The Gran Canaria taxi scam is fairly easy to spot. It can take place throughout the island. If the taxi driver is dishonest he/she will choose the wrong rate.
There are three rates:
Rate 1 (in Spanish "tarifa uno"): This applies when you're going to get off in the city
Rate 2 ("tarifa dos")
Rate 3 ("tarifa tres"): This applies when you choose to go somewhere outside the city, and is where the scam lies.
At the cruise harbour in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, taxi drivers often wait in line for hours just to get one passenger. So when a tourist asks for a long trip to the south or north of the island, it feels like winning the lottery — it makes their whole day.
But not all passengers want a long ride. Some just want to visit the nearby Old Town (Vegueta), which normally costs about 7 euros.
That’s where some drivers try to bend the rules.
By using the wrong fare rate — "Rate 3" — instead of the correct one, they can charge up to 17 euros for the same short trip. That’s more than double the proper price.
Police keep an eye on this, especially around the Old Town, to make sure tourists aren’t being overcharged.
Some taxi drivers offer tourists a ride to visit the old town. They drop them off, wait while the tourists walk around, then take them back to the cruise port. This kind of service is fine — but only if the correct fare is used.
Problems happen when drivers use the wrong rate — usually "Rate 3", which is meant for trips starting from the cruise port, not for sightseeing tours, outside the city.
To stop this, plainclothes police officers sometimes walk around the old town. If they see a taxi parked with the "Rate 3" light on, they may check to see if the driver is charging fairly.
They might talk to the tourists and ask where they were picked up and where they’re going. If the wrong rate is being used, the driver can get into trouble.
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