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Why do Spanish taxis have numbers on top?

What do those numbers mean? ? Taxis in Barcelona must show publicly what fee are they charging at the moment. Those numbers in the roof of a Barcelona taxi refer to that fee (weekday, holiday/nighttime/weekend, out of town…).



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If you flag down a taxi in the street, you will just need to raise your hand when you see a black and yellow taxi. The taxis available have a green light at the front of the taxi roof.

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Tipping in Spain is rare, but doing so in a taxi is practically nonexistent. You may leave a tip if the driver helped you with your luggage or rushed frantically so you wouldn't miss your flight. Other than these extraordinary situations, just don't tip.

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Barcelona taxis are metered. Thus their final fare is indicated by a taximeter and consists of an initial fare and an extra cost based on the traversed distance. Moreover, extra charges may apply depending on the time of day, the departure point (airport, cruise port, etc.), or the destination.

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Uber was convenient and relatively inexpensive in Lisbon. From the our hotel near the Rato metro station to the Airport Terminal 1, it cost less than 10 euros at about 10 AM. In Madrid and Barcelona, we checked the Uber prices, and they were as much or more than the regular taxi.

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From Driver Rule 54-20 (in PDF): It is against the law to refuse a person based on race, disability, or a destination in New York City. A taxicab driver is required to drive a passenger to any destination in the five boroughs. You can make a refusal complaint by calling 3-1-1.

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A taxicab number is the name given by mathematicians to a sequence of special numbers: 2, 1729 etc. A taxicab number is the smallest number that can be expressed as the sum of two positive cubes in n distinct ways.

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Taxi drivers in Madrid accept payments both in cash or via credit/debit card. However, it is advisable to have some euros with you, in case the POS is broken, currently out of service, etc. Taxi drivers are obligated to give change from 20€/20$. Hence, you should carry small bills to pay for your taxi transfer.

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Is it expected? Tipping in Spain works differently: The customer actually has the option to not leave any tip at all. However, restaurants expect a 10% tip on each bill—although it's not a formal rule, and that percentage is much lower than tipping practices in other countries.

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In Spain, you can simply say la cuenta, por favor (the check, please) when you catch your server's attention. Another common phrase many locals use is ¿Nos cobras cuando puedas? (literally Can you charge us when you can?). Either one is a perfectly fine way to ask your server to bring the bill.

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How do taxi drivers learn the streets in their area? Many of them grew up in the area or have lived there for awhile so they know the streets simply from being a part of the community. Others, who have to learn on the job, simply pick it up from the many hours of driving the streets each week!

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