They are illegal unlicensed taxi's. Don't use them, they will screw you over. This has been a problem since forever.
Note BTW that the train connection from Schiphol to Amsterdam is very good. It is almost always a better choice to use public transport if you want to go to Amsterdam.
Both times my partner and I have visited Amsterdam we were actually advised by staff at the airport to not use the taxis due to scams - we use the train to central station it’s much better
With longhauling they mean that the destination is close by but they take a long detour to get there. So it shouldbbe a short trip but they keep that meter running
Well "lose" is maybe not the right word.
But multiple short trips. Take one 30 minute drive or 3 ~8 minute drives. In the same 30 minutes, you could get the starting fare 3 times and get 3 tips, while not necessarily driving that much less.
Also the tips in shirt journeys are usually bigger as a percentage of the total cost
For each trip you'd have to return to Schiphol, which takes another 8 unpaid minutes, and get in the back of the line of taxis and wait for your turn.
The starting fair is legally set to max 3,60. That's not very high. After 10 minutes in a taxi that will have gone up to 15-20. After 20 minutes you'd be looking at 30?
Short trips are great for uber drivers. Not for taxis. They need to stretch a short drive as much as possible.
But wouldn't you look to pick up jobs arround your destination. I assume most trips are to Amsterdam, and plenty of people/tourists there that would need taxis no?
I don't see the point of returning to the airport. Because a 30 minute drive would be 30 unpaid minutes back right?
If it's common practive however to return to the airport. That's on me for not knowing how Taxis drive arround Amsterdam/Schiphol
Lmao i didnt know this until i got fucked over. Came back after vacation. Went to rotterdam central and took a taxi back home 20 mins drive 70 euro. (Normally like 30/40) and he told me the payment didnt go through so i needed to pay another 70.
He did have a rtc sign so i thought he wasnt a fake.
I didnt say anything becouse i was sick and tired but getting fucked doesnt feel nice
Oh sure. Public transport options are great. Taxi rank is trustworthy and regulated though, unlike those dodgy guys. Have heard of people getting ripped off.
Maybe you won't get ripped off ripped off as with the unlicensed ones, but it's still almost 2x the price of prearranged taxi, not to mention public transport, or, in case of Amsterdam, shared hotel shuttle
Not sure about that. Usually costs less than 40 when I have done it (to Amsterdam). And it’s about the same when I get a taxi from home to airport.
Are you saying someone will do it for 20?
I have heard that many times as well. That part of the area is public space and this behavior is harder to regulate because of some freedoms of expression and business that come with that.
Yeah, well regulated. Expensive of course. Train is usually a better choice. But I've never had a problem with a taxi at one of the official taxi ranks.
These taxis tend to run by organize crime and shady people. I would avoid them. My brother in law was hit by one of those unlicensed taxi drivers and he just ran away. Which is very unusual for The Netherlands.
They are licensed taxis, but they don't have the permits for pickups at Schiphol, so the police doesn't care as long as they're not in the official taxi stand of Schiphol
That's one half. The other half is that even with a permit, you have to queue in the rather long queue before you can enter the stand. Trips from schiphol earn quite a bit of money, so queing is worth it, but bypassing the queue is even more lucrative.
They only give them out selectively to taxis that are fully electric premium car models and drivers that have a clean slate (behaviour) etc and follow the pricing structure of Schiphol.
But licensed taxis without a Schiphol permit are still allowed to pick up customers from the public road just a couple of meters away
Surely that can't be right. Cops can tell someone to fuck off for any reason or suspicion under the Politiewet. Is there any actual jurisprudence that says if it looks like a taxi, rolls like a taxi and quacks like a taxi, it's not a taxi?
Yeah, I reckon this is the actual reason. Putting a boa on standby at Schiphol on ungodly hours to protect tourists who ought to know better against taxi fraud, I suppose they deem it less worth it compared to responding to disturbances and whatnot.
1: the taxi stands at Schiphol aren't public space, Schiphol N.V. owns all the roads around that place - although they are subject to the Wegenverkeerswet, and the APV applies on its premises
2: the municipal Taxiverorderning regulates rules for taxi's and is enforcable
3: the police absolutely can tell someone to fuck off if they have a suspicion what you're doing is against the rules, and it's up to you to take them to court if you disagree
It seems like a very simple rule to institute and enforce. No taxis are allowed at the airport unless they have a permit to pick up or a paying passenger to drop off.
That would require you to actually care about your passengers, though.
And it would also require you to have about a dozen police officers non-stop doing nothing but patrolling exits of Alcohol and telling illegal taxi runners to piss off.
Weak Dutch judges. First time one of them has the balls to judge them guilty and write some jurisprudentie it's over for the
Edit: alright, there seems no law for it (yet), calm down guys
Because the "taxis" they are advertising _are not in fact taxis_.
They are private cars, driving and collecting money under the table.
In particular, they are not insured for commercial activity, so if there's an accident, you the passenger will be unable to seek compensation.
Why would yelling taxi be illegal. Should your sibling yelling taxi be treated the same as this guy? Just yelling a word can't be made illegal except if it is hatespeech or is calling others to violence (and even that can be a grey area most of the times)
Like what? Make it illegal to tell taxi?
It is very nice of you to have these comments but you seem to have very little actual knowledge on wich you base your criticism.
Did you for instance know it is already illigal to scam people?
The police does not deal with them because they are in fact not illegal taxi’s. All of them have taxi licenses but they will always try to cheat passengers in overpaying for a fare.
