"BJ" (benjamin-bignell)
02/22/2018 at 09:44 • Filed to: None
1
15|
"BJ" (benjamin-bignell)
02/22/2018 at 09:44 • Filed to: None | 1
| 15 |
I worked a 19-hour day yesterday and decided to try Uber instead of taking a 3am taxi...
Everything worked great. The app was easy to use, payment clear, and there were no surprises.
I chose Uber Select, which was twice the price but still cheap - $20. A taxi would have cost $14-15. And I can expense the ride.
The car was an Audi Q5. It was very much like riding in my Passat wagon - the family resemblance was remarkable.
In summary, thumbs up. I doubt I’ll stop taking taxis completely but this is a nice option.
Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> BJ
02/22/2018 at 10:33 |
|
In my city I have completely stopped using taxi’s because the state of repair of them was abysmal. Uber is leaps and bounds better.
The average taxi here has failing suspension, rude drivers and grungy-as-fuck interiors.
Quadradeuce
> BJ
02/22/2018 at 10:47 |
|
I also used Uber for the first time when I was in New Orleans over the weekend. I used a regular taxi from the airport to the hotel, but used an Uber from the hotel back to the airport. Both were about the same cost.
The Toyota Sienna taxi was dirty, had no functioning A/C (it was in the 80s at the time), made all sorts of unsettling squeaks and rattles, and had a voided inspection sticker. Yes, I hired it at the official taxi stand at the airport, where they assign you a taxi by number. This guy was not working around the edges.
The Dodge Caravan Uber was clean, had functioning A/C, made some squeaks and rattles (enough to make me nervous), and came with a 4.7 star rating.
Both experiences weren’t great, but at least the Uber was tolerable. The taxi ride was torture. Especially as I read the “Rider Bill of Rights” that said all taxis must have working A/C.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> BJ
02/22/2018 at 10:49 |
|
It’s funny that I actually have no idea how to even use a taxi. I understand it in a place like NYC where you just stand on the curb and wave at them to get a ride. But elsewhere in the real world? What I have to call someone and actually talk to them?? And then the price is going to be determined later when I get somewhere and have to use CASH? And tip the guy???
I say this somewhat as a millenial joke since I have only ever used Uber/Lyft and have never actually taken a regular taxi anywhere. I used to use it when I needed to get a rental car in NJ since it was faster than the rental company pickup services. And now that I live in Los Angeles, it is super easy to use for going to the airport or going anywhere that has limited/expensive parking. Hailing a taxi for those tasks would be ludicrously expensive and inconvenient.
Chariotoflove
> BJ
02/22/2018 at 10:55 |
|
I started using Uber two years ago. I’ll never go back to taxis. It’s so much easier to get a receipt, and I don’t have to worry about cash for a tip.
Arrivederci
> Quadradeuce
02/22/2018 at 10:59 |
|
Very true - when literally every single taxi I take is a massive piece of shit, and maybe only 1 in 10 Ubers is an equally big pos, I’ll take Uber (or Lyft).
SmugAardvark
> BJ
02/22/2018 at 11:07 |
|
I’ve been using Uber and Lyft for a few years now, and swear by it. My city is just big enough that there’s always drivers around, but not so big that traditional taxi cabs are ubiquitous. So it’s always rideshare apps for me.
In fact, I’m a little spoiled by it. I went to Wyoming last year for work, and when I asked the hotel front desk clerk if it was normal not to have any drivers out on a Friday night, they just gave me a funny look. I then had to explain how Uber/Lyft works, and was met with a reply of, “You mean you actually just get into a stranger’s car?”
“Well...yeah, isn’t that sort of what happens with a taxi too?”
haveacarortwoorthree2
> Quadradeuce
02/22/2018 at 11:10 |
|
I have completely stopped taking taxis — too many times I have been in a suit and then got a taxi with non-functioning air (or the best one had a rigged-up hose taped to the vent on the front dash and then snaked to the backseat through a little hole cut in the plexiglass). I have occasionally had a bad Uber driver but have never had a crappy Uber car.
AestheticsInMotion
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/22/2018 at 12:01 |
|
You look up a taxi company online, call them, wait half an hour, call again to ask where the hell they are, wait another half hour, get a call from the driver stating he’s lost, finally see the taxi in the distance, get into the beat-to-shit car, get yelled at for “ruining the drivers day”, get told about the extra fees for all the additional drive time trying to find your (easily found) home, get to your destination, see the bill that’s triple that of an Uber, refuse to pay, receive death threats, walk away and swear off taxis forