Things you should know about taxi cabs in Warsaw, Poland.
If you are going to use a taxi cab in Warsaw, do what the residents of Warsaw do. They generally use a corporate cab service.
The City of Warsaw requires cabs to be registered. There are independents, corporate services and others. Unless you are familiar with a cab, a corporate service is your safest bet.
The cabs have a meter and billing system from which you can get a receipt showing your charges.
One the windows of the cabs there is a sign with the rate per kilometer of travel. That sign is generally correct with the caveat that there are often some upcharges for short trips.
Restaurants, hotels and shops will call a cab for you. So don’t avoid a corporate cab because you are afraid of not speaking Polish.
At the airport, taxi cabs are strictly regulated. To protect passengers, only approved services can do pickups.
Many of the cab drivers speak English. It may not be the best, but they work through it with you.
The train stations and Old Town are where you will find a large number of unscrupulous operators. Take only a corporate cab. And if you are confused, ask for help from a Warsaw resident. You will find them to generally be very helpful. Don’t worry, many of them speak English. That is especially true for the younger folks.
You can recognize a corporate cab by the light on the top with a phone number. If a cab does not have this, you are taking your chances.
If you pick a cab from a taxi stand, look to see if there are two or more cabs from a particular company. Picking one of those usually puts you in the hands of a larger operator. Cab companies grow when they provide good service and the local folks use them more and more.