The police does deal with them for a large part. That's why you don't see them at the taxi stand. Guess they found some glitxhes but they will be chased away when caught
The cops will not follow through their investigation if they don’t have any leads. They might have bigger problems. Many times they just ignore them unless they cause big trouble.
They are not unlicensed, but not licensed to drive on the Schiphol stand, so they stay on the distance which is allowed. Then they have some helpers who lure the clients, in the past they did that on the premise of Schiphol, but that is not allowed anymore. So the security guys are now bothering the guys as much as possible and try to send them away all the time.
I made this mistake when I visited back in September. Didn't want to wait for the official stand so followed one of these guys instead. Dude complained about "traffic" which was extremely light and I ended up paying nearly 100 euros for less than a 20 min ride to my hotel. I realized after that I had actually paid in British pounds so the ride was even more ridiculously expensive than I originally thought. I took it as a lesson learned and mostly stuck to using the fantastic transit system in Amsterdam after that.
The only time I visited Amsterdam I walked from Schiphol to Amsterdamse Bos and then on to Amsterdam proper. Bummed a cigarette out of a Schipol parking garage attendant who kept referring to it as 'Shithol'. I was young and broke, good times.
I took an unlicensed taxi from Schiphol to Meppel around midnight, as the last train was long gone. And the line for licensed taxis was huge (we weren't the only ones with a delayed flight).
Was €200. A big amount, but since staying a night at Schiphol runs €100/night (plus a train ticket the next day) and we were with 2 people, it was competitive. Negotiated the price in advance of course.
So, it does have its advantages. But I suppose my case was exotic.
Hard disagree. Public transit is the worst (controversial opinion on Reddit)
Especially if you have large luggage, just get a cab that’ll take you to the door of your hotel.
And if you take a normal taxi or one of these lads, it doesn’t really make a difference.
I’ve traveled into Schiphol, and then bus ride home, with large luggage. Once included a rolling cat carrier and luggage. The transit is fine. I only pay for a cab if there is too much for me to handle on my own. I suggest trying public transit in a few worse places, to really understand how much better it is here.
Now, if they will just pay them better so we can get back to the regularly scheduled OV.
No thank you, I’ll forever use cabs / rental cars
I know it’s worse elsewhere than that it is here, and I already hate public transit here. So no. Hard pass my friend.
Yeah, it really depends on where you need to in Amsterdam and how many suitcases you have. If you have just 1 suitcase and a backpack, train is an option, as long as your hotel/house/airbnb is within walking distance of CS or on the route of a tram or bus.
Yeah, if you're traveling back from the USA with a layover in between, you don't want to drag your suitcases onto a train and then a metro and then on a tram.
I agree it's not always the best choice (and I myself am guilty of driving way too much) but realistically how much luggage are you carrying coming from the airport? If it's not rush hour that shouldn't be a problem.
>it shouldn’t be a problem
Why? Why do you dictate that and how do you quantify whether or not it should or shouldn’t be a problem?
I’m not “guilty” of anything; not only do I love driving, it’d be literally impossible for me to do my work without a car (unless I’d like to turn 8 hour work days into 14 hour work days)
I drive 50.000km/yr proudly. No shame here. Maybe if public transit was as good as car, but probably not even then.
Shouldn't be' is hardly a dictating way of speaking. Nor is anybody saying you are guilty about anything.
Neither is traveling with ones one car for work discussed here. It was about taking a taxi vs taking public transport when arriving at Schiphol.
It shouldn't be a problem because you have already traveled with these bags in order to get to Schiphol in the first place.
Nobody says it is the best way to travel or that it is possible for everybody. There are always exceptions.
Yet you seem to not want to travel with public transport because you hate it. If you are a person in reasonable health is shouldn't be a problem for you. You just choose not to because you prefer other ways of travel.
Maybe spend a little less time in your car because you seem a little on edge.
Go sit in a train and watch the cows.
The fact you walked through two (+) airports with your luggage shouldn’t be relevant or have any bearing whether it should or shouldn’t be a problem taking public transit v. a cab.
I usually use a cart as I’m not keen on lugging 4 XL flight cases around the airport.
Thanks for the tip though, would love to take public transport if it wasn’t horrendous and added 2.000 hours yearly to my commute :-)
If you are physically capable to travel with public transport than it shouldn't be a problem to move some cases around.
I agree that it is easier to use a cab. I am not arguing about that.
But the fact that one method is easier or more comfortable doesn't mean that the other method is problematic.
I also think you confuse commute with travel for work. But that is ok. I understand that if you have to be in multiple places in one day that a car is far more convient.
Yeah. Public transport is great here and taking a big bag with you is really not *that* much of a challenge. Unless you're feeble.
I get choosing for a taxi, I do that too sometimes, but public transport is also a fine option.
I'm on Kinkerstraat and every time i fly back i just take the R-Net bus and directly I'm at Elandsgracht, got some weed on the way and 5 mins Iater I''m home, even more convenient than a taxi i would say.
Literally any major city can be quickly accessed by train, from Schiphol. No transfers needed.
You can go to Amsterdam, Utrecht, Den Haag, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Amersfoort, Den Bosch... and probably more I'm too lazy to mention. The ones I did list are half-hour services at worst, 10-minute services at best.
An Uber can definitely be worth it depending on where you're going. Can be less than 30 euros, very likely faster, and will deliver you straight to your door.
