| Start | Get into a Taxi or Cabbie and press the button shown in the help text to switch taxi missions on |
|---|---|
| Opens after | Available early in the game |
| Needed for 100% | Deliver 50 fares in total, over as many shifts as you like |
| Rewards | Cash and tips on every fare, and nitrous in every taxi once you reach 50 |
Taxi Driver is the simplest side mission to understand and the longest to finish. You pick up pedestrians, take them where they want to go and get paid. Fifty fares is the target for 100%, and unlike the other vehicle side missions they do not have to come in one go: the game counts every fare you deliver, so you can stop and start as often as you like. A good plan is to work one city, learn the common drop-offs and never rush a fare you could lose.
Starting the job
Sit in a Taxi or Cabbie, and a help text tells you which button turns taxi missions on or off. Switch them on and the roof sign lights up, and nearby pedestrians flag you down. A message tells you to look for a fare. Stop beside someone who waves, let them climb in, and their destination appears on screen and as a marker on the radar and the road.
How a fare works
The time you get depends roughly on how far you have to go, and every finished fare adds 10 seconds so you can find the next passenger. Reach the marker before the clock runs out, and the passenger pays and you can earn a speed bonus. Fares delivered back to back also earn an in a row bonus, which grows with every five fares in a row, for example $1,500 at fifteen. There is also a tip meter that falls as time passes and as the taxi takes damage, so a fast and clean trip pays more. A help text shows the tip bar.
The shift ends if you run out of time, leave or wreck the taxi, are Wasted or Busted, or turn the mission off.
Common drop-off points
The passengers ask for places across the city. Learn these so you can pick the quickest route as soon as the destination appears.
| Destination | District |
|---|---|
| 24-hour motel | Idlewood |
| All Saints General Hospital | Market |
| Ammu-Nation | Market |
| Burger Shot | Marina and Temple |
| County General Hospital | Jefferson |
| Leon Diamonds | Jefferson |
| The Stadium, the truck park, the tattoo shop and Unity Station | Across Los Santos |
| Glen Park, Mama’s Cinema and the Legal Cinema | Across Los Santos |
Tips
Take the straight roads and avoid shortcuts through alleys and parks, where a bump costs tip and time. If the taxi is damaged, a Pay ‘n’ Spray repairs it without ending the job. Skip passengers who are far from the sort of road you can travel quickly. Stop for a moment when you finish a fare to check the radar and pick the next fare close by. Keep to Los Santos while you learn the destinations. The faster you finish, the more tip you earn.
The nitrous reward
Deliver 50 fares in total and every taxi gets nitrous and the ability to jump, which makes later jobs and plain travel easier. The count is required for 100% in the checklist. For similar jobs, see Paramedic and Pimping.
