Thought this might be of interest....

I am trying to take a balanced approach to this looking at all points of view, but my experiences with uber have been fantastic and I am disappointed that rather than working on a comprehensive solution that would benefit everyone, the local governments just bent over and took it from the taxi folks.

In cities as big as Sao Paulo and Rio I cant beleive that taxi's and uber each wouldnt find enough business.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/brazil-taxi-drivers-protest-uber-33631386

The unions are very strong here. Easy Taxi and 99 Taxi work well. It was either in June or July here in Rio that the taxi drivers staged a protest and closed down the Aterro and access to the Zona Sul.

The unions are very strong here. Easy Taxi and 99 Taxi work well. It was either in June or July here in Rio that the taxi drivers staged a protest and closed down the Aterro and access to the Zona Sul.

Thanks ihpguy that was going to be my next question. I know easytaxi was founded in Brazil. Ill have an old iphone with a sim card so was planning to use that...I would also suspect that using the apps would prevent more of taxi drivers from "taking you for a ride"

I have now had the opportunity of using Easy Taxi four times. All when I was in the Zona Norte and there were not either any circling passing taxis nor cooperativo taxi stands. The power center behind Norte Shopping in Cachambi to be precise. It worked like a charm.

My biggest fear with the taxis down here as to get in one with a rigged taximetro/meter. Little recourse. Am I really going to get into an argument and risk a fight/bodily injury over 30 Reais/US$8.00? Try to flag down someone from the Guarda Municipal or Policia Militar and waste lots of time filing a protest? I have on a couple of occasions told the taxi driver his meter didn't read right and the trip to the airport should be x number of reais and his meter wasn't correct. And at the airport there are police right there. So he agreed with what I offered and took off QUICKLY with ZERO complaints. But how many foreign travelers who don't speak Portuguese are going to do that?

(Let me add that I even complained once after being charged in an elegant restaurant in Geneva Switzerland when simple table water was charged to the bill for EACH glass. I told them I wasn't paying the bill and they could call the police to decide if they didn't want to take the 6 glasses of water off of the bill for the three of us. I won that round. Better to have peace in a restaurant than a raving crazy American tourist screaming in terrible French mixed with English and German for the polizei to come help.)

So it seems that both Easy and 99 are great Apps. The taxi drivers still get their clients. The government still gets their taxes. The vehicles still get their inspections. We get taxi drivers who are known and registered with Easy and 99. I still try to find a taxi with a cooperativo decal on the left and right rear quarter panels, But no longer have a rule against getting into one or worry so much about a rigged meter.

Thanks for the interesting post. My theory about complaining is that the first time I need to do it, the management should and would like to be advised. If the discrepancy is corrected or ameliorated, I come back or use the service, etc. again. If the discrepancy is not corrected or it happens a second time, I never visit the facility or use the service again.

Unfortunately, in some cases there are monopolies and they cannot be entirely avoided. In those cases I still complain and try to avoid them as much as possible.

Best regards,

RA1

So, is Uber still banned in Rio?

I used uber thus week in rio