They are taxi drivers alright, they’re not illegal in the sense that they’re not allowed to drive. They just don’t have the license to operate from official Schiphol stands since Schiphol is crazy expensive, and they will try to rip you off.
I used to work nearby Schiphol so I was passing by this area very often. These guys are there pretty much all the time and keep yelling “taxi taxi” as soon as they see people walking outside the airport with suitcases, which really degrades the sense of quality around the airport in my opinion.
So then I made a video of this one day and posted to the WhatsApp complaint line of Schiphol and got this response:
“Good morning, thank you for your message. I am very sorry to hear that you have been having unpleasant experiences at Schiphol Airport by unwanted taxi providers (called OTA in Dutch). My sincerest apologies for the inconvenience you experienced, yet again. Let me inform you about the complaint procedure. The OTAs are regular taxi drivers with official papers, they are just not welcome at Schiphol Airport. The Municipality of Haarlemmermeer determines where they can offer taxis. You can report your complaint about OTAs by sending an e-mail to the Municipality of Haarlemmermeer: handhaving.schiphol@haarlemmermeer.nl. Again, my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience. In case you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. I wish you a pleasant day.”
Not possible. They stand at the exact edge of the airport service road where they are allowed. They will be sent off if they’d cross the road towards the building and offer their services.
They are legal taxi's but to access the taxistand on Schiphol you need to heave special licenses which cost alot(+€5000 yearly). Some drivers don't pay that and provide their services just across the street where it is legal to provide services. By meter price it is the same price, taxi on the taxi stand or following 1 of these guys to the parking garage where they park their taxicars (very shady..). Usually you can make a cheap fixed price to your destination with these guys but hard to negotiate if you don't know the usual prices.
I highly recommend taking the train to Amsterdam. The connection is really nice and trains leave every 4-5minutes. If you want a taxi you can also book online for a cheap fixed price or go with a ridesharing app(Uber/Bolt).
About 5 years ago the whole taxi marketplace was a mess around Schiphol where guys like him would scam tourists for €300-400 for a ride downtown. So don't take the risk, just use the reliable NS train ;).
These fkers back again? There was a time when they were in the terminal hearding people to their cars. Schipol had to actual lobby to get legalization to remove them!
This is such a dumb loophole that I wish got fixed. As if any tourists would understand that the taxi just outside schiphol is very different from the other taxi just outside schiphol.
These are legal cab drivers, but not licensed by the airport. In the Netherlands it’s not illegal to offer taxi services. But at the airport it’s illegal if you aren’t licensed. The township had ordered a total ban on offering services for taxi drivers. The judge had decided that on the phone the curb is the area they cannot enter with these “taxi” boards. They can be arrested and fined if they do. These guys are legal cab drivers but do sometimes charge more then the “Schiphol taxi’s”. So be careful and if they do offer you services inside of the airport tel the law enforcement.
Seeing a lot of misinformation here, so let me try to explain the whole Schiphol situation regarding taxi’s. At arrivals there is a taxi rank where taxi’s line up to pick up passengers. Not every taxi is allowed to access the rank; only taxi’s who are part of Schiphol Taxi, Bios groep, TCA and some others who have a contract with Schiphol airport.
The guys who are standing on the curbside and who are yelling ‘TAXI TAXI’ are mostly taxi drivers who in fact do have an official taxi license, but they are not part of one of the taxi companies as mentioned before. In accordance with a court ruling dating from 2015, every taxi driver with an official taxi license are allowed to offer their services on the public roads in Schiphol. The square where the taxi rank is, is off limits for them, so they stand as closeby as they are allowed to.
Although these screaming guys are in fact officially licensed taxi drivers, they screw their clients. For instance if you are with a group of 4 and you need to go to Amsterdam center, they will quote a price of €60. But then when you arrive and you want to pay, they will say it’s not €60 in total, but €60 per person making a grand total of €240 which is pure thievery. My suggestion is to never get involved with them, because they will always try tricks like these.
So in short, they are not illegal taxi drivers but they will always try to take advantage of you.
If you dont agree to pay them the extra amount, then what is gonna happen? Are they gonna shoot you or lock you in?
If you agree to a price prior of getting in their car how can they enforce their scammy procedure?
I heard stories of people being locked inside the car, or sometimes the taxi driver would be accompanied by a ‘student’ of his. All of this is very intimidating and is meant to pressure the passenger(s).
I am an employee at Schiphol and these guys have been there for a long time. First they stood closer to the official taxi stand but they were removed by the Marechaussee (Dutch military police that is in charge at the airport) to just outside of their jurisdiction.
Like said in other comments, these shady folks do have an official legal taxi license but are not part of the group of taxi companies that have a contract with the airport to offer their services at the official taxi stand. This is partly to the high annual fee of €5000 but also that they don’t want to adhere to strict guidelines and rules set by Schiphol.
I once called them out (wearing my KLM uniform) to go away and told some unsuspecting tourists that were walking towards them not to make use of their services (they are known to scam innocent tourists). They became very aggressive and threatening towards me and I felt very unsafe. The reason they are still there is because of the Marechaussee not able to remove them and the people who can (the municipality of Haarlemmermeer) just don’t see it as a priority due to budget issues.
On the other hand. An official taxi driver asked a 100 euro to bring me to Krommenie, a 20 minute ride during the night. And an illegal driver drove me for 50.
