There is not one type of taxi in Tehran; no, in fact, there are several different versions all competing for the money in your wallet. Living in Tehran will give you the latest bunch all battling out for supremacy.
Beware of hawkers
Probably the first type of taxi you will see when you arrive at Imam Khomeini Airport City outside of Tehran is the airport taxi.
Unlike elsewhere in the world, there are some pretty essential tips you should know before stepping foot outside the door of the terminal building in Tehran.
Firstly, as a foreigner, you will probably get men (and the occasional woman) who look like they are waiting for visiting family member to arrive. However, you will quickly understand they are hawking for rides into the central city. Although these people may be working for the official taxi companies, they are probably just looking to gazump colleagues to get the fair first.
Official taxi rank
Outside the terminal doors, you will see several types of taxis lined up with taxi booths facing them on to the right of the terminal exit. You can either walk to the cabins (however they are hardly ever manned) or walk to the official taxis. Above your head, you will see signs written in both Persian and English with the official cost of each type of taxi. At the time of writing the current rate for a Hyundai or Toyota sedan taxi from the airport to anywhere in the city is around IRR650,000 (€13).
There are also other types of taxi available including older, but more substantial Volkswagen Caddy vans which are better suited for groups with more luggage.
There are a few Mercedes-Benz minibus taxis available. However, their frequency is less than the smaller sedan and Caddy style models.
VIP taxis at CIP terminal
If you’re arriving at IKA’s Commercially Important Persons (CIP) terminal to the right of the main terminal building, you may have a driver waiting for you. If not, there are at least two companies who offer luxury Volvo XC90s into the city for a set price.
Calling a taxi to the airport
If you’ve got a flight to catch and would prefer a comfortable ride and not a clapped out old Peugeot, then we recommend using one of the private taxi firms that you’ll see when arriving at the airport.
However, the one we always use, Royall Taxi doesn’t have an English language order line, so you will need to get a Persian speaker to help you book your taxi over the phone. You can find their website here.
When the taxi arrives (usually a Toyota Rav4 or Camry), it will be clean, and the taxi driver will help you with your luggage usually. The drivers are not likely to speak much English but are more than polite to the visitor.
For the sake of transparency other taxi companies do offer an excellent service, however, they are too numerous to mention.