Taxis, Los Angeles

I took a taxi in Los Angeles.. i googled tel no for cab companies.. YELLOW CAB'S tel was hard to find..finaly i came across YELLOW CAB Taxi cab came in 10 min after i called. driver was very friendly. .CAB was clean too.... i suggest other tourists to call
YELLOW CAB 213-283-8375

Thanks to a very friendly concierge in my hotel, I learned that the best way to get around in L.A. is to get a town car to drive you around. They recommended Oscar's Limo at my hotel they said that they were a very reliable small company and they did great for me. Their prices are very similar to taxi cabs maybe $5 or $10 more, and they do have a $50 minimum but they give you a FLAT rate. Trust me, that came in VERY handy in L.A. because traffic sucks there! I kept Oscar's business card and I highly recommend his service.

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Shopper Shuttle is a new concept transportation service, exclusively for shoppers in Los Angeles. SS has a fleet of luxury-appointed vehicles, affordable rates, and retail-savvy guides (a.k.a., "Shopping Sherpas"), visitors and local Angelenos no longer have to worry about where to go shopping and how to get there (and back).

OK, that's the marketing material on thier website. Basically you can get a ride in a luxury vehicle from your house/hotel to the shopping mall of your choice for as little as $9. Prices start at $9 and don't run much more than that -unless you choose to go to the Camarillo outlet mall. You are guaranteed a ride back, another $9, or however much you are paying, depending on how far you are going.

The Shopping Sherpas are also very shopping savvy and can help you decide where you need to go depending on what you are shopping for. They specialize in the downtown fashion district and know where to find what and for how much. It is a unique and recommended service. The sherpas are so fun and knowledgable!

You might notice that you don't really see many taxis around LA, at least compared to a city like NY. I guess because of the sprawl of the city taxis don't drive around hunting for fairs. If you need a taxi you're gonna have to call. Expect a 20 to 25 minute wait. Here are the numbers of two decent companies.

661-254-4934

213-283-8375

make sure you know the know the cross roads of where you are and the cross roads of where you're going.

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Taxi's are located at the West side of Union Station are where many of the Taxi cabs line up near the grand front entrance.

Union Station is located at 800 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245)
Independent Taxi 1-323-666-0050
United Independent Taxi 1-213-483-7660
Yellow Cab (310 or 213) 808-1000
Or call 1-800-TAXICAB (829-4222)

Why I will NEVER ride in an LA City Cab again! You should beware too! I had business in Los Angeles. I flew into LAX and hopped in a cab like normal. The rate is supposed to be $45 from LAX to downtown but the driver charged me what was on the meter. I added about $10 for a total of $59.00 and charged it on a credit card I never use. I used that card twice in Los Angeles. Once for the cab and once more at the Westin to pay for my lodging. Everything seemed fine until I got my credit card statement this month; that card was used 32 times in Los Angeles to buy gas. Gasoline was purchased nearly everyday all over the area including in Hollywood, Santa Clarita, Studio City, Canyon Country, Santa Monica and Los Angeles . Over $1700 charged on my credit card! I called the cab company with my story and talked with the manager. He said he would talk to the driver. He said, “You can’t prove it was my driver. Here, you are innocent until proven guilty.“ I asked him if he collected the gas receipts from their drivers. He said “no”. He said if the guy was convicted THEN he would fire him. In other words, he is still out there. I reported the identity theft to my local law enforcement. Who knows whether they will follow up with Los Angeles? It is pretty clear to me who took my card. You be the judge. I’ll never ride in a LA CITY CAB again!

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Taxis in LA are generally clean, safe, and reliable... a must since there really isn't any other way to get around the city unless you have your own car. Because LA is so big, most of the cab companies do not cover the entire city, so check the company map at the city of LA website below.

We took taxis twice while we were in LA. Both times between Hawthorne and Hermosa Beach where we paid about $15 each way.

Fares are pretty simple: $2.65 for the first 1/7th mile, then $0.35 For each additional 1/7th mile ($2.45 per mile), and $0.35 For each 47.5 seconds waiting time and/or traffic delay ($26.53 per hour). There is also $42.00 Flat fare for trips between LAX and downtown, or a $2.50 surcharge for other destinations from LAX. Fares are posted in the taxis. This site calculates fares for you: http://la.taxiwiz.com/

LA has nine approved and licensed cab companies.

If your hotel at LA is far from the airport area, you might want to reach it by taxi. Consider that there are city ordinances that don't allow taxi drivers to ask you more than 42 dollars from LAX to downtown (check the link below). However if you have some time you might look for a shuttle car immediately outside the airport. They form groups of people willing to go to the same area of the city and ask usually no more than 15-20 dollars.