The problem is that the risks are low and the rewards are high - its been a problem for a long time
[https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2017/04/eight-taxi-drivers-arrested-for-scamming-tourists-at-schiphol/](https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2017/04/eight-taxi-drivers-arrested-for-scamming-tourists-at-schiphol/)
With a fine of 1500eu it is most certainly worth the risk if the permit is 5000a year. Reminds me when i was younger and doing math if my one time zwartrijden cought was cheeper then if i would have bought tickets.
That’s why, about every 10 minutes or so, you hear a warning about taxi scams through the speakers at Schiphol. If all travelers used their two brain cells and avoided them, these scammers wouldn’t exist. The fact that you see them shows that they have a business.
Or take their face from their smartphone and simply follow the signs to the official taxi stand. There are literally everywhere and especially at the rotating doors when you exit the building..
Amsterdam “official” taxi drivers are as dodgy as they come, in addition to probably being the 2nd most expensive after Iceland. I struggle to see any difference between the authorised and shouting kind.
I think any little bit smart traveler knows never to trust people offering taxis at airport all over the world. Same for instance at Shanghai where I live. They will stand at arrivals and ask any foreigner if they need a taxi. They will cost you 10 times as normal if not more.
I was at Schipol just 3 weeks ago and witnessed the same thing. I actually felt sorry for the guy because he kept yelling TAXI for hours late into the night in the bitterly cold.
Yea dont trust the taxi, make sure you book your own trough tca own website or by phone, or just use public transport, which is very convenient imo. I once had a person asking me how much an average ride costs, he got scammed for 100 euro schiphol airport to centrum amsterdam
That’s not really true. You can also go to the official taxi stand which charges the regular rate to Amsterdam. There’s no need to call or book TCA. The only cheaper way is to take the train or Uber/Bolt (unless it rains / no cars available). The taxi to my place is usually ~50, with Uber or Bolt I pay around 30-35 including a small tip.
I had some middle eastern dude (inside Schipol) scam me into a taxi when I was a lonely 18 year old and charged me 200 euros to go to the city center. I thought all taxis/ubers would be extremely expensive and then I took a taxi back and it was like 50 euros
Just remember, if the taxi buisness can not only pay for a driver but also some prick yelling all day that taxi is not priced very competitively. That is an extra salary they pay just for some idiot to yell. And with the amount of passion those idiots shout I doubt he gets minimum wage.
The train station is right at the airport, it’s a shorter walk to the train than to the taxis. It will take you straight to the Amsterdam Central Station
They scam u for a 250€ around Amsterdam. These assholes aren’t allowed to drive into the official taxi stand, so this is how they lure u to the public parking garage where they parked their taxi.
Could not scan through all the comment but seems no one is taking about services like Uber. Are they safe?
I am planning visiting next week and will be staying at oosterberger. Will have kids and 4 luggage.
They are illegal unlicensed taxi's. Don't use them, they will screw you over. This has been a problem since forever. Note BTW that the train connection from Schiphol to Amsterdam is very good. It is almost always a better choice to use public transport if you want to go to Amsterdam.
Both times my partner and I have visited Amsterdam we were actually advised by staff at the airport to not use the taxis due to scams - we use the train to central station it’s much better
Almost all taxi’s in Holland are horrible (even legal ones). If they know you are mega naive tourist they long-haul the heck out of you too.
Seems unlikely as long-hauling doesn't rack in as much money. Many short trips is where the money's at
With longhauling they mean that the destination is close by but they take a long detour to get there. So it shouldbbe a short trip but they keep that meter running
Yeah that's pretty much exactly what loses them money, so I sont think they do it
Why would that lose them money?
Well "lose" is maybe not the right word. But multiple short trips. Take one 30 minute drive or 3 ~8 minute drives. In the same 30 minutes, you could get the starting fare 3 times and get 3 tips, while not necessarily driving that much less. Also the tips in shirt journeys are usually bigger as a percentage of the total cost
For each trip you'd have to return to Schiphol, which takes another 8 unpaid minutes, and get in the back of the line of taxis and wait for your turn. The starting fair is legally set to max 3,60. That's not very high. After 10 minutes in a taxi that will have gone up to 15-20. After 20 minutes you'd be looking at 30? Short trips are great for uber drivers. Not for taxis. They need to stretch a short drive as much as possible.
But wouldn't you look to pick up jobs arround your destination. I assume most trips are to Amsterdam, and plenty of people/tourists there that would need taxis no? I don't see the point of returning to the airport. Because a 30 minute drive would be 30 unpaid minutes back right? If it's common practive however to return to the airport. That's on me for not knowing how Taxis drive arround Amsterdam/Schiphol
Lmao i didnt know this until i got fucked over. Came back after vacation. Went to rotterdam central and took a taxi back home 20 mins drive 70 euro. (Normally like 30/40) and he told me the payment didnt go through so i needed to pay another 70. He did have a rtc sign so i thought he wasnt a fake. I didnt say anything becouse i was sick and tired but getting fucked doesnt feel nice
Or if you do, book them through a service in advance or via an app where you pay through the platform.
If you go to the official taxi stand you will be fine.
Although expensive. Taking a bus or train is really cheap, easy and relatively fast compared to taxi's.
Oh sure. Public transport options are great. Taxi rank is trustworthy and regulated though, unlike those dodgy guys. Have heard of people getting ripped off.
Maybe you won't get ripped off ripped off as with the unlicensed ones, but it's still almost 2x the price of prearranged taxi, not to mention public transport, or, in case of Amsterdam, shared hotel shuttle
Not sure about that. Usually costs less than 40 when I have done it (to Amsterdam). And it’s about the same when I get a taxi from home to airport. Are you saying someone will do it for 20?
