Getting a taxi in Santa Marta
Using a Santa Marta taxi is a quick and stress-free way to explore the city. There are hundreds of taxis roaming the streets, day and night, so catching one is never a problem. Santa Marta taxi cabs are bright yellow with a large “TAXI” sign on top, so are impossible to miss when driving around the city streets. The Santa Marta taxi rates are usually calculated using a taximeter, however, some journeys, such as a Santa Marta Taxi to the city center, are fixed.
You can easily hail a Santa Marta taxi service in the street, walk to a taxi rank, use a Santa Marta taxi app, call a phone dispatch company, or pre-book your rides with a private company in advance.
To ensure a safe and seamless journey, be sure to only use a licensed taxi in Santa Marta, by looking for the taximeter on the dashboard, a clear taxi number on the side of the car, and that the ID shown matches the driver.
Hand picked & english speaking drivers
Same price as a regular Taxi from the line
Drivers are always on time
24/7 Email & Phone support
How much does a taxi cost?
Taxi prices | Day time (05:00 - 24:00) | Night time (00:00 - 05:00) | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
FROM SANTA MARTA AIRPORT TO CITY CENTER | 6.50 € | 6.50 € | 30 MIN |
FROM SANTA MARTA AIRPORT TO MINCA | 22 € | 22 € | 45 MIN |
FROM SANTA MARTA AIRPORT TO PALOMINO | 40 € | 40 € | 75 MIN |
FROM SANTA MARTA CITY CENTRE TO PLAYA DE TAGANGA | 4 € | 4 € | 15 MIN |
FROM SANTA MARTA BUS STATION TO MARINA | 2 € | 2 € | 10 MIN |
FROM SANTA MARTA CITY CENTRE TO TAYRONA | 15 € | 15 € | 40 MIN |

Santa Marta taxi prices
In most cases, the Santa Marta taxi prices are calculated using a taximeter. The cost of your journey will depend on the distance you travel to your destination. There’s no change in cost for traveling at night, but additional fees for things such as the number of passengers, or traveling with large luggage items will apply. There are also a few cases where you will receive a fixed fare. For example, traveling from Santa Marta Airport to the city center will cost a fixed price of €6.50 (COP 30,000). If your taxi driver is using a meter, their Santa Marta taxi rates are calculated as follows:
Base fare: €1.40 (COP 6,400)
Price per km: €1.50 (COP 6,800)
For example, traveling from Santa Marta city center to Taganga Beach will take 15 minutes and will cost around €4 (COP 17,700). Similarly, the 10-minute journey from Santa Marta Bus Station to the Marina will cost €2 (COP 8,800).
It’s worth nothing that there’s a surcharge for large luggage items that don’t fit in the trunk and for the 5th passenger. This cost is an additional €0.20 (COP 800) per piece or person.
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How to get a taxi in Santa Marta
From hailing your taxi in Santa Marta in the street to booking a private ride in advance, getting a taxi 24 hours a day in Santa Marta couldn’t be easier. There are plenty of taxis roaming around the city center, which offer curbside pickups or can be found waiting at taxi ranks, located around the city. You can find a Santa Marta taxi rank at the airport, outside the Santa Marta Bus Station, at many popular tourist spots, and outside large resorts.
If you’re traveling from outside the city center, or late at night, you may want to book your transfer in advance, use one of the Santa Marta taxi apps, or call a radio taxi for a pickup.
How to get a taxi from Santa Marta Airport
There’s one large terminal at Santa Marta Airport serving both domestic and international flights. The terminal also has a dedicated taxi rank that is open 24 hours a day. After collecting your luggage, you will exit the terminal on the Ground Floor and will see the line of yellow taxis waiting to pick up passengers. The taxis from Santa Marta Airport offer a fixed fare of €6.50 (COP 30,000) into the city center of Santa Marta.
