Taxi fares to raise 26%

Actually, when you buy a car specifically made to be converted into a taxi it already comes with the equipo de gas (gas machine) in it. The drivers primarily use gas. They start the car with nafta, then switch to gas until it starts to run low, then switch back to nafta until they can fill up the gas tank.

Taxi drivers aren't paid a salary. They rent the vehicle from the owner and pay a daily rate. Those rates will go up as well as the passenger rates, as well as cargas sociales and car insurance premiums. No one really benefits form these increases. Since taxis are more than a luxury for many portenos, people will keep taking them anyway. At least when things normalize and people get used to the higher prices. The same way that people keep buying more expensive food in the grocery stores, paying for higher priced movie tickets, high health insurance and high apartment rentals.
 
There's no question that these intermittent fare hikes are a more honest reflection of the real rate of inflation in the country at the moment. I would argue that stagflation is certainly a concern especially given the latest developments in the Chinese, European and US markets. Particularly troubling is the data from Europe and China. There's evidence that China's economy is slowing, since manufacturing is at its lowest since 2009. Any slowdown in China will affect all of the world's economies; however, because Chinese demand of Argentine soy is such a large part of Argentina's growth "strategy", it's even more troubling.

Two, recession in the Euro zone is increasingly likely, which would in turn negatively affect European demand for Chinese and American goods. This would likely hamper growth in both countries. My prediction has always been that the true state of the Argentine economy would come to light after the elections, sometime in late 2012/early 2013.

Christina has made no indication that she plans to deviate from the current economic strategy: economic growth through government spending (aka inflation), soy exports to China through an undervalued and "cheap" Argentine peso, and protectionist foreign import restrictions. Given the history of the country I'm sure most Argentines are prepared and expecting a slump in the near future. The difference between now and 2000's fiasco is that the Argentine peso is "floating" rather than pegged to the dollar, and the government has considerable currency reserves. So don't expect a recession as devastating and as deep as in 2000. I would call it a correction.

In the meantime, do expect higher prices and taxi fares to rise at least a couple of times by the end of 2012.
 
Compare the $4 cost for a 3KM in BA to other cities. BA cabs are still relatively inexpensive on a dollar cost basis ( without regard to local incomes).

NOTE: All exchange rates were updated as of April, 2011, shifting things around a bit.
Cost of a 3-kilometer ride in April, 2011