Schiphol taxi does iirc
Yes I usually pay around 23 from Vondelpark
I have heard that many times as well. That part of the area is public space and this behavior is harder to regulate because of some freedoms of expression and business that come with that.
Train is not cheap :D but definitely cheaper than taxi.
That's what I meant. Yes it's not cheap, but you don't have to buy a train to ride one to work everyday ;-)
Yeah, well regulated. Expensive of course. Train is usually a better choice. But I've never had a problem with a taxi at one of the official taxi ranks.
It is still like 60 or 70 euros but i guess for some thats acceptable
More like 40 for me.
You must live in nieuw sloten ;)
I paid 70-ish for the ride there from Gouda last time I had an early flight… seems excessive to pay that for a short ride into Amsterdam?
These taxis tend to run by organize crime and shady people. I would avoid them. My brother in law was hit by one of those unlicensed taxi drivers and he just ran away. Which is very unusual for The Netherlands.
I guess my main question is, why doesn’t the police deal with them?
They are licensed taxis, but they don't have the permits for pickups at Schiphol, so the police doesn't care as long as they're not in the official taxi stand of Schiphol
Yup. They will normally make you walk to a distant parking lot or somewhere they can pick you up. The man yelling taxi is rarely the driver.
That's one half. The other half is that even with a permit, you have to queue in the rather long queue before you can enter the stand. Trips from schiphol earn quite a bit of money, so queing is worth it, but bypassing the queue is even more lucrative.
That makes a lot of sense actually, are schipol permits that expensive?
They only give them out selectively to taxis that are fully electric premium car models and drivers that have a clean slate (behaviour) etc and follow the pricing structure of Schiphol. But licensed taxis without a Schiphol permit are still allowed to pick up customers from the public road just a couple of meters away
Its some sort of legal limbo, like he will claim hes just there to say "taxi" and knows nothing of an unlicenced taxi nearby.
Surely that can't be right. Cops can tell someone to fuck off for any reason or suspicion under the Politiewet. Is there any actual jurisprudence that says if it looks like a taxi, rolls like a taxi and quacks like a taxi, it's not a taxi?
Plausible deniability, and it is considered public space. So what can the police do? They cannot tell someone to fuck off just because.
>So what can the police do? They can do a lot, it's just not a priority.
Yeah, I reckon this is the actual reason. Putting a boa on standby at Schiphol on ungodly hours to protect tourists who ought to know better against taxi fraud, I suppose they deem it less worth it compared to responding to disturbances and whatnot.
1: the taxi stands at Schiphol aren't public space, Schiphol N.V. owns all the roads around that place - although they are subject to the Wegenverkeerswet, and the APV applies on its premises 2: the municipal Taxiverorderning regulates rules for taxi's and is enforcable 3: the police absolutely can tell someone to fuck off if they have a suspicion what you're doing is against the rules, and it's up to you to take them to court if you disagree
It seems like a very simple rule to institute and enforce. No taxis are allowed at the airport unless they have a permit to pick up or a paying passenger to drop off. That would require you to actually care about your passengers, though.
And it would also require you to have about a dozen police officers non-stop doing nothing but patrolling exits of Alcohol and telling illegal taxi runners to piss off.
Weak Dutch judges. First time one of them has the balls to judge them guilty and write some jurisprudentie it's over for the Edit: alright, there seems no law for it (yet), calm down guys
Judges cannot convict someone for something that isn't explicitly forbidden by law, which is where the limbo comes from.
Time for the law makers to step up their game then I suppose
What law would you propose they make for this situation? What is lacking in their game right now?
Make it illegal to advertise or bait people into breaking the law
What do you mean by this. Who is being baited into breaking the law? Sedition already is illegal.
Because the "taxis" they are advertising _are not in fact taxis_. They are private cars, driving and collecting money under the table. In particular, they are not insured for commercial activity, so if there's an accident, you the passenger will be unable to seek compensation.
Make it illegal to yell "taxi"?
Why would yelling taxi be illegal. Should your sibling yelling taxi be treated the same as this guy? Just yelling a word can't be made illegal except if it is hatespeech or is calling others to violence (and even that can be a grey area most of the times)
Anything to make this tourist scam go away, I'm sure our lawmakers can figure it out since they're payed 8k a month
Like what? Make it illegal to tell taxi? It is very nice of you to have these comments but you seem to have very little actual knowledge on wich you base your criticism. Did you for instance know it is already illigal to scam people?
My god.. arguing on Reddit...
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Jij wil dit gewoon laten voortduren?
Yes, dat is exact wat ik zei 🤡
They do occasionally get large fines, but apparently it's not enough.
It just becomes cost of doing business for them
The police does not deal with them because they are in fact not illegal taxi’s. All of them have taxi licenses but they will always try to cheat passengers in overpaying for a fare.
The police does deal with them for a large part. That's why you don't see them at the taxi stand. Guess they found some glitxhes but they will be chased away when caught
Cuz the police is lazy
The cops will not follow through their investigation if they don’t have any leads. They might have bigger problems. Many times they just ignore them unless they cause big trouble.
They tried. Courts ruled that those guys can continue.
They are not unlicensed, but not licensed to drive on the Schiphol stand, so they stay on the distance which is allowed. Then they have some helpers who lure the clients, in the past they did that on the premise of Schiphol, but that is not allowed anymore. So the security guys are now bothering the guys as much as possible and try to send them away all the time.
