Montevideo is literally crawling with taxis. Day or night you can see them cruising almost everywhere in the city.
UL member Clara (our favorite Uruguaya-Californian) very neatly described how one can easily get a taxi in Montevideo. In the forum she wrote, “Call 141 from your home number (also works with cell but then you are not in a fixed location). You provide phone number, complete address and your name the first time you call. Thereafter if you are calling from your registered number, the computer generated response asks if you are requesting a vehicle at that location at this time- you press 1. The system locates the nearest vehicle and provides you with its ID number and the estimated wait time. That is all there is to it.“
I have a slightly different point of view.
The automatic taxi service works great unless you are oversized. The majority of the taxis here are built for an average midget. If one is too tall (as I am) or too fat (ditto), things get a lot harder. When you call for a taxi you have to request a Renault Kangoo, Puegeot Partner, or Chevy Meriva–I haven’t found anything else that will fit.
If you do find one, and the taxis driver is any less repulsive than Frankenstein’s monster on a bad hair day, beg him for his cell phone number so that you can call him directly. Find out which hours he works, and try to get the number of the other driver as well.
Before I found my regular driver I missed event after event simply because I could not get a taxi into which I could fit, no matter how many taxi companies I called.
ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION: Order two small taxis and strap one to each foot…
Hi there.
I’ve discovered your blog through a friend from Chicago who regularly reads it.
I am from Montevideo and live about 30 blocks away from where you are (think of the Lake and the small castle in Parque Rodo, well, one block away from there). Each time I pass by the spot in Buceo you mentioned (where I used to play as a kid) I can’t help but look over hoping to see you :).
Anyway, I got sidetracked.
Your friend gave you some good info, but I think I can give you a few tips regarding the taxi issue.
First of all… the Patronal company (the number you call to) does take care of the calls in an almost totally automatical way. You barely get to talk to a person and even then, they speak to you too fast, basically saying in a rush that x number of car will be waiting for you in about 3 minutes, right?
My suggestion is the following: call a smaller taxi company. Like, say, Taxi Punta Gorda. Punta Gorda is not that faraway from where you live, so they have tons of cars circulating in the area, particularly by Pocitos, since the people in Pocitos are big taxi useres. Anyway… when you call them (number 1771) or any other smaller company, for that matter, you still get to *talk* with a person, not press one button after the other. Even if the method is basically the same one of Patronal, you have an actual person taking your call and you can say even before you confirm what your phone number is and your address that you have a specific need for a specific type of car. I am not kidding. That is more common than you could imagine. For once, people with dogs or cats often have to call and inform beforehand that they need a taxi so the driver will know and agree (and help) with getting a pet in. People on wheelchairs or with mobility issues usually tell the one on the phone that they have a specific need for a specific size of car or a specific use for it. There *are* taxis that are like real vans. Really, really big with the mampara and all. 5 people like me (I weigh 110 lbs) can fit in there, and I can stretch my body and not touch the mampara. Someone big can get in there and travel comfortably in those vans. They just are not everywhere, but there are many of those and if you call many companies, I bet that at least one will have one of those available. Tell the operator that you have mobility problems and need one of the “camionetas” that are very large. The only “problem” with those vans is that they are rather “high”, that is, getting in implies taking a big step, but I guess that with the help of the driver, that should not be a problem. Remember, ask for “one of the new big camionetas, not the regular taxis”. Some company, particularly smaller taxi companies will accomodate your needs. And you can always tell the driver of the van, when you find one, if there is a way to contact him in particular whenever you need to use a cab like his.
Good luck and if you need any further assistance, just email me.
>>Thank you for your suggestions–I appreciate them. Hopefully you will join us here the next time we have an event, probably around St. Patrick’s Day in March.
–The Southron
Left by Elenacam on January 9th, 2007
You are welcome.
I would be really glad to join you in your next event.
I must inform you that I am “120%” Montevidean and have always lived here, English is not my native language… you should have to bear with my poor accent and my grammar or syntax mistakes :).
I am curious… what Church do you attend?
Good luck!
>>I am certain that your English is much better than my doggerel Spanglish…
I am Eastern Orthodox–I attend the Russian Orthodox Church once each month when we have a priest, the rest of the time I try to go to San Nicolás Greek Orthodox Church in Prado.
–The Southron
Left by Elenacam on January 9th, 2007
I’m the Chicagoan who directed the lovely lady to this site. As a Chicagoan I have to ask, any hope of getting the Rio de la Plata dyed green?
-futurexpat
As Copperhead is a fellow Chicagoan, he is looking into it. Personally, I am afraid it could start a second Eco-War with the Argentines–either that or they would be jealous and want green water too…
Left by futurexpat on January 10th, 2007