How to get a taxi from Santa Marta Bus Station
The Terminal de Transportes de Santa Marta is the main bus station and transport hub for the city. As such, you will find a dedicated Santa Mart taxi rank conveniently located on the curbside just outside of the main exit doors. This taxi rank is open from 04:00 to 23:00 daily. All taxis from the bus station rank use taximeters to calculate their journeys. You can expect to pay around €2 (COP 8,800) from the Santa Marta Bus Station to the marina.
Using a Santa Marta taxi app
If you’re traveling from outside the city center or simply want a more personalized service, using a Santa Marta taxi app is a great option. There are a few different ride sharing app options in Colombia, with Uber, Hey! Taxi Santa Marta and Taxi Santa Marta being the most used. However, during peak travel times, there can be long waits and price spikes on all of the Santa Marta taxi apps.
To avoid these inconvenient wait times and price changes, you can always pre-book your Santa Marta taxi service with a trusted company such as Welcome Pickups. We offer fixed fares that you can rely on.
Useful Santa Marta taxi numbers
To avoid having to download another app to your phone, you can always call one of the Santa Marta taxi numbers. There are a few different companies offering phone dispatch services, including:
Hey! Taxi Santa Marta: +57 350 500 0012
Radio Taxi Santa Marta: +57 318 200 081
4209000 Taxxi Satellite: +57 605 420 9000
CoTaxi: +57 313 870 0065
Super Taxi VIP: +57 315 632 0803
As not all phone dispatch taxi operators speak English, it’s advisable to have your hotel concierge or restaurant server call for a taxi on your behalf.
Pre-booking your Santa Marta taxi service
Although taxis in Santa Marta are available 24 hours a day, during peak travel times or bad weather, there can be a long wait time for the phone dispatch taxis and there will be no free taxis on the street.
To avoid long waits, we suggest pre-booking your Santa Marta taxi rides with a private company such as Welcome Pickups instead. At Welcome, we offer guaranteed on-time pickups, competitive fixed-rate fares, and English-speaking drivers. We also have a dedicated customer support team on hand 24 hours a day to help you with any issues or questions you may have.
Santa Marta taxi tips
- Check that your taxi driver resets the taximeter before you begin your journey, to avoid being overcharged.
- Try to write down your hotel’s address, or show it on a GPS app, as not all Santa Marta taxi drivers speak English and may only know major landmarks.
- There’s a surcharge of €0.20 (COP 800) for the 5th passenger.
- You won’t be able to pay for your Santa Marta taxi by card, so be sure to carry cash in the local currency of Colombian Pesos to pay for your ride.
- Traveling at night doesn’t incur a higher fare.
- You have the right to refuse a service if the driver isn’t using a taximeter. This is one of the most common ways the local Santa Marta taxi drivers overcharge passengers.
- Tipping your Santa Marta taxi driver isn’t obligatory but is always welcome. You can round up your fare to the nearest 100 COP to add a tip.
- Pre-booking your taxi in Santa Marta will give you the peace of mind of guaranteed on-time pickups, hand-picked local drivers, competitive fixed-rate fares, English-speaking drivers, and 24/7 customer support.
Wheelchair-accessible taxi in Santa Marta
In general, Santa Marta isn’t the most wheelchair-accessible destination. This is also reflected in their transport. The standard local Santa Marta taxis aren’t wheelchair accessible and don’t have a ramp or lift fitted. If you’re looking to take a taxi in Santa Marta that’s fully wheelchair-accessible, you’ll need to book with an accessible tour operator or specialized company before arriving in the city.
Santa Marta taxi safety and complaints
When taking a local taxi in Santa Marta, the only thing you usually need to watch out for is being overcharged. Sometimes, the local drivers will refuse to use their taximeter or will keep some of the base fare from their previous customer and add it to your fare. To avoid this, ensure your driver resets the meter when you get in the taxi and show them directions on a GPS app such as Google Maps.
If you do have any major issues during your journey, be sure to report them directly to the company you traveled with, or to the local police by calling +57 805 928 3781 extension 2277.