Hiring taxi in Agra for a day

lakittee

We will be in Agra for only one day. I was wondering what the cost would be to hire a taxi for a long day (6am-8pm)? How about 1/2 day? Is there an hourly rate?

OR would it be better just to hire them as needed to go from place to place? We mainly plan to visit the Taj, the fort and whatever else we have time for....

trvl_in

Much depends on how you book it. If you arrange for hotel pickup/drop off and a 14 hour day you could encounter 1000 R/ requests easily. If on the other hand you find any old taxi on the street and start out with "A to B', and then "perhaps you wil wait" and "possibly up to lunch time" and "as we are going", leading to "we are going here and then there, and..." can easily lead to "I am waiting, you please remember car number" and a rate for the legs, say 3 legs @ 50 plus 20 R/ per hour waiting, to be 350 R/ to 500 R/ for the day, depending...

Make sure that the entire affair is clearly understood both as to itinerary and as to no shop visits required. Also nip in the bud sharply any drifting of the arrangement after initially settled. It would be just friendliness on his part, but if you act vague or show half agreement to new plans then minor chaos could develop.

Do not pay in advance but rather leave some small valuable in the car. He will trust you especially if you are a couple.

This arrangement can be very friendly, as "labour is cheap but petrol is expensive". Most drivers would be very happy to assist.

SHIMLA

For use within a town, the taxis normally charge a fixed rate for certain hours and kms. running; normally its a fixed rate for 8 hours and 80 kms. If you exceed either, then you pay more by the hour / every additional km. The rate will vary slightly from operator to operator and will also depend on the taxi you choose.

You must get the above fixed and understood clearly before hiring a taxi.

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