Did you know you can choose your taxi route? Your right as a passenger

Yes: as a passenger you can choose your taxi route. If you say which way you want to go when you get in, the driver should follow that route, unless there is a safety reason or a road closure, in which case the right thing is to explain it and suggest an alternative. If you say nothing, the driver should take the most suitable route, which is normally the shortest or the quickest given the traffic at the time. That is, in general terms, what Madrid's taxi regulations say.

Imagine you are at Puerta del Sol and heading to Barrio del Pilar. You can ask to go via the M-30 instead of crossing the centre, or the other way round. To avoid misunderstandings:

• Say it when you get in, before the taxi sets off. Changing your mind halfway complicates things.
• Be specific: “via the M-30”, “along the Castellana”, “via the A-2” are clearer than “the quick way”.
• If you do not know the city, it is better to let the driver choose: a professional knows the usual traffic at each time of day.
• If you use your phone's sat nav, you can show the driver the route it suggests; treat it as a guide, not an order.

When the passenger does not specify a route, the driver chooses. Their obligation is to take the most suitable route to the destination, which is not always the one with the fewest kilometres: at certain times, a ring road can be quicker than going through the centre. What they cannot do is take unnecessary detours to stretch out the journey.

On a metered journey, the price depends on distance and time, so the route has a direct effect on what you pay. If you want to understand how it is calculated, we explain it in how a taxi meter works.

With a fixed fare the opposite happens: the price is set before you leave and does not change with the route or with traffic jams. That is what we apply to our airport transfers, with a price by zone that is the same in both directions (from inside the M-30, €33). In that case you can still choose the route, but it is no longer a question of money, just of comfort. You can see all the zones on the fares page and read about the advantages of the fixed fare to central Madrid.

Sometimes a detour has an explanation (roadworks, a closure, an accident). If you think it was not necessary:

1. Calmly ask the driver why they took that way.
2. Ask for a receipt at the end: it records the details of the journey and the amount.
3. Note down the licence number, the time and the approximate route.
4. Complain to Madrid City Council if you consider it unjustified.

Choosing the route is just one of your rights as a passenger; you will find the rest gathered in taxi passengers' rights. And if you are going to the airport and would rather forget about routes and meters, booking an airport taxi gives you the fixed price before you confirm.