Taxis in São Paulo are reliable and abundant but, given the volume of traffic and the often considerable distances involved in navigating the city, fares quickly mount. With irregular - or no - bus services at night, taxis are really the only means of transport after midnight. There are two main types: the yellow comuns and the rádiotáxis.

The comuns , generally small cars that carry three passengers, are the cheapest and are found at taxi ranks or hailed from the street. Rádiotáxis are larger and more expensive, and are ordered by phone: try Coopertax (tel 011/6941-2555) or Ligue Táxi (tel 011/262-2633). Both types of taxi have meters with two fare rates, and a flag, or bandeira, is displayed on the meter to indicate which fare is in operation: fare "1" is charged from 6am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, but after 10pm and on Sunday and public holidays, fare "2" is charged, costing twenty percent more.