was to do that and take a taxi from Ollanta to Cuzco.

When we got off the train there were no taxis at the station at all. One young guy in a station wagon who spoke no English (yes, I know that's not his problem, it's mine for only knowing English!) was trying to get us to go with him. It felt wrong but we had no other options and went with him.

As it ended up he either did not know the location in Cuzco or else was for some reason not permitted to drive into the heart of the city - maybe as an unlicensed taxi with obvious tourists in the car? Don't know. But we were unceremoniously dumped out and left to walk many blocks to the main square where we got a real taxi to go the rest of the way.

That was annoying at the time but WOW reading this thread has made me realize we were super stupid to get into an unlicensed taxi with some random kid. And super lucky that nothing worse happened to us.