Five advantages of taxis over Uber (and when each one might suit you)

The main advantages of taxis over Uber in Madrid come down to five: official, public fares, a fixed price between the airport and inside the M-30, being able to take one without an app in the street or at the terminal ranks, access to many bus lanes and municipal oversight that gives you someone to complain to. Uber, which in Spain works with drivers holding a VTC authorisation (private-hire vehicles booked through an app), can be a good option in other cases, and further down we tell you which.

This is not about saying one option is good and the other bad. They are different models with different rules, and knowing them helps you choose well depending on the journey, the time and what you value most. If you first want to understand how they differ legally, start with the differences between taxis and VTC.

Madrid taxi fares are approved by the authorities and are public. The initial charge, the price per kilometre, supplements and time-band tariffs are all written down, and the meter applies them. That means two taxis will make the same calculation for the same route, and you can estimate the approximate amount before you get in.

In VTC apps the price is set by the platform. The advantage is that you see it before you confirm; the downside is that it can change with demand, so the same journey may cost more on a Friday night or when it rains. Neither system is misleading, but the taxi's is more predictable over time.

For getting to or from Barajas, taxis have an advantage that is hard to match: between the airport and anywhere inside the M-30 you pay a fixed fare of €33, traffic jam or not. We explain why it is so useful in the advantages of the fixed fare to central Madrid.

Outside the M-30, our service applies a fixed price by zone for the whole Madrid region, the same there and back, which you can check under our airport fares. You know what you will pay before you book, with no surprises from roadworks or hold-ups on the M-40 or the A-2.

A free taxi can be hailed by hand, found at ranks all over the city and waits at the official ranks at all four Barajas terminals. You do not need to download anything, create an account or have battery or data on your phone, which is welcome when you land after a long flight or are abroad with no phone connection.

If you prefer to have it arranged, you can also order one by phone, from the website or on WhatsApp. And if you are arriving by plane, you can book a terminal pickup with your flight number so we can confirm the meeting point. To take a taxi from the rank without booking, in get your taxi at Barajas we explain how the queues at each terminal work.

In Madrid, taxis can drive in many of the lanes reserved for buses, except where the signs prohibit it. VTC vehicles, on the other hand, use the general lanes. On very busy streets and on the approaches to major stations, that lane can make the difference when you are cutting it fine to catch a train or a flight.

Every taxi displays its licence number, and the driver holds a municipal permit that requires passing an exam. If you have a problem, you can complain to the City Council quoting that number, as well as asking for a receipt with the details of the journey. We go through what you can demand in taxi passengers' rights.

With a VTC, complaints go first through the platform and the company holding the authorisation, following the procedures each one sets. It works differently; it is worth knowing before you travel.

To be fair, a VTC app may suit you if you already use it every day and like seeing the route and price on your phone, if at that moment the price it offers is lower than the meter for an urban journey, or if you are travelling in a city where you do not know the local taxi service. The best thing is to compare each time and not assume that one option is always cheaper.

For getting to the airport from Madrid, however, the combination of a fixed fare, advance booking and ranks at the terminals usually tips the balance towards the taxi. If you are interested in how Uber arrived in Spain and why it caused so much debate, we cover it in the Uber case in Spain.