Panama Transportation

Getting a Cab in Panama – I don't know how many cabs are here in Panama, but it seems every 3^rd car is a taxi. Cab drivers will either honk or whistle at you to get you to consider hiring them. Getting a cab when it is not rush hour is easy. The problem is that during rush hour 99% of the cabs are full. You will have to stand and wait about 5-30 minutes to find an empty taxi. The good news is that if you look like a “Greengo” (not a local), you will likely wait only 5 minutes at the most even during rush hour. The reason is that Greengos often pay way too much for a taxi, so cab drivers will give foreign looking people precedence.

Cost of Taxis in Panama – What foreigners don't realize is that the taxi cab fair in Panama City is a flat fee of less than $2. Giving a taxi driver more than $2 is foolishness and cab drivers will joke about the “stupid greengo that paid them too much.” So if you don't want to be the subject of a joke I suggest you always pay 2 dollars to the cab driver. Never ask “How much?” because that is the sign to the driver he is supposed to rip you off. The standard here in Panama is to just hand the driver $2 and get out of the cab. That is what the driver is expecting. Only stupid greengos do otherwise.

WARNING: “The Hotel cab scam ... The double rip off.” -- You must understand that people in Panama marvel at how stupid greengos are. They feel it is almost their duty of rip off a greengo. Most foreigners stay at hotels in Panama. When you are exiting the hotel the doorman will always ask you if he can get you a taxi. He will then call a cab up from a pool of cabs ready and waiting. Waiting for a sucker than is. You tip the doorman (so he can rip you off without you knowing it). Upon arriving at your destination, when you go to pay the standard $2 fee to the cab driver, he will freak out and show you a rate card that says you must pay between $7 - $10. Thus the greengo gets ripped off as per normal here in Panama. What is going on behind the scenes is this: The Hotel gets a $5 - $7 kickback from the cab drivers. The doorman's job is to funnel you into the waiting cabs who pay this fee to your Hotel. So you just got ripped off twice... You PAID the doorman to put you into a cab that will overcharge you by 5x the going rate for a taxi !!! It is really easy to avoid this scam. You simply walk past your doorman, and down the street a little ways and flag down a cab yourself. It is very easy, and every cab is fighting to get you as a customer anyway, especially if you look greengo, because they think you might be stupid enough to pay too much.

Honesty of Cab drivers in Panama – After reading the above scams you might think Panamanians are dishonest. I have found that in general, they are very honest. There is a line of decency they will not cross. For example, on my third trip to Panama I accidentally left a bag containing my passport in the cab! The cab driver returned within 10 minutes and returned the bag to me. Of course I gave him a big fat tip gladly! People in Panama are NOT thieves. They just take advantage of stupidity as they see it. If a greengo wants to overpay they will not deny you that priviledge.

Safety of Taxis in Panama -- There are no regulations on taxi cabs, or drivers in Panama. Some of the cars are somewhat beat-up and a little rusty. The cost is the same whether you ride in a beat up old car or a newer, nicer looking car. For safety and comfort reasons I suggest you choose the nicer looking taxis. TIP: For some reason, what I am about to tell you, escapes many people and yet it is so obvious. Look for taxis with their windows rolled up! These taxis have air conditioning.

Car size in Panama -- Cars in Panama are small by North American standards. The smallest SUVs are considered huge in Panama. Even the mini-van is considered too large for the streets of Panama. You will see mini-vans on the road but they are not very popular. The cabs are all smaller cars that seat 4 people (perhaps 5 with a squeeze). If you have a large family or a party of more than four people, you will need to take two cabs.

Do I need to buy a car in Panama? -- If you plan to live and stay in Panama City, buying a car is not necessary. With so many cabs there is no need. If you are not used to the driving style in Panama, it is much better and safer to just use cabs.

Do Cab drivers speak English in Panama? -- Very little ... but they know their city well. If you know just a few words of where you want ot go there is high likelyhood you will be able to get the driver to understand.

Street Addresses in Panama -- There are no street addresses in Panama. Many streets don't even have names. There is no postal system here! Everything in Panama is done by region. To an outsider it is impossible to tell one region from another, but in Panama each region is very important. To describe an address you give the name of the region, the street name if available, and the building name.

Driving in Panama – Driving skills in Panama at first look horrific. Everyone cuts off everyone. There seem to be no rules of the road. There are almost no traffic lights, no concept of a four way stop. Drivers just “nose” their way in. My first impression of driving in Panama was that car accidents must be off the charts. After a few weeks I realized that car accidents are rare here. Also if there is a car accident, it is usually just a fender-bender. The traffic in Panama is so congested (yet you can get anywhere in about 15 minutes or less) that nobody is going fast enough to get seriously hurt.