Donald, I agree that this is exaggerated nonsense — I’ve been taking taxis in Quito for 12 years now and never had an incidence. I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, but if you use common sense you should be perfectly safe. Look for official yellow taxis with licenses or executive (unmarked) taxis with licenses. Taxis in Quito are transitioning to all having meters, so that will stop the overcharging. If they don’t have a meter, negotiate the fare before you get in. If it seems too high, just say no… or offer what you think is fair and go from there. Restaurants will always call taxis for you late at night. If it is in the wee hours of the morning and you are drunk, alone, in a shady part of town…. then I might worry. But otherwise, I’ve had great and helpful service from most taxi drivers in Ecuador.
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