Taxi in Lanzarote: a complete guide
Lanzarote has no metro or train: the taxi is, alongside the bus and car hire, one of the few ways to get around the island without your own vehicle. This guide gathers the essentials — how it works, who to call and what the rules say — and then what people ask most before moving around the island, with no sales and no bookings: it can be read in any order, and if you are here for the first time, start with the first two.
How the service works
Taxis on the island carry a compulsory meter and usually take both cash and card. You take them at a signposted rank, by calling the dispatch of the municipality, or by flagging them down in the street when they are circulating free. There is no single app for the whole of Lanzarote, nor one company operating the entire island: each municipality has its own dispatch.
Where the taxi ranks are
Fixed ranks are signed with the black and white "Taxi" plate and are concentrated in the towns, the large hotels and the beach areas. In the small villages a signposted rank is often missing, and there the option is to call the dispatch of the municipality or ask at your accommodation.
What the rules say
The meter must be set to the first fare when you get in and switched off when you arrive. The driver must issue a receipt and may carry no more passengers than the number shown on the vehicle plate. Keeping the receipt is the best guarantee for any claim.
First steps
How to catch a taxi in Lanzarote, step by step: where the ranks are, how the queue works, how to flag one down in the street and what happens when you get in and get out. Radio-taxi phone numbers: how the dispatches work, why there is one per municipality and which one is yours according to where you set off from.
Honest comparisons
Taxi or car hire, depending on the kind of trip, the journeys you will make in a day and where you sleep. Taxi or Intercity bus, depending on the line that passes your accommodation, your luggage and the hour you move. Both say clearly when the other option wins.
Chauffeur apps
Uber or Cabify in Lanzarote: why they do not operate here and what you will find instead when you look for a car from your phone. How to tell a rank taxi apart from a pre-arranged transfer and from an app promising something it cannot offer you on the island.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book a taxi in advance in Lanzarote? ＋
Not for most journeys: at the airport and at signposted ranks you take the first in the queue. It is worth asking a few hours ahead for large groups, night departures or very early transfers, because the fleet of each municipality is limited.
Can I pay by card in a Lanzarote taxi? ＋
In most vehicles, yes: they usually take card as well as cash, although it is not a general obligation. On short journeys it is worth telling the driver when you get in, in case the card machine needs topping up.
Which guide should I read first? ＋
If it is your first time on the island, the one on how to catch a taxi; if you are going to call the dispatches, the one on radio-taxi phone numbers. The comparisons make sense once you know how many journeys you will make a day and whether your accommodation is well connected.
Are these guides sponsored? ＋
No. Lanzarote.taxi does not take payment to appear, has no agreements with taxi, hire or transport companies, and charges no commission on anything. If the bus or car hire is the better answer for you, the guide says so.