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Peru: Police Sting Catches Bogus Taxi Drivers; Landslide Blocks Train to Machu Picchu

1 comment | February 7th, 2007 | Trackback

In response to a growing number of reports by tourists about being robbed by bogus taxi drivers at Lima’s international airport, police ran a one-day sting operation there to begin to control the problem. They checked every taxi that left the airport and removed 14 vehicles on various charges, confident that some of the drivers were prepared to rob their passengers. Unofficial taxis are cheaper than official ones, but they are risky. The best way to proceed into the city on arrival is to use an authorized taxi or have a representative from the hotel pick you up. In other news, train service to Machu Picchu was suspended Feb. 2 when a mudslide covered 130 feet of track midway between Cuzco and Machu Picchu. Workers were sent to the area to clear away the debris, but PeruRail, the company that operates train service on the line, did not estimate when service would resume.