Although holidays on the Island of Freedom are positioned as luxurious, real luxury is still very, very far away. Only hotel territories and part of the coast have been equipped. The transport structure is not developed, the consequences of socialism are visible in the form of old buses, which are scary to use. Therefore, a taxi in Cuba is one of the best ways to quickly and without straining to get to the right place.
There is also the possibility of renting a car, but for this you must have documents with you, including your driving license (international standard) and a credit card. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the roads are broken, you cannot go to remote regions except by jeep.
Tourist taxi
"All the best is for the guests!" - this is the motto that prevails in Cuba. Therefore, if it is necessary to move around the island, many foreign travelers use the services of a tourist taxi. It has a number of advantages over other modes of transport:
- the taxi fleet is represented only by new cars;
- each car is equipped with air conditioning;
- all cars have radiotelephones;
- the route of movement is monitored;
- You can order a car at any hotel.
There is also a disadvantage to this method of travel - payment is made only in US dollars, all other currencies are not accepted. While in an ordinary taxi they will gladly accept the Cuban peso (although they will not refuse dollars). In addition to official carriers in the resort area, especially in the Varadero area, there are many private taxi drivers. They offer prices much lower than licensed cars, but they do not have insurance and guarantees.
Major Cuban carriers
Three state-owned companies are leading in the passenger transportation market, and they are not at all competitors to each other. Each of the companies has its own circle of passengers, that is, it is designed for people with certain incomes.
Cubanacan owns the most luxurious car fleet, they are ready to provide their customers with Mercedes cars, but the price of the trip will be appropriate. A more economical option is offered by Turistaxi, in the park of this company there are mainly Japanese small cars, which are easy to recognize by their gray color. Panataxi - provides quite affordable prices, however, they can ride with a breeze only on Ladas or Zhiguli, and only in the Cuban capital.
Taxi phone numbers: Habanataxi: 53 9090; 53 9086; Panataxi: 55 5555; Taxis OK: 204 0000; Taxis Transtur: 208 6666; Taxis Fenix: 866 6666.
At a cost, foreign cars cost a tourist 1 euro for each kilometer of the route, the former Russian - 0.5 euro for the same kilometer. It is very easy to distinguish a public taxi from a private one - the first numbers are blue, the private ones have yellow ones.
