City Hall plans to set taxi rates from Barajas airport to downtown Madrid

New taxi fares in Madrid for 2014 – which have been proposed by City Hall but roundly rejected by trade associations and the professional federation of drivers – will include a fixed fare from Barajas airport to points within the metropolitan area. For a journey terminating anywhere inside the M-30 beltway, a maximum fee of 30 euros will be applicable, regardless of the airport subsidy, which will stay at 5.50 euros, unless the passenger is dropped at a rail station or one of the capital’s convention centers, in which case the charge will be three euros. For destinations outside the M-30 a minimum fee of 20 euros will be introduced. An airport fare to or from the center will be capped at 30 euros if the taxi is ordered by telephone, which carries a five-euro charge. This will be maintained, City Hall said, for “the protection of passengers.”

One of the motives behind the proposal is to combat the proliferation of so-called pirate taxis, which charge unwitting tourists exorbitant amounts to travel to and from Barajas.

Under the new fares, hailing a taxi in the street will cost an average 1.25 percent more, but will be simplified: from Monday to Friday between 6am and 9pm, opening a taxi door will cost 2.40 euros, with a five-cent surcharge on weekends and public holidays or outside of those hours.

Rates per kilometers will not vary: Tariff 1 (Zone A of the Metro system) is 1.05 euros; Tariff 2 (Zone A on holidays and nighttime hours, and Zone B during the day from Monday to Friday) is 1.25 euros. On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, the supplement will remain at 6.70 euros.