No Voy!
The Elusive Panamanian Taxi
If you’ve ever taken a taxi in Panama City you have probably heard the words “no voy“. These are two words I dread when trying to get around town. “No voy” basically means, “nope, not gonna take you there”, when uttered from the lips of a Panamanian taxi driver.
The law in Panama is that a taxi driver must take you to whatever location you request. Many, many cab drivers chose to ignore that rule. I’m not talking about asking the driver to take you to Santa Ana at 3 on a Saturday morning, they will refuse a simple trip from Calle 50 to the bus terminal at Albrook in the middle of the afternoon.
I can only assume since the cab drivers can pick and choose where they want to take you, that they must be very wealthy already or how would they be able to refuse a fare? Taxis have set rates they must follow, and this rate map is usually (okay, only sometimes) posted in the cabs as to avoid confusion. If you are asking a driver to take you to a remote location, there is a specific amount of money you will have to pay. Maybe the drivers don’t feel the rates are fair to certain areas so they refuse to take people.
On a recent trip to the city I left my car at home figuring it would be much easier just to hail a cab when I needed to get somewhere. Boy was I wrong. I would go out on a limb and say that 1/3 of all vehicles on the road in Panama City are taxis, but what good are they if they won’t take you where you need to go? I have stood on street corners hailing every passing cab, only to have 15 tell me “No Voy”!
I have had many visitors to Panama ask me what is the best way to get around Panama City. I would always recommend that people use taxis because they are plentiful and cheap. They are still plentiful and cheap, but don’t expect it to be easy to get to your destination.
| Written by Rebecca Tyre |  |
This post's rating:
(3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
Loading ...Related Stories
Filed under: Country Guide, Living & Retirement, News on August 25th, 2008
I agreed with you. I have had the same experience you had, trying to stop a taxi just to hear the driver saying the exact same words, “no voy”.
I just hope that the governmental department of transportation as well as the Ministry of Tourism in Panama take measures with some more “manos duras” because this really is a negative aspect for nationals, residents, and of course tourism.
I would like to mention, though, that this problem is only confronte in the capital city of Panama.
I have read your articles for some time now and I find them to be focused on the negative aspects of Panama. I would suggest you can include challenges of living in the country but don’t make the negative the focal point of your article unless you want to encourage people not to come to Panama. Most people have a negative outlook on their own: you don’t need to feed it. Every country has its minuses, including taxi transportation, but that is not a reason to emphasize only it. I have ridden in many taxis in Panama, and around the world, and I am amazed at the cheap fares and industrious and courteous drivers. I don’t know how they make a living at the taxi business without many long hours of work. Did you ever ask why the driver says “no voy”? That would be worth knowing; then maybe patrons would be willing to address that and get the ride to where they wish to go.
I am near the point of not reading your articles because they are negative. You actually provide valuable information; but, I don’t need to read more negative.
I love Panama, warts and all. Please keep calling ‘em as you see ‘em. When we have visitors in our Chiriqui home we forewarn as to what to expect. Panama’s so=called negatives are also conversely her charms. I like reading your articles. Thanks,
Sam
Barbie:
I hear ya, but we’ve got a ton of positive articles on the site too. Rebecca has days where she’s a little cranky for sure, but she writes plenty of great stuff about life in a part of Panama where few gringos dare reside.
Casey