I’ve tried really hard to be the laid-back foreigner who takes the Metro all the time. Usually on my Metro ride back from wherever I am, though, my American princess side takes over. The Metro is freaking HOT. Like, clothes-sticking-to-your-back hot. Yesterday droplets of sweat literally fell off my face. And although the subway performers are interesting in a cultural kind of way, it’s annoying when the dude with the speaker strapped to his stomach can’t move amid the crush of people, and so you spend the entire ride with cumbia blasting in your ear.
So I’ve started taking taxis. Like, once a day. They’re cheap enough to where I can afford it, but since I’ve taken so many, I now find myself wincing if the ride is more than 60 pesos (about $4USD) and it’s not rush hour. So… I’ve started hailing them off the street. But only the safe taxis (gold and red colored sedans), and only when they have license plates, and a meter.
The issue is that I don’t know how much to tip. A Mexican friend swears that she never tips, unless the guy has gone above and beyond the call of duty. I used to tip 10 pesos all the time. Now, maybe two.
Today the driver who took me to the Centro got a two-peso tip, and we were chatting the whole time about me being a foreigner in a new city. He sent me off with a curt “Buen dia.”
My question: Am I going to get karmic payback for not tipping taxistas?
Interestingly, Crayton’s Spanish conversation partner, who is Mexican, says the Metro is mostly used by the lower-class and the mid-lower class. People with money have cars.
I’d have to agree with that, people with money have cars.
And no, you don’t tip taxi drivers. Just don’t.
Martin: Why not? Just curious here. Is there a specific reason why people don’t tip?
Why would you? Out of courtesy? That’s why they have a taximeter, so they can charge the right amount. It’s another thing if the driver goes out of his way helping you with something else other than getting you there, your destination.
No, don’t tip taxy drivers in México. Is not ussual in the country.
Generosity is something you can never have too much of. I always tip taxis. 10 pesos sounds about right. I also never bargain with crafts vendors and such. In some instances, when I feel they are asking for way too little money I even pay a little extra. Think about it. Most of these folks have had very little education and don’t have a clue about how much their labour should be worth. They have no savings whatsoever, live in conditions humans should have left behind centuries ago and their outlook is as grim as it gets. In these dark days of corporate greed and selfishness I’d rather give my money to those who really need it and make an effort to earn it with honest labour.
Hi Luis: Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. I tend to agree with you about giving money to people who need it. (And I also rarely argue with craft vendors.) I think my new strategy is going to be: Not tipping if it’s a sitio cab that doesn’t have a meter (and therefore charges, say, 80 pesos to Condesa from my neighborhood off Reforma), but I will tip about 10 pesos if I’m in a metered cab. That seems fair to me.
Hi, Lesley — I really enjoy reading your blog and wishing I were YOU instead of ME! You have SO MUCH FUN! and you eat everywhere and all the time! Yeah! One of my favorite pastimes, too. Second choice, I wish I were there to go around with you and see and eat everything too!
Ok, so on to the taxi tipping thing — I stay annually in Oaxaca, where it was explained to me that one should NEVER tip taxistas — because many locals use the taxis regularly as transportation and they cannot afford to tip which essentially is a (big) fare increase, especially if done on a daily basis. Followed by the complaint that only foreigners tip taxistas, which is causing taxistas to think they deserve more, so they raise fares often to make up for no tips by locals, a vicious cycle that has been created by foreigners tipping taxistas! Ay caramba!
Hi LaZorra: First off, I love your name. 🙂 And I’m so glad you’re enjoying the blog. If you ever happen to be in DF, shoot me a comment and we can grab some street food together! And on the taxi tipping thing… I no longer tip anymore. Haven’t tipped for months. (Probably right after I wrote this entry.) No one does it, so I don’t feel bad about not doing it anymore. But I appreciate your thoughts on the subject.