Taxi pinball rules and strategy
The Strategy
Taxi is a passenger-collection game. Plunge Spinout to spot a passenger, lock one ball at the right eject, then shoot the left Airport ramp to start Multiball. Collect Express Lane 1 at the right eject and Express Lane 2 at Drac, then use the remaining balls to collect passengers. Complete a passenger bank to light Carry Passengers; the fifth passenger lights the timed Jackpot at the Gorbie shot.
The goal
Lock one ball in the right eject and shoot the left Airport ramp for Multiball, complete both Express Lanes, then use the second ball to collect and carry passengers toward the timed Jackpot.
Start Multiball
On ball 1, plunge Spinout for 25,000 plus Spot Passenger. Lock a ball in the right eject marked Lock, then shoot the left Airport ramp to start Multiball.
How to collect passengers
Shoot the right Lock eject for Express Lane 1, then the center-left Drac hole for Express Lane 2. Collect Gorbie through the upper/right semi-orbit entrance to Joyride, Pin•Bot at the right drop bank, Drac at the center-left hole, Lola or Marilyn at the center drop bank, or Santa through the lower entrance to Joyride.
Carry passengers and collect Jackpot
Completing either the Pin•Bot bank or the Lola or Marilyn bank lights Carry Passengers. Shoot a target on the same side as the active flipper, often from near the flipper base and behind the nearby slingshot. the small upper-left target to retain the passengers already collected. After the fifth passenger, shoot the upper/right semi-orbit entrance to Joyride before the Jackpot timer expires.
Need to know
- L-3 and L-4
- L-3 names the center-bank passenger Marilyn; L-4 names her Lola. The rules below call out that difference where it matters.
- Airport difficulty
- Airport Million is untimed on Medium. Hard and Extra Hard use 20- and 15-second timers.
- Lock stealing
- Lock starts lit at the beginning of the game. After Multiball, any flashing passenger relights it. Another player's locked ball can leave the left ramp ready to start your Multiball.
Sources and references12 references12 source links and outbound references.
- PinballCards
- PAPA Taxi tutorial with Bowen Kerins
- Taxi full rulesheet
- Robert Gagno at INDISC 2018
- Taxi at Pinburgh 2011
- Planetary Pinball Taxi ROM archive
- Williams Taxi operations manual
- Williams Taxi instruction card
- Taxi L-5C community Competition MOD record
- Backhand technique reference
- Spinout short-side control technique reference
- Physical caution reference