*All prices converted into US dollars on April 16, 2011
The left price reflects little to no waiting in traffic, the right price reflects high-traffic situations plus night or weekend surcharges.
$0.90 – $1.58 Delhi, India
$0.97 – $1.29 Mumbai, India
$1.01 – $1.68 Cairo, Egypt
$1.15 – $1.73 La Paz, Bolivia
$1.16 – $1.85 Manila, Philippines
$1.25 – $3.00 Panama City, Panama
$1.27 – $1.73 Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
$1.28 – $1.91 Fez, Morocco
$1.29 – $2.14 Mexico City, Mexico
$1.32 – $1.98 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
$1.43 – $1.91 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
$1.53 – $3.06 Beijing, China
$1.53 – $1.91 Hanoi, Vietnam
$1.66 – $2.32 Bangkok, Thailand
$1.69 – $3.38 Kathmandu, Nepal
$1.84 – $2.76 Shanghai, China
$1.91 – $3.19 Marrakech, Morocco
$2.00 – $4.00 Quito, Ecuador
$2.06 – $2.94 Sofia, Bulgaria
$2.11 – $3.69 Montevideo, Uruguay
$2.13 – $3.19 Lima, Peru
$2.46 – $2.95 Buenos Aires, Argentina
$2.72 – $3.27 Dubai, UAE
$2.82 – $4.23 Amman, Jordan
$2.84 – $4.27 St. Petersburg, Russia
$2.94 – $5.51 Seoul, South Korea
$3.23 – $6.45 Singapore, Singapore
$3.35 – $5.16 Hong Kong, China
$3.80 – $6.33 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
$3.84 – $6.52 Athens, Greece
$4.09 – $6.04 Moscow, Russia
$4.24 – $5.93 Santiago, Chile
$4.39 – $8.77 Tel Aviv, Israel
$4.64 – $6.22 Istanbul, Turkey
$5.47 – $9.12 Krakow, Poland
$5.33 – $7.99 Beirut, Lebanon
$5.73 – $8.33 Vancouver, Canada
$5.80 – $8.70 Lisbon, Portugal
$5.80 – $9.42 Tallinn, Estonia
$5.70 – $8.29 Budapest, Hungary
$5.75 – $7.90 Cape Town, South Africa
$5.95 – $8.33 Prague, Czech Republic
$6.20 – $8.26 Taipei, Taiwan
$6.52 – $10.14 Barcelona, Spain
$6.56 – $9.84 Edinburgh, Scotland
$7.00 – $12.00 New York City, USA
$7.25 – $10.14 Madrid, Spain
$7.50 – $10.00 Los Angeles, USA
$7.95 – $13.26 Reykjavik, Iceland
$8.41 – $14.49 Rome, Italy
$8.70 – $14.49 Brussels, Belgium
$8.70 – $14.49 Paris, France
$9.38 – $12.50 Toronto, Canada
$9.38 – $12.50 Montreal, Canada
$9.47 – $12.63 Melbourne, Australia
$9.60 – $12.00 Auckland, New Zealand
$9.80 – $15.69 Zagreb, Croatia
$10.14 – $14.49 Vienna, Austria
$10.53 – $13.68 Sydney, Australia
$11.22 – $14.12 Copenhagen, Denmark
$11.48 – $14.75 London, England
$11.59 – $15.94 Berlin, Germany
$11.59 – $17.39 Munich, Germany
$11.59 – $17.39 Dublin, Ireland
$12.64 – $15.66 Tokyo, Japan
$12.92 – $16.16 Stockholm, Sweden
$13.04 – $17.39 Nice, France
$14.06 – $20.29 Helsinki, Finland
$14.49 – $14.49 Amsterdam, Netherlands
$15.94 – $20.29 Monaco, Monaco
$18.62 – $24.21 Oslo, Norway
$20.22 – $26.97 Zurich, Switzerland
Notes about world taxi prices

  • The prices above reflect metered prices, although in some cities each company charges its own rates.
  • Generally, if you are obviously a tourist, the cheaper the normal price the greater chance that the meter will be “broken” or unavailable.
  • These figures are for in-the-city rides, many airports add an additional surcharge in one or both directions.
  • Typical airport-to-city price ranges can be found on each of the main city pages, along with public transportation prices.
  • Some cities charge more at night or on weekends, so the overall range tends to be greater in those cases.
  • Prices for waiting/standing still and typical traffic conditions vary from city to city, and this also increases the price range.
Being honest, even when all companies in a city use a fixed price scheme it can still be difficult to research them because many taxi drivers make a better living by the public not knowing what they should really expect to pay. On the other hand, we are confident that all of these are at least very close, although if you have new information we’d love to hear from you so we can update our records.
The worst confusion almost always involves airport taxi scams, so it’s worth being aware of those before you arrive anywhere.
http://www.priceoftravel.com/555/world-taxi-prices-what-a-3-kilometer-ride-costs-in-72-big-cities/
 
http://www.priceoftravel.com/555/world-taxi-prices-what-a-3-kilometer-ride-costs-in-72-big-cities/
Adjusting for the recent increase the cost of a 3 km taxi ride during the day is now 18.25or about $4 US (at the parallel rate of 4.55).
NOTE: All exchange rates were updated as of April, 2011, shifting things around a bit.
Cost of a 3-kilometer ride in April, 2011

Being honest, even when all companies in a city use a fixed price scheme it can still be difficult to research them because many taxi drivers make a better living by the public not knowing what they should really expect to pay. On the other hand, we are confident that all of these are at least very close, although if you have new information we’d love to hear from you so we can update our records.
The worst confusion almost always involves airport taxi scams, so it’s worth being aware of those before you arrive anywhere.
 
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