Taxis, Delhi

Myself and my boyfriend travelled to Rajasthan this summer with the expectation of touring for 2 weeks by ourselves by train. Only when we arrived in Delhi and tried to move on to our first destination, did we realise how difficult this would be. We instead went through a government approved agency and found a driver called Manoj, who took us on our 2 week tour. Manoj didnt just facilitate our trip, but made it the trip of the lifetime that we had hoped for. He is a friendly, knowledgable, trustworthy and hilarious family man. We had an unforgettable trip and if you are looking for a sense of adventure, with the safety cushion of someone with experience and the ease of transportation at a reasonable cost, I would recommend Manoj ever time. You can contact him and find out more about his tours on his website - www.rajasthancabs.in, Rebecca.

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The best option for travellers who disembark at the international/domestic airports and need a taxi would be to head straight for the booth operated by the Delhi police.
The booth is on your way out of the building- in the case of both the international and the domestic terminals. You are charged a fixed rate as per where you are headed, take your name down, and assign a specific taxi to you. This way, you will not be taken for a ride and its safer as the cops also have a record of which taxi was taken by who etc.

The Hindustan Ambassador, a car based on the British Morris Oxford III, has been produced in India since 1958. Beautiful cars, they are most frequently used as taxis, and are a good way to get around Delhi until you're comfortable with tuk-tuks!

I'm so ashamed I didn't get a photo of one!

We took an ambassador from the airport, and within ten minutes were involved in our first minor crash! Funny though, after a bit of fist-shaking, the two guys were chatting away in a very friendly manner, as if nothing had happened. Very different to the way we handle accidents in Britain.

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My lil friend i must say check up this guy as u wanted me to recommend this guy as a tip too, his name is Farooqui and his number +9109219665041. He is fun loving, courteous, reliable and worth recommending. His charges r in tune to bit expensive coz of his deliverables.
Chrge in INR
Delhi full day - 3500/-
Jaipur - 2000/-
Agra - 2500/-
Per Km Charge might have been revised now but he use to charge Rs-9/Km for the tour with a day alowance of 200 a day.(Tip not included)

Your hotel can hire a taxi for you to do all your sightseeing. We paid 800 rupees for 8 hours or 80km, whichever came first. After 80 kms, a supplement will be charged. Our transport was an A/c mini van, but the driver did not speak very good English. You may have to pay more if you need an English speaking driver. Tips are at your discretion but we were advised to pay between 50-200 rupees by VT members. Lower prices can be paid for cycle rickshaws and auto-rickshaws, but you must negociate with the driver!

We took a taxi from Delhi airport to our hotel. Once you get your bags from the airport, don't go outside right away, but just right after you exit customs, go to the left. There is a stand from Delhi Traffic Police. They sall pre paid taxi coupons. It was about 5 Euros from the airport to Connaught place area. The taxi driver was crazy though and driving at night with him was more like a Six Flags ride without protection. But guess that is India.

I only took taxi's to/from the airport. There are pre-paid booths inside both the domestic and international terminals. From the domestic terminal to Connaught place, they cost Rs170 and from the international terminal to Pahar Ganj, they cost Rs250. I didn't bother taking them around Delhi itself as auto rickshaws are cheaper, quicker and more fun/life threatening!

As this was my first trip to India and I was traveling alone, I decided to use the taxi service of Mr. Mahavir Yadav, a gentleman (in the truest sense of the word) who I met through the Virtual Tourist site. He collected me at the airport and drove me to the hotel. Then for the next two and a half days drove me around the city, suggesting wonderful places to see, in addition to the ones I had already planned to visit. A train journey of 1 week through Rajasthan was part of my trip and Mr. Yadav dropped me at the station in Delhi and returned to collect me one week later, he then drove me up into the Himalaya stopping at Corbett National Park en route. My trip to India would have been so much harder had I not had a driver (I could not afford the luxury prices of some of the tour operators) and found Mr. Yadav's fees very affordable, and his knowledge of the areas I traveled to with him helped in finding hotels to suite my budget. His car is well maintained and always immaculately clean. His professionalism and interest in the well-being of his clients is outstanding. He can be contacted by e-mail at mahavir_yad@hotmail.com and for an overview of places he drives to go to www.rajasthan-by-car.com. I will be pleased to answer any questions regarding his services.