Taxi pickup happened here (see arrow). The scene of the crime!!! Puerto Vallarta Malecon.
My objective here is to NOT besmirch every cabbie on planet Earth. Apologies to all the honest folks trying to make a living driving a cab.
I try to avoid cabs at all cost. So, I went to Puerto Vallarta in August 2013 with a taxi plan for the two rides I knew I’d have to take.
- Avoid the higher cost airport cabs by walking over a footbridge to a taxi stand across the street – √ check.
- Find out the ‘zone’ cost to the airport from downtown for the trip back. 140 pesos – √ check.
It was that trip that left the sour taste.
The arrow in the photo marks the spot where the adventure began – when my friend and I got into the taxi.
The cabbie had our bags locked in the trunk before we could discuss price.
Once moving, I confirmed the 140 pesos price. His response: “140 pesos each.” To which I replied: “No, 140 pesos total.” A joke on his part maybe? Who knows, but I wasn’t happy.
A few minutes into the ride, he stopped the taxi and began a conversation in Spanish with a woman standing on the sidewalk. A few minutes later she jumped into the front seat.
At this point, I was inclined to ask how much she’d be contributing to the fare.
By the time she jumped out 20 minutes later near the airport, I was steaming and ready to simply pay him 2/3rds of the 140 pesos. The idea of spending time in a Mexican jail killed that impulse.
In the end, I paid the 140 pesos with NO tip. I’m still pissed.
Puerto Vallarta needs to deal with its wayward cabbies. They’re bad for tourism.
tankstravels.com 
There’s only one way to deal with this situation: 1) Before loading luggage, be sure to secure total price, flat fee, for all riders. 2) tell cabbie ‘no extra riders or no fare’. 3) Keep your luggage in cab. 4) Tell cabbie you’re meeting your uncle, the lawyer in the city for lunch/dinner etc.