How much should a taxi cost from the Romania border to the centre of Ruse, Bulgaria?

Question

At the risk of being too localized, how much should I pay for a taxi from the Bulgarian side of the border crossing at Giurgiu, Romania / Ruse, Bulgaria into the centre of Ruse?

I'm told it's about 5 euros but that sounds way too expensive! In any case I probably don't have that amount in the local currency and I don't really trust a taxi driver to give me the right change for my 50 euro note.

It's apparently about 5 km so normally I'd just walk it but it's after midnight, there is no street lighting, and there are plenty of dogs (-:

Answer 1

According to Lonely Planet, a Taxi in Bulgaria costs around 0.70 lv per minute at night in Sofia

"The rates per kilometre may range enormously from one taxi company to another, but the standard rate is 0.59 lv per minute in the daytime, 0.70 lv per minute at night."

In Romania it should not be more than 2lei/kilometre (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1883761)

Assuming that it takes 8 minutes to drive 5 kilometer (assuming an average speed of ~37.5 km/h), it should you cost not more than 5.60 lv (2.80 Euro), respectively 10 lei (2.40 Euro).

So I would say 3 Euros should be way enough even if it is more expensive when it is necessary to cross a border in a taxi.

Answer 2

The taxi rates change, now it's about 0.90 BGN (0,45 EUR) - you can check it on the website of 8108 taxi (to4nite), which is one of the biggest taxi company in Rousse, and almost all of the taxi companies have the same price.
But be very careful, because there are still some taxi drivers, especially at the main station or the Danube bridge, who don't belong to big companies and tend to overcharge the passengers.
In order to avoid such expensive taxis the government and the municipality are requiring every taxi to have its unified price list displayed as stickers to all door windows, to the windshield and the dashboard of the car in front of the front passenger seat.
Always check the table of fares before you enter the car.

The Danube Bridge is actually about 8 km from the city center (Freedom square) and the taxi would cost about 4-5 EUR.