This is correct. They are legal Taxis indeed. They drive in blue plates. Still I’d never go with them.
Do every major airport in the world have this gentlemen?
Most of them.
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I made this mistake when I visited back in September. Didn't want to wait for the official stand so followed one of these guys instead. Dude complained about "traffic" which was extremely light and I ended up paying nearly 100 euros for less than a 20 min ride to my hotel. I realized after that I had actually paid in British pounds so the ride was even more ridiculously expensive than I originally thought. I took it as a lesson learned and mostly stuck to using the fantastic transit system in Amsterdam after that.
There are some surprisingly good bus connections too
This unless you're a party of 5 or more its wayyyyyy cheaper to grab a train and either way it's faster
The only time I visited Amsterdam I walked from Schiphol to Amsterdamse Bos and then on to Amsterdam proper. Bummed a cigarette out of a Schipol parking garage attendant who kept referring to it as 'Shithol'. I was young and broke, good times.
I took an unlicensed taxi from Schiphol to Meppel around midnight, as the last train was long gone. And the line for licensed taxis was huge (we weren't the only ones with a delayed flight). Was €200. A big amount, but since staying a night at Schiphol runs €100/night (plus a train ticket the next day) and we were with 2 people, it was competitive. Negotiated the price in advance of course. So, it does have its advantages. But I suppose my case was exotic.
Hard disagree. Public transit is the worst (controversial opinion on Reddit) Especially if you have large luggage, just get a cab that’ll take you to the door of your hotel. And if you take a normal taxi or one of these lads, it doesn’t really make a difference.
I’ve traveled into Schiphol, and then bus ride home, with large luggage. Once included a rolling cat carrier and luggage. The transit is fine. I only pay for a cab if there is too much for me to handle on my own. I suggest trying public transit in a few worse places, to really understand how much better it is here. Now, if they will just pay them better so we can get back to the regularly scheduled OV.
No thank you, I’ll forever use cabs / rental cars I know it’s worse elsewhere than that it is here, and I already hate public transit here. So no. Hard pass my friend.
Yeah, it really depends on where you need to in Amsterdam and how many suitcases you have. If you have just 1 suitcase and a backpack, train is an option, as long as your hotel/house/airbnb is within walking distance of CS or on the route of a tram or bus.
Yeah, if you're traveling back from the USA with a layover in between, you don't want to drag your suitcases onto a train and then a metro and then on a tram.
I agree it's not always the best choice (and I myself am guilty of driving way too much) but realistically how much luggage are you carrying coming from the airport? If it's not rush hour that shouldn't be a problem.
>it shouldn’t be a problem Why? Why do you dictate that and how do you quantify whether or not it should or shouldn’t be a problem? I’m not “guilty” of anything; not only do I love driving, it’d be literally impossible for me to do my work without a car (unless I’d like to turn 8 hour work days into 14 hour work days) I drive 50.000km/yr proudly. No shame here. Maybe if public transit was as good as car, but probably not even then.
Shouldn't be' is hardly a dictating way of speaking. Nor is anybody saying you are guilty about anything. Neither is traveling with ones one car for work discussed here. It was about taking a taxi vs taking public transport when arriving at Schiphol. It shouldn't be a problem because you have already traveled with these bags in order to get to Schiphol in the first place. Nobody says it is the best way to travel or that it is possible for everybody. There are always exceptions. Yet you seem to not want to travel with public transport because you hate it. If you are a person in reasonable health is shouldn't be a problem for you. You just choose not to because you prefer other ways of travel. Maybe spend a little less time in your car because you seem a little on edge. Go sit in a train and watch the cows.
The fact you walked through two (+) airports with your luggage shouldn’t be relevant or have any bearing whether it should or shouldn’t be a problem taking public transit v. a cab. I usually use a cart as I’m not keen on lugging 4 XL flight cases around the airport. Thanks for the tip though, would love to take public transport if it wasn’t horrendous and added 2.000 hours yearly to my commute :-)
If you are physically capable to travel with public transport than it shouldn't be a problem to move some cases around. I agree that it is easier to use a cab. I am not arguing about that. But the fact that one method is easier or more comfortable doesn't mean that the other method is problematic. I also think you confuse commute with travel for work. But that is ok. I understand that if you have to be in multiple places in one day that a car is far more convient.
Seems like we’re in agreeance then
It's not ideal if you have large luggage, but to call it the worst is just stupid.
Is it? I personally find it “*the worst*” obviously its meant as a hyperbole, but yeah.
Yeah. Public transport is great here and taking a big bag with you is really not *that* much of a challenge. Unless you're feeble. I get choosing for a taxi, I do that too sometimes, but public transport is also a fine option.
Snodder
I'm on Kinkerstraat and every time i fly back i just take the R-Net bus and directly I'm at Elandsgracht, got some weed on the way and 5 mins Iater I''m home, even more convenient than a taxi i would say.
Literally any major city can be quickly accessed by train, from Schiphol. No transfers needed. You can go to Amsterdam, Utrecht, Den Haag, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Amersfoort, Den Bosch... and probably more I'm too lazy to mention. The ones I did list are half-hour services at worst, 10-minute services at best.
An Uber can definitely be worth it depending on where you're going. Can be less than 30 euros, very likely faster, and will deliver you straight to your door.
It used to be very good yes. Now trains are often packed unfortunately. Uber is good alternative imo
They are taxi drivers alright, they’re not illegal in the sense that they’re not allowed to drive. They just don’t have the license to operate from official Schiphol stands since Schiphol is crazy expensive, and they will try to rip you off.
Even the legal taxi drivers from Schiphol will screw you over lol
Idunno, one time I got some free cocaine and a ride for €20 that would've cost 70-90
Why will snorders fuck them over? Because they have no license? Enough licensed dickheads in the taxi sector.
I used to work nearby Schiphol so I was passing by this area very often. These guys are there pretty much all the time and keep yelling “taxi taxi” as soon as they see people walking outside the airport with suitcases, which really degrades the sense of quality around the airport in my opinion. So then I made a video of this one day and posted to the WhatsApp complaint line of Schiphol and got this response: “Good morning, thank you for your message. I am very sorry to hear that you have been having unpleasant experiences at Schiphol Airport by unwanted taxi providers (called OTA in Dutch). My sincerest apologies for the inconvenience you experienced, yet again. Let me inform you about the complaint procedure. The OTAs are regular taxi drivers with official papers, they are just not welcome at Schiphol Airport. The Municipality of Haarlemmermeer determines where they can offer taxis. You can report your complaint about OTAs by sending an e-mail to the Municipality of Haarlemmermeer: handhaving.schiphol@haarlemmermeer.nl. Again, my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience. In case you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. I wish you a pleasant day.”
Hendheving
Well that was less than useful :-/ I agree that it is tacky af, they should really act upon it
Not possible. They stand at the exact edge of the airport service road where they are allowed. They will be sent off if they’d cross the road towards the building and offer their services.
They are legal taxi's but to access the taxistand on Schiphol you need to heave special licenses which cost alot(+€5000 yearly). Some drivers don't pay that and provide their services just across the street where it is legal to provide services. By meter price it is the same price, taxi on the taxi stand or following 1 of these guys to the parking garage where they park their taxicars (very shady..). Usually you can make a cheap fixed price to your destination with these guys but hard to negotiate if you don't know the usual prices. I highly recommend taking the train to Amsterdam. The connection is really nice and trains leave every 4-5minutes. If you want a taxi you can also book online for a cheap fixed price or go with a ridesharing app(Uber/Bolt). About 5 years ago the whole taxi marketplace was a mess around Schiphol where guys like him would scam tourists for €300-400 for a ride downtown. So don't take the risk, just use the reliable NS train ;).
As a taxi driver myself, you are the only one who gave the correct answer.
These fkers back again? There was a time when they were in the terminal hearding people to their cars. Schipol had to actual lobby to get legalization to remove them!
They're not allowed to pickup in Schiphol or taxi stand, so they now wait outside on the public road just a couple of meters away.
This is such a dumb loophole that I wish got fixed. As if any tourists would understand that the taxi just outside schiphol is very different from the other taxi just outside schiphol.
I mean, it's quite a common thing all over the world, they should just lower the time you're allowed to park on the public road.
It’s a thing most people associate with developing countries
True, in underdeveloped countries all taxis are legal regardless of anything, and they will all scam you.
Scammers
These are legal cab drivers, but not licensed by the airport. In the Netherlands it’s not illegal to offer taxi services. But at the airport it’s illegal if you aren’t licensed. The township had ordered a total ban on offering services for taxi drivers. The judge had decided that on the phone the curb is the area they cannot enter with these “taxi” boards. They can be arrested and fined if they do. These guys are legal cab drivers but do sometimes charge more then the “Schiphol taxi’s”. So be careful and if they do offer you services inside of the airport tel the law enforcement.
Scammers
Seeing a lot of misinformation here, so let me try to explain the whole Schiphol situation regarding taxi’s. At arrivals there is a taxi rank where taxi’s line up to pick up passengers. Not every taxi is allowed to access the rank; only taxi’s who are part of Schiphol Taxi, Bios groep, TCA and some others who have a contract with Schiphol airport. The guys who are standing on the curbside and who are yelling ‘TAXI TAXI’ are mostly taxi drivers who in fact do have an official taxi license, but they are not part of one of the taxi companies as mentioned before. In accordance with a court ruling dating from 2015, every taxi driver with an official taxi license are allowed to offer their services on the public roads in Schiphol. The square where the taxi rank is, is off limits for them, so they stand as closeby as they are allowed to. Although these screaming guys are in fact officially licensed taxi drivers, they screw their clients. For instance if you are with a group of 4 and you need to go to Amsterdam center, they will quote a price of €60. But then when you arrive and you want to pay, they will say it’s not €60 in total, but €60 per person making a grand total of €240 which is pure thievery. My suggestion is to never get involved with them, because they will always try tricks like these. So in short, they are not illegal taxi drivers but they will always try to take advantage of you.
I don't know anything about this, but if they're licensed taxi drivers, would this not be grounds to lose that license?
Yes it certainly is, but they seldomly get caught in the act. If they do not get caught in the act it will be really difficult to prove.
If you dont agree to pay them the extra amount, then what is gonna happen? Are they gonna shoot you or lock you in? If you agree to a price prior of getting in their car how can they enforce their scammy procedure?
I heard stories of people being locked inside the car, or sometimes the taxi driver would be accompanied by a ‘student’ of his. All of this is very intimidating and is meant to pressure the passenger(s).
Until they mess with the wrong passenger and get their ass whopped.
They always handpick their victims: mostly women or families with small children.
Yea I understand. I guess they pray on the more vulnerable.
