WARNING - Stockholm Taxi Cabs

[lgcochran]

Taxis are on the expensive side. The Stockholm taxi market was deregulated several years ago, which made it considerably easier to find a taxi, but no pricing regulations are in effect. This means that small operators can, and sometimes will, charge outrageous prices. Try to stick with the major companies (Taxi Stockholm, Taxi Kurir, ) to avoid being ripped off. We were not aware of this.

 

We disembarked the Oceania Regatta, which was docked outside of the city and got in the next cab that was in the taxi line, thinking that a taxi is a taxi. The fare to the Sheraton Hotel was double what is should have been - $80.

 

The cabs usually have a sign on the door of the cab, which shows the initial fare and additional per kilometer. We were not aware of this!!:eek: :mad:

[Jana]

We were on the same cruise. I grabbed a cab back from town to the ship and paid $80 too; I was shocked!

 

I think the cab we ended up taking into town DID have the price sheet, and I do not remember it on the one I took back. No wonder it was more than 2x the cost of the one going in!

 

Thank you!

 

Jana

[lgcochran]

By the way, the cab company was National

[jasl]

THANKS for the heads up, leaving in two weeks, also going to Sheraton and will negotiate fare ahead of time.

[Member]

Are those ones with meter on all have different rates per km?

In this case, what is the city's "current" rate?

[Jana]

I don't know what the name of the cab company was on the one I took back to the ship. The driver was from Ecuador and I enjoyed our chat until I started freaking out at the price on the meter. Then suddenly he no longer spoke English except to say that people from the U.S. were cheap.

 

It reminded me of New York some 10 to 15 years ago, when cabbies were allowed to get away with that. I felt bad for Stockholm because for me, and I'm sure for others too, it did color my visit there, and not at all in a positive way.

 

Jana

[lgcochran]

Member and Jana:

 

I received the following e-mail after my inquiry about rates to Taxi Stockholm, a very reputable firm in town:

 

"As you already have experienced rates can vary from company to company. It doesn’t help that the fares on the windows are given to the customer in km and hour and hard to understand. The best way to ensure one self to get a reasonable deal is to look for a larger company as Taxi Stockholm or Taxi Kurir and Taxi 020. Our rates are quite similar.

All Swedish taxi companies have to have a standard (comparable) price on their price information. This is the price for a trip that is 10km long and takes 15 minutes. Our prices are between 212sek- 267sek for a regular taxi and between 324sek and 351sek for a larger taxi, depending on time of the day (higher at nights and weekends). This is a good way to compare prices if you are aware of what’s reasonable.

If you want to have a look at our meter prices in km and time, I have attached a word file where you can find it.

The fare for the trip that you took should have been, if had been one of our taxis somewhere around 250sek.

As you have the name of the taxi company you can make an complaint to Länsstyrelsen (County Administrative Board http://www.lst.se/lst/en/ ), which is the government office that issues taxi licenses and approve drivers who are not connected to a larger taxi company."

The word document that she attached indicated that during weekdays - 9am-3pm the intitial fee is 45 SEK and 8:40 per km. It is more on weekends and hours before and after that time

[Member]

Thanks for the update....

 

Just for clarification sick, if ".... during weekdays - 9am-3pm the intitial fee is 45 SEK and 8:40 per km. ...", then I figure "... a trip that is 10km long and takes 15 minutes...." shall cost 45 + 84, or 129sel, much, much lower than the quoted ".... between 212sek- 267sek for a regular taxi....".

 

Will have a taste of this confusion there ourselves on Aug.26, Tuesday morning from the new Frihamnen cruise terminal to Vasa Museum.

[lgcochran]

I'm sorry, I left out one part of the formula - it's starting fee plus time plus distance. Here is the chart:

 

 

Monday-Friday start per hr per km Total

9 a.m. – 3 p.m. 45: - 332: - 8:40: - 212: -

So, a 15 minute ride that is 10km is 212 SEK

45 + 83 + 84

I think is you just stay with the 3 major firms, you'll be all set.

[CJcruzer]

last year we used Stockholm taxi from pier to airport - shared the ride with another couple and it came to approx. $90 US for the cab - split was $45 a couple - I did my research online and knew what the fare should be. Not many people were taking taxis (most probably used the ship's transfer) - so the cab driver agreed to the price beforehand. I had originally wanted to pre-book a taxi on-line through Stockholm taxi - but we weren't sure which pier we were going to be at and they needed a CC.) As it was we docked at one site at Frihamnen but in the evening moved to a different spot! (we overnighted in Stockholm).

 

 

The taxi driver told us it was his birthday (I believe he was from Albania) - I think to get an extra big tip!

[RachelG]

We used a taxi twice in Stockholm this past week--once to get from the dock to the Hilton then the other to get from the Hilton to the airport. I had researched ahead of time and had a pretty good idea of what the cost should be. BEFORE we got in the cab, we asked how much to take us to the destination--worked out fine.

[DOJO466]

RachelG

 

So how much did you pay? We will be doing the same thing only reverse.

[RachelG]

We went to Bromma airport which is the small airport closer to the city--it was $ 40 approx (I paid in Swedish kr) from the Hilton to the airport and about same from Pier to Hilton I think.

[BigBearLady]

In August, I paid 190 Swedish Kroner ($32) for a taxi for 4 people from the ship in Freihammen to the Vasa Museum. That didn't seem too terrible.