Tenerife Taxi Tips: Prices, Apps & Spotting Legal Taxis

Only white cars with a green‑lit “TAXI” sign on the roof are legitimate.
A taxi’s license plate is white on the front and blue on the rear. Taxis are no longer required to have a (SP) license plate, but they do have a blue license plate on the back and the coat of arms of their municipality on the front side doors.
All taxis must have a working, certified taximeter (the sticker must show the date of the last inspection; if it’s more than a year old, do not pick it up) .

Fares are regulated and based on a day/night rate:

Time	Base Fare	Rate per km
Day (06:00–22:00 Mon–Sat)	€3.85	€1.35
Night & Sundays/Holidays	€4.25	€1.55

Expect extra charges: One hour of waiting = €18.50 (about 0.30 cents per minute).
Transfers to and from airports or ports on the island (in the case of Tenerife: north and south airports, the port of Los Cristianos, the port of Granadilla, and the port of Santa Cruz) have a surcharge of €2.10. Marinas such as Puerto Colón, Marina San Miguel, etc. do not apply any surcharge.
Example: South Airport – Costa Adeje:
Daytime = €30 + €2.10
Nights and holidays = €32 + €2.10

In Tenerife, you can use the following apps:

Tictaxi: www.tictaxi.es (This app was created by the Canary Islands Regional Taxi Federation and will be used by the vast majority of Canary Islands taxi associations.)
Taxiclick: www.taxiclick.es (Those that don’t work with Tictaxi will almost certainly work with Taxi Click.)
1taxi: www.1taxi.es is also available in Tenerife.
SIXT Ride supports cashless payments, live tracking, and advance booking sixt.com.
Uber operates primarily in Santa Cruz and southern Tenerife, but availability and wait times vary; it is a useful alternative.
Many hotels can call a radio taxi in their area; the taxi driver will apply a small surcharge (€0.60). This surcharge can be Taxi drivers charge to offset the monthly fee they pay to Radiotaxi for services.

Here’s what visitors say:

“Use the TaxiClick app… found it very reliable.”

“All the different taxi fare calculators have given me results from €12 up to €44 for the same route.”

Moral of the story: always double check the fare estimate, and if in doubt, ask before you start the journey.

Always ask for an approximate fare before you leave, especially for airport rides.
Write down or screenshot your destination; many drivers aren’t fluent in English.
Book in advance if you need guaranteed pickup times, larger vehicles, or wheelchair accessible rides .
In remote areas, street hailing may be tricky; booking with the company or the taxi app is more reliable.

Keep an eye on the meter and verify that it’s set to the fare (day = €3.45) or (night = €4.25) at the start of your trip.
If you think the route is dangerous or the fare is too high, ask to stop and take note of the license plate or driver’s identification number, located on the front side doors.
You can report any issues to the taxi company or local police if necessary.

*Remember, you don’t have to pay more than the meter shows. Taxis charge per ride. They don’t charge per person.

Many taxi companies offer phone booking services. Some popular options include:

Look for white taxis with a blue rear license plate and a working meter.
Base fare: ≈€3.85 + €1.35/km (or €4.25 + €1.55/km at night).
Use apps like TaxiClick, TicTaxi, SIXT, or Uber (in selected areas).
Book in advance whenever possible, request quotes, and bring your destination information with you.
Monitor the taximeter, flag suspicious routes, and report any problems.

With these tips, you’ll travel easily and stress-free in Tenerife. Have a safe trip! 🌴