Unless you’re a cash-strapped backpacker or an incredibly frugal traveller, chances are that you’ll use a taxi at least once while visiting Riga. Although many things have improved by leaps and bounds in Latvia since the fall of communism, local cabs have become even greedier, especially now that Western Europeans have discovered Riga’s charms.
When we first visited the Latvian capital in December of 1991 anyone who could afford a little green lamp to stick on their dashboard qualified as a cabdriver. Of course, back then you could take a taxi to Sigulda for about US$10. You can’t even get to the airport for that kind of cash these days. Back then you didn’t have to worry about traffic either. There was none to speak of.
However, you did often have to endure a bumpy ride in Soviet automobiles that were way past their prime, not to mention the idiosyncrasies of individual drivers. A hack once took us across the river all the while smoking Russian cigarettes smelling of burnt cow dung and sawdust – the most likely replacement ingredients for tobacco back in the day. After finally noticing our horrified, oxygen-starved faces, he apologised profusely and promptly offered us a smoke as well. How thoughtful.
Today, smoking is thankfully banned in any reputable cab, but individual drivers aren’t above gouging tourists with crooked meters or taking them on the scenic route to their chosen destination. With this in mind, we’ve conducted a little experiment. We called each of the following taxi companies and asked them in English to pick us up at Elizabetes 75, not far from the Reval Hotel Latvija, for a trip to the airport. When the cabs arrived we also spoke English to the drivers to see if they would take us for a ride. Naturally, other factors could skew this experiment. For instance, we were clean, sober, dressed in men’s clothing and ordered the cabs during the day. The moral of the story is to always call a cab.

Lady Taxi Tel. (+371) 27 80 09 00
Call time: 11:00
Departure time: 11:13
Arrival time at airport: 11:39
Dispatcher: spoke English; Initial meter reading: 1Ls
Route: a slightly convoluted way through the Moscow District and over the Salu Bridge.
Road conditions: average with one small traffic jam
Car type: red Toyota Corolla with roses painted on the bonnet
Fare: 6.97Ls
Comments: Lady Taxi is the only cab company that employs only female drivers. While local male chauvinists and visiting Saudis might protest, many women swear by it, especially at night when safety issues become more important. English-speaking Tatjana kept her Toyota in spotless condition and had her radio dial turned to an easy listening station.

Rīgas Taksometru Parks Tel. (+371) 80 00 13 13.
Call time: 11:00
Departure time: 11:19
Arrival time at airport: 11:34
Dispatcher: spoke English; Initial meter reading: 1.50Ls
Route: the fastest way over the Vanšu Bridge
Road conditions: average, light traffic
Car type: red Opel minivan
Fare: 7.40Ls
Comments: Valērijs the driver was impeccably dressed in a casual suit. He wasn’t very chatty, but seemed to enjoy listening to Russian pop music on the radio. The car was clean and smelled of those little air fresheners that people like to hang from their rear-view mirrors. The taxi even included plastic tray tables like the ones on airplanes and signs in English urged passengers to fasten their seatbelts. We arrived at the airport in 15 minutes without any cowboy antics on the road or overt speeding sessions.

Riga Taxi Tel. (+371) 80 00 10 10
Call time: 11:00
Departure time: 11:18
Arrival time at airport: 11:38
Dispatcher: spoke English; Initial meter reading: 1.50Ls
Route: the fastest way over the Vanšu Bridge.
Road conditions: average, light traffic
Car type: black Mercedes
Fare: 9.77Ls
Comments: although we called Riga Taxi, a black Mercedes Elite Taxi arrived which is apparently also owned by them. A young Latvian man who looked like he just recently took up shaving drove us to the airport in his immaculately kept German sedan. Unfortunately, he decided to make a small detour on the other side of the river, which may account for the higher fare. An optimist might argue that he was avoiding traffic.

Rīgas Transporta Sabiedrība Tel. (+371) 80 00 00 06
Call time: we hailed a cab at the beginning of Audēju iela near Galerija Centrs.
Departure time: 10:58
Arrival time at airport: 11:10
Dispatcher: n/a; Initial meter reading: n/a
Route: the quickest way across the Vanšu Bridge.
Road conditions: average, light traffic
Car type: white Toyota Corolla with a Nautilus nightclub ad
Fare: 14.85Ls
Comments: This was the control taxi for our experiment which we hailed at the edge of Old Riga. Aleksejs was happy to hear our English and even happier to hear our destination. Although he drove us to airport in record time listening to the extended pan flute version of Dust in the Wind, he clearly ripped us off charging roughly double the going rate.

Smile Taxi Tel. (+371) 67 26 25 25.
Call time: 11:00
Departure time: 11:10
Arrival time at airport: 11:35
Dispatcher: spoke English; Initial meter reading: 0.60Ls
Route: a scenic trip almost as far as the Akmens Bridge, only to turn back along the Daugava to reach the Salu Bridge. It seemed odd but may have actually saved time.
Road conditions: average, light traffic
Car type: canary yellow Ford Focus
Fare: 7.07Ls
Comments: a young kid in dark pinstriped pants and a white sweater seemed to enjoy his personal mix of techno music. It was like a little slice of Ibiza on the highways and byways of Riga. The turquoise striped seat covers only added to the disco atmosphere. We weren’t up to criticising his DJ abilities, but who knows? Perhaps he takes requests.