Taxi drivers are notorious for charging a “Gringo tax”, making the fares much more than they should be. Some recommended drivers that speak some English and (hopefully) won’t rip you off are listed in the Panama City Guide for Cruisers as follows:
- Alfonso 68009139 Normal taxi or nice little bus available. Speaks English.
- Carlos 6449-4066 Has a small tour bus. Good for provisioning. Speaks English.
- Diose 6778-6399, 6492-6807 English comprehension good. Spoken English not so good. Has a PriceSmart card. Knows his way around. Can get propane tanks filled overnight.
- Fernando 6640-1838 Has a pick-up truck.
- Geronimo 6366-4858. Clean mid-sized car. Knows his way around the city for things cruisers need. Speaks some English. $10 per hour, 2015.
- Horatio Dockins 6630-3896 Has a 14 person van. Speaks English. Good for several boats to share on aprovisioning run.
- Isreal 6688-3579 Very reliable. Clean and well maintained vehicle. Good English comprehension, is shy about speaking English. Has worked with cruisers for well over a decade. Asks for higher prices.
- Juan 6735-7742
- Roosevelt 6513-6949 Speaks excellent English. Has PriceSmart card. Has worked with cruisers for years. Does propane runs by appointment. Normally picks-up at 9AM , returning at 11:30AM **
- Roger (Rogelio) 6717-6745 Has van and car. Speaks excellent English. Has a PriceSmart card. Can help with canal crossing (see “Agents”). In great demand. **
- Taxi Tony 6520-0272 Excellent English. Has worked with cruisers for many years. His vehicles are not always in the best of shape. Can help with tires and lines for canal crossing.
Uber
- If you are only going from point ‘A’ to ‘B’ then we would highly recommend using Uber (although they are still not properly accepted by the authorities)
- An account set up in the US works fine here