Pirate taxi drivers at Barajas: how to spot and avoid unlicensed taxis at Madrid airport

Pirate taxis at Barajas are unlicensed drivers who look for customers inside the airport terminals, usually approaching newly arrived travellers to offer them a “cheaper” transfer or one “with no queue”. The rule for avoiding them is simple: do not accept transport from anyone who approaches you in the terminal. Follow the signs out to your terminal's official taxi rank, in the arrivals area, or go straight to the meeting point for your booked pickup.

Checks by the authorities have greatly reduced this practice over the years, but it has not disappeared entirely, and travellers arriving in Madrid for the first time are still the main target.

Knowing how they work is the best protection:

• They approach you on foot, in the arrivals hall or next to the baggage belts, asking whether you need a taxi.
• They offer a “special” fixed price or promise to get you round the queue at the rank.
• They take you to the car park or to an out-of-the-way spot, far from the official rank.
• Their car does not have the Madrid taxi livery, or it has some improvised marking.
• They choose their victims carefully: tourists who do not know the city, elderly people or travellers tired after a long flight.

Official taxi drivers do not tout for customers like this: they wait at the rank or at the agreed pickup point. What you are risking if you get into one of these cars is explained in the risks of a fraudulent taxi.

Each airport terminal (T1, T2, T3 and T4) has its official taxi rank outside the arrivals area, signposted with “Taxi” signs. There, taxis serve passengers in order of arrival. If you do not know which terminal you are landing at, check beforehand: we help you in which Barajas terminal do I need to go to, and in take your taxi at Barajas we explain how the rank works.

• A white car with a diagonal red stripe on the front doors and the Madrid coat of arms.
• A visible licence number.
• A roof light on top and a meter inside.
• Fare information in view of the passenger.

If any of these is missing, do not get in.

If you want to leave the terminal knowing exactly who is waiting for you and how much you will pay, book a pickup at the airport. With your flight number we check the terminal and confirm the meeting point; if the flight changes, you just have to let us know by phone or WhatsApp. It is especially useful if you arrive at night, with children or with lots of luggage.

The price is fixed by area and you know it before booking: from the airport to inside the M-30 it is €33, and the other destinations are on the fares page. If you are interested in how that price works, read what you need to know about the 33-euro airport fare.

The pirate taxi driver is not the only trick worth knowing about when you arrive at a big airport:

• Fake “representatives” from your hotel or company: if you were expecting someone with your name on a sign, confirm beforehand who is going to pick you up and with what details. If in doubt, call the hotel or the company.
• Unrequested help with your luggage: friendly on the surface, it can end with your suitcases in a car you did not choose.
• Offers in the car park or on the departures level: the official rank is at arrivals; any “taxi” waiting for you somewhere else without a prior booking is suspicious.

If you have booked with us, we will have confirmed the meeting point. If someone turns up somewhere else claiming to have been sent by us, call us on 911 76 00 81 before handing over your luggage.

• If you feel in danger, ask to be let out somewhere busy and call 112.
• Note down the registration plate, a description of the car and the driver, and the time.
• Report what happened to the police, especially if you have been overcharged or your luggage has been held.

Warning family or friends travelling to Madrid for the first time is the best prevention: all they need to know is that an official taxi never comes to find them on foot inside the terminal.