As far as I have noticed, Amsterdammers barely use a taxi in the city. Taxis in the Netherlands (and in Amsterdam in particular) are really expensive. This is why locals-only order a taxi in special cases – when they need to go to the airport or at night if it’s the only way for them to go home. Even if taxis, in general, are expensive, there are some cheaper options out there.

The cheapest taxi in Amsterdam is called TCA (Taxi Central Amsterdam). However, there are also services like Uber and ViaVan. E.g. a ride from the airport to the RAI center will cost you around 35 Euro (TCA), 33-35 Euro (Uber Black) or around 10-15 Euro (ViaVan, traveling with 3-4 strangers).

The article mainly covers prices of taxi services in Amsterdam, as well as some details about taxi operators in the city. However, I have decided to also mention some other options. In Amsterdam, the most recommendable is obviously Uber, and on top of that ViaVan – a relatively new carsharing service. If you travel to Amsterdam, you should also try renting a bike – you cannot miss a bike ride here!

Taxi Prices in Amsterdam

As mentioned above, taxis in Amsterdam aren’t cheap (to me, they are one of the most expensive in Europe). Taxi operators usually set their own prices but there are some regulations they have to follow. The government has set out a maximum fare price for taxis.

3 elements are taken into account while the cost of a taxi is counted:

1. a starting tariff (the amount you pay just to get into the taxi and to drive the first 2 kilometers),
2. a cost per 1 kilometer
3. a cost per minute.

For a taxi car, at a maximum, you’ll pay: 3.19 Euro start tariff plus 2.35 Euro per km plus 0.39 Euro per minute. All taxi cars have to have a taximeter installed and drivers have to turn them on. An average cost of a short ride in town is around 10 Euro. If you travel from the city center to the airport (Schiphol) it will cost you around 45 – 50 Euro on average. A trip from Dam Square to RAI will cost you approximately 28 Euro and from Dam Square to Haarlem – around 60 Euro. For a tourist, such prices might be really discouraging. And so are for locals. This is why Amsterdammers use public transportation or bikes if possible.

Taxi Services in Amsterdam

Several taxi companies operate in the city. Among the others, the following ones: Taxicentrale Amsterdam, Staxi, Taxistad, Taxi Direct Amsterdam, Amsterdam Taxi Online and Taxi Electric. In the table below, you will find Amsterdam’s taxi operators’ contact information, as well as average prices.

Taxi operator	Phone number	Fares	Fare Schiphol -> RAI
TCA – Taxicentrale Amsterdam	020 777 777	https://www.tcataxi.nl/en/taxi-fares/	33 – 35 Euro
Staxi	020 705 8888	https://www.staxi.nl/en/amsterdam-taxi/%e2%80%8bamsterdam-taxi-costs/	40 Euro
Taxistad	020 208 0000	https://taxistad.com/eng/rates-schiphol/	35 – 40 Euro
Taxi Direct Amsterdam	020 633 3333	https://taxidirect.nl/schiphol-taxi/	35 – 40 Euro
Taxi Electric	088 100 4444	https://www.taxielectric.nl/en/service-levels/	40 – 50 Euro
Uber Amsterdam	Mobile app	https://www.uber.com/in/en/price-estimate/	33 – 43 Euro
Amsterdam Taxi Online	06 1963 2963	https://www.amsterdamtaxi-online.com/fares-rates	40 Euro
ViaVan	Mobile app	https://support.viavan.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002744072-How-much-does-a-ride-cost-	Depends on the number of passengers (from approx. 10-12 Euro)

Locals say that the most reliable operator is TCA. They have over 1,500 drivers and all their taxis have red and black roof lights. While choosing their service, make sure you have your credit/debit card as they don’t accept cash. If you catch a regular taxi at the airport they may charge you even more. I’ve heard of situations where tourists were charged 60 euro for a trip from Schiphol to the city center. That’s way too much. Ask for a price before you take a taxi and keep in mind that the taxi driver must turn on a meter.