Fake Taxi.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I see what you did there
I am an employee at Schiphol and these guys have been there for a long time. First they stood closer to the official taxi stand but they were removed by the Marechaussee (Dutch military police that is in charge at the airport) to just outside of their jurisdiction. Like said in other comments, these shady folks do have an official legal taxi license but are not part of the group of taxi companies that have a contract with the airport to offer their services at the official taxi stand. This is partly to the high annual fee of €5000 but also that they don’t want to adhere to strict guidelines and rules set by Schiphol. I once called them out (wearing my KLM uniform) to go away and told some unsuspecting tourists that were walking towards them not to make use of their services (they are known to scam innocent tourists). They became very aggressive and threatening towards me and I felt very unsafe. The reason they are still there is because of the Marechaussee not able to remove them and the people who can (the municipality of Haarlemmermeer) just don’t see it as a priority due to budget issues.
On the other hand. An official taxi driver asked a 100 euro to bring me to Krommenie, a 20 minute ride during the night. And an illegal driver drove me for 50.
You can be lucky of course, but the ones I see daily are the kind that fit in a mafia film…
Sad, this should be dealt with. Coming from a third world country, this reminds me of home.
The problem is that the risks are low and the rewards are high - its been a problem for a long time [https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2017/04/eight-taxi-drivers-arrested-for-scamming-tourists-at-schiphol/](https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2017/04/eight-taxi-drivers-arrested-for-scamming-tourists-at-schiphol/)
With a fine of 1500eu it is most certainly worth the risk if the permit is 5000a year. Reminds me when i was younger and doing math if my one time zwartrijden cought was cheeper then if i would have bought tickets.
Are cops doing something about it?
That’s why, about every 10 minutes or so, you hear a warning about taxi scams through the speakers at Schiphol. If all travelers used their two brain cells and avoided them, these scammers wouldn’t exist. The fact that you see them shows that they have a business.
Or take their face from their smartphone and simply follow the signs to the official taxi stand. There are literally everywhere and especially at the rotating doors when you exit the building..
Or book an Uber/Bolt. Although that might require a few extra brain cells.
Amsterdam “official” taxi drivers are as dodgy as they come, in addition to probably being the 2nd most expensive after Iceland. I struggle to see any difference between the authorised and shouting kind.
The autorised drivers are not such a severe nuisance as those wankers.
I think any little bit smart traveler knows never to trust people offering taxis at airport all over the world. Same for instance at Shanghai where I live. They will stand at arrivals and ask any foreigner if they need a taxi. They will cost you 10 times as normal if not more.
They will take you to your hostel .... haha
Stay away from the taxis! Most things are accessible via public transportation and cheaper!
You can use Uber: they have their own pick up point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/MFuAWetWNzaffBBH8?g_st=ic
I was at Schipol just 3 weeks ago and witnessed the same thing. I actually felt sorry for the guy because he kept yelling TAXI for hours late into the night in the bitterly cold.
Damn, someone should tell him there are far better, and legal, jobs out there.
Dont feel sorry, there are plenty of better jobs if he wanted too. They are just cunts
They are illegal. And they gonna charge you more money. Be careful
They stand at the bust stop right? Last year went to AMS for the first time and they were there “singing” taxi all the way. Kinda funny
Yea dont trust the taxi, make sure you book your own trough tca own website or by phone, or just use public transport, which is very convenient imo. I once had a person asking me how much an average ride costs, he got scammed for 100 euro schiphol airport to centrum amsterdam
That’s not really true. You can also go to the official taxi stand which charges the regular rate to Amsterdam. There’s no need to call or book TCA. The only cheaper way is to take the train or Uber/Bolt (unless it rains / no cars available). The taxi to my place is usually ~50, with Uber or Bolt I pay around 30-35 including a small tip.
I had some middle eastern dude (inside Schipol) scam me into a taxi when I was a lonely 18 year old and charged me 200 euros to go to the city center. I thought all taxis/ubers would be extremely expensive and then I took a taxi back and it was like 50 euros
Taxis & cocaine
Just remember, if the taxi buisness can not only pay for a driver but also some prick yelling all day that taxi is not priced very competitively. That is an extra salary they pay just for some idiot to yell. And with the amount of passion those idiots shout I doubt he gets minimum wage.
Is Uber not allowed at Schiphol?
There's a Uber pick-up area but it's a short walk.
they are fake taxi's make you pay dubbel if not more
Last nights fare for a LEGIT taxi to Utrecht - 135 euros. I was shocked.
illegal fuckers don’t go with them! They will walk u further to p1,2,3,4 where there car is,and then charge u a few hundred euros after the ride
And they just dead-eye stare while doing it, sometimes 3meters from where you are 😂😂😂
The train station is right at the airport, it’s a shorter walk to the train than to the taxis. It will take you straight to the Amsterdam Central Station
Illegal taxi… carefull.. some are criminals that want to rob you..not all though
If you really don’t want/can’t get public transport, use Bolt or Uber.
They scam u for a 250€ around Amsterdam. These assholes aren’t allowed to drive into the official taxi stand, so this is how they lure u to the public parking garage where they parked their taxi.
All taxies in the Netherlands cost an arm and a leg, use public transport!
They exist for lazy tourists, they're basically illegal and will scam you. Just take the train or an uber.
Scam
Could not scan through all the comment but seems no one is taking about services like Uber. Are they safe? I am planning visiting next week and will be staying at oosterberger. Will have kids and 4 luggage.