Arriving
Most international flights arrive at Guarulhos (GRU) International Airport. Although looking a bit dated it is clean and well serviced. Ground staff handling the aisle chair were well trained. I was taken off the plane quickly, and transferred to my own chair which had been brought to the air bridge. I flew United from Washington D.C. but on previous trips I have flown KLM from Amsterdam and received the same efficient treatment.
The ground assistant walked me through Immigration (no queues - I was last off the aircraft and everyone had been processed before I got through! I wish US Customs and Immigration were as efficient!), picked my bag off the carousel and walked me out to the taxi rank. The official taxi service for GRU is GuaruCoop (http://www.guarucoop.com.br - there are some pages in English). They do not have adapted taxis - just a range of regular taxis (sedans, station-wagons, people carriers). There is a stand just outside the airport doors where you can buy a ticket with a credit card. You then just hand the ticket to the driver. (You can pay the driver directly with cash also, but it is very reassuring getting a fixed price ticket for your destination in a strange city). The girl at the desk spoke perfect English and there were no problems. For this trip I was staying in a region of Sao Paulo for the first night called Barro Funda. This was about 35mins from the airport and cost BRL82.
I do not know if it is possible to rent cars with hand controls in Sao Paulo (certainly Hertz don't do it) but even if it was I'm not sure that I would drive there. Traffic is chaotic and driving style is exhilarating to say the least. You also have to cope with unexpected hazards such as someone cycling along the median of the freeway!
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