Electric Taxis

Out of around 4,000 taxis in Amsterdam, around 650 are electric. Have you heard of electric taxis? Yep, there is a green taxi service in the city! No polluting emissions, more sustainable service. Actually, Taxi Electric is the first electric taxi service in Europe.

Uber in Amsterdam

For several years now, Uber has been extremely popular in Amsterdam. The international taxi app service is ordered through the phone app only which is really convenient – payment is easily handled automatically, no cash included. On top of the regular Uber service, there’s also the VIP one (called UberBlack) and Uber minivans (UberVan). Some time ago, the lower cost version of Uber was also brought to life – uberX. When compared to standard taxi operators, UberBlack is approximately the same expensive and uberX is around half a price. In the table below you will find typical Uber fares.

Route / Uber type	UberBlack	UberVan	uberX
Airport -> Amsterdam RAI	33 – 43 Euro	36 – 47 Euro	19 – 25 Euro
Airport -> city center	49 – 64 Euro	53 – 69 Euro	28 – 38 Euro
Airport -> Amsterdam Zuid	32 – 42 Euro	35 – 45 Euro	18 – 25 Euro
Amsterdam RAI -> Leidseplein	16 – 22 Euro	18 – 23 Euro	8 – 12 Euro

ViaVan Amsterdam

Some of the older Amsterdammers might not have heard about ViaVan yet. It’s mostly because the service is quite new – it was launched in Amsterdam last year (the company was founded in 2017 as a joint venture between Mercedes Benz Vans and Via). Since the very beginning, it’s become more and more popular, especially because of low prices. Currently, ViaVan is the cheapest choice for a taxi on-demand in the city. The service itself is very similar to Uber – you download the app and order a car. However, prices are much lower. Why? It’s easy – ViaVan is a ride-sharing taxi service.

How Does ViaVan work?

In order to use ViaVan, you need to download the mobile app. When you want to order a car you just select your pick up and drop off location and confirm your ride. Then, the magic starts – ViaVan uses a special algorithm that looks for multiple riders to use the same car. I am not sure how it exactly works, but it really seems to be a smart idea. The app shows you your pick up point, this is how it ‘directs’ all passengers to a nearby corner and pick them up. A count-down timer with the estimated time of arrival is also shown in the app. Because you share your ride with other passengers, prices are much lower than regular taxis offer (included Uber). ViaVan also gives you an option to choose a private ride but it will obviously cost you much more money. In my opinion, ViaVan may be a future for taxi services in the city. It’s cheap and by powering efficient ride-sharing it reduces traffic and carbon emissions.

Car-Renting Options

Besides ViaVan, there are some other carsharing and car-renting services in Amsterdam. A very famous (and recommended) one is Greenwheels with over 1,700 cars located in major Dutch cities. Another one is Car2Go with 350 electric Smart cars parked around Amsterdam. Interesting info: Car2Go vehicles can park in the city for free.

There’s also an option to rent a car by submitting a rental request via the mobile app. It’s called SnappCar and it’s very convenient – you just find a car in the neighborhood, send a request and pick up the chosen car. Renting a car via the app is 30-50% cheaper than renting via a regular car rental company. The service is based on local car owners – you rent a car from an individual, not a company.

Hey, You’re in Amsterdam, Get a Bike!

Amsterdam is a city of bikes, isn’t it? Then, you shouldn’t be surprised that there are bike taxis out there. Yep, you’ve read it right – Amsterdam has bike taxis and you can use them for 10 – 45 Euro for a bike tour. You can order a bike taxi via the app or just hail a bike in the street.  You can also act like a local and rent a bike on your own. It’s extremely easy to find a bike shop – there are several of them close to the Central Station and Dam Square. You can rent a bike for as little as 3 hours, as well as for several days. The average price is 8 – 10 Euro per 1 day. There is also a deposit required. As riding a bike is an essential Amsterdam experience, make sure you pedal for a few hours at least!

So, now you know everything about how to commute in Amsterdam. Time to start sightseeing! Start with some free museums followed by the best shopping areas!