Getting a Taxi in Miami

Miami

In General

Getting a taxi in South Florida can be difficult—especially when it comes to hailing one. For safety and other reasons, a lot of cabs won’t respond except at MIA, the Port of Miami, and train stations. So calling a cab company or hitting a hotel taxi stand is a good idea.

Most Miami taxis are yellow, although you’ll also see some that are black (from smaller companies). Short-haul cars going from the airport are blue. Licensed Miami cabs also must have “taxi” or “cab” and the phone number on both sides of the car, and the car and driver’s license clearly displayed in the car.

If a car acting like a cab isn’t one of these colors, there’s a chance you’re dealing with dealing with an unlicensed cab. We would advise single women in particular to stay out of unlicensed cabs, just to be on the safe side.

One way to make sure you’re getting into a licensed cab is to go to one of the Miami taxi stand locations.

About Fares

Meters start at $2.50 in Miami, with each additional 1/6th of a mile costing 40¢.

But almost all cab companies in Miami have pre-determined rates for travel into (and out of) Miami Beach’s barrier islands and other nightclub communities popular with tourists. These can range from $30–$60 depending on where you’re going. Almost all taxis will have a map of the barrier islands with rates for each location.

The eight-mile trip from Miami International Airport to Downtown Miami takes 20 minutes and costs about $18. Here are some of the flat-fares from the airport for other destination zones:

Quirks

If You Need to Rant

If you get bad service from a cab in Miami, call (305) 375-3677.
Got a Miami taxi tip? Send it our way!