Question about taxis on Aruba

[KarenL]

I am still deciding about renting a car or just using taxis and the bus system. I read where a trip from the airport is about $17 - $20. Do the taxis charge per person, or would this be for everyone in the group?
Thanks
Karen

 

[chrisnwillie]

Taxi's charge by the taxi, not the number of people. But...if you are traveling in a group from the airport to your hotel, and have luggage, they do charge extra for use of the trunk for the luggage and it's more expensive on Sunday's and after midnight.

Here's a sample of fares. It regulated by the government but I have found it's a few dollars more than what is actually published.

http://www.visitaruba.com/travel/getaround/taxi.html

 

[m61376]

The charge is for everyone in the group (it is the same regardless of the number of passengers).

As far as taxis versus renting a car- it is basically a toss up. I prefer the convenience of having a car at my disposal, but it is probably a break-even proposition, more or less. I have friends who prefer to use cabs. Driving is easy; the island is small and it is pretty easy to get the hang of things.

 

[mousie206]

Bring Small Bills

When I was in Aruba the drivers always claimed they didn't have change - I only had $10 or $20 bills so it wasn't an outrageous request.

Not sure if it was true or a scam to try to get more money out of us.

 

[Travelhappy]

I used to go to Aruba annually for about 5 years. My stay was typically 2 weeks. If you don't mind timeshare presentations, you can get a car for free for a number of days which allows you to go the Natural pool (must have a 4 wheel drive) and also what used to be the Natural bridge, Baby Beach, and over to the "rough side" of Aruba. The buses are very very cheap and easy to use from the Hotel strip, to the supermarket, into town and back. Men are not allowed on buses without shirts. It is a small island and you can see the whole thing in a couple of days. As stated earlier, it really depends on you.