Talking to a Taxi Driver in Mexico

[Bobbert]

Hearing and also seeing on YouTube the written words to the following partial conversation with a taxi driver in Mexico:

Pasajeros:
¿Cuánto hacemos al mercado?
Taxista:
Como 5 minutos, más o menos.

Pasajeros:
Para otro viaje, ¿Cuánto nos cobraría para ir al centro, otro día?
Taxista:
Es lo que se cobra con el taxímetro. Más o menos, estamos cuidando que entre $60 pesos -- entre $60, $70 pesos, lo que marca el taxímetro.

Are “cuánto hacemos a……..” and “estamos cuidando que entre……..” everyday word choices to convey “how much longer/further to the market” and “we’re looking at between……”

I would guess that “cuánto hacemos” and “estamos cuidando” are slang, but

1. Did I translate them correctly from the context I heard and saw written? (The taxi driver did not enunciate well, so I'm relying more on the written words.)

and more importantly

2. Are these word choices common?
3. Are they used in other countries outside of Mexico?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

"Hacer" is a very usual verb to talk about how long a trip is. I'd say it's universal usage, but I'll stick to Mexico. ;)
- ¿Cuánto se hace de México a Frankfurt? (How long is it from Mexico to Frankfurt?)
- Nunca hago menos de una hora de la casa al trabajo. ¿Tú cuánto haces? (I never get from home to work in less than one hour. How long is your commute?)
- ¿Cuánto se hace al aeropuerto desde aquí? (How long is it to the airport from here?
- Hacemos unas dos horas a la casa de mis abuelos. (We put about two hours to my grandparents place.)



In the second sentence, the taxi driver is answering that they (the taxi drivers) do what they can to keep the price in that range (60 to 70 pesos).
The "taxímetro" charges by time and by distance. When the car goes fast, it charges by km. traveled, but if there is too much traffic and the car is too slow, it charges by the minute.
Taxi drivers normally try to get to their destination as fast as possible by taking paths that avoid traffic, so the tariff will be the lowest possible.

- Estamos cuidando que sean entre 60 y 70 pesos.
We are trying that it won't be more expensive than 60 or 70 pesos. :)

[Bobbert]

Thank you, AngelicaDeAlquezar. Your detailed explanations are always helpful and very much appreciated.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Glad to help. :D