Taxi Driver

The Taxi Driver side mission requires the player to drive passengers to specific locations within a time limit for a cash reward. The side mission is triggered by entering a taxi and pressing the side mission button.

In the GTA III era games the player can earn money by delivering pedestrians to their predetermined destination within a time limit. Starting the mission lights up the taxi's roof-mounted taxi sign encouraging nearby pedestrians to flag the player's taxi down. Once a pedestrian enters the vehicle, the destination is displayed on screen and is marked by a blip on the radar and a colored marker at the destination itself. The alloted time given is calculated roughly from the distance to the destination, and an additional 30 seconds is granted upon completing a fare to find another one. If the player runs out of time, exits the vehicle or damages their vehicle too badly, the passenger will flee, ending the mission. In GTA San Andreas the taxi side mission has much less strict time limits, but adds a "tip meter" which rewards players for delivering fares quickly and safely and punishes them for driving recklessly or taking too long.

In GTA IV, Niko Bellic can perform the taxi side mission by phoning Roman Bellic for fares. There are no taxi missions in GTA IV (except one mission for Roman, where the player has to use Roman's Taxi and pick up a passenger and take him/her to a destination, which results in a cash reward) as the player has to get in the cab as the passenger and give the taxi driver a destination. If the player wishes for the taxi driver to hurry, the taxi driver will increase speed, but this comes at the cost of the driver occasionally hitting random objects (walls, light poles, and other vehicles). The player can skip the ride, which causes the scene to black out, then fade into the destination the player gives. The taxi driver stops at the destination, at which point the player is required to pay for the cab fare. If the player does not wish to ride in a taxi after entering one, the player may simply exit the cab and not pay the driver.

Rewards
GTA III
 * Bonus Borgnine cab. (100 fares)

GTA Vice City
 * All taxis gain hydraulic jump capability. (100 fares)

GTA San Andreas
 * All taxis gain nitrous. (50 fares)

GTA Liberty City Stories
 * Bonus Bickle '76 taxi. (100 Fares)

GTA Vice City Stories
 * All taxis gain hydraulic jump capability. (100 fares)

Completion of the taxi mission also counts towards 100% completion of the game.

Trivia

 * In Grand Theft Auto 2, if the player drives a taxi nearby pedestrians will sometimes get in, but no destination is given and the passenger will simply exit the vehicle randomly when the car is stopped.

Vehicles

 * Taxi
 * Cabbie
 * Borgnine Taxi
 * Kaufman Cab
 * Zebra Cab
 * Bickle '76
 * Cabby
 * Roman's Taxi