Taking taxis in Latin American Countries

This may be nothing new to many of you, but I'll share it for those who hadent thought of it.
My wife and I, (mid 60s) have traveled extensively in Mex., Cent, and So. America.
Sometimes long distance busses, like the ADOs in Mex. are great. But sometimes there is a justifiable fear of theft or the busses are in terrible shape, or drive way to fast, like in Panama.
So I sometimes hang around the taxi stand at the town square and spot an older driver with a cab that looks in good shape and engage him in conversation, mentioning that we are going to take the bus to, wherever, the next day. Out of curiosity, I ask him how much he would charge for a cab ride.
Cabbies would much prefer one long fare to grubbing for several short ones and usually will quote you a price with a steep discount.
For 3 or 4 hour trips we have paid $50 to $70 dollars U.S. Often the driver turns out to be a good tour guide pointing out items of interest along the way and even making stops.
Unless you get the right front seat on a bus, your view of the countryside is much better in the cab.
You avoid scary and possibly unsafe bus termials such as Quito or Belize City and are taken right to your destination without the need to hire a cab from the bus terminal.
We do stay in budget hotels and do not travel in luxury, but have decided this mode of transport is often worth the extra bucks.
Curtis

My husband and I have done the same, and highly recommend doing it. In Quito we actually had a pension owner come out and talk with the driver to be sure he is an okay person.

Have also hired car and driver in other countries. If we are on good terms with the manager/owner of place we are staying we will often ask them to recommend someone and invariably they will negotiate a good deal with a trustworthy personfor us. Did this several times in Africa and it always turned out well.

There are risks in both forms of transport and neither guarantees you the best of equipment. I agree that going by taxi/car is preferable to travel by bus, most of the time - if you're the only passenger(s) in the car. However, if the taxi becomes a collectivo and packs-in 4 or 5 passengers and luggage . . . it'll be a very uncomfortable trip. Yes, there comes a time in our lives when we're willing to sometimes (oftentimes) pay a little more for additional convenience/comfort.

My wife and I have, on occasion, taking a cab from Morelia to Pátzcuaro, México or reverse. (For instance, our car was in the shop.). It's highly convenient, door to door, but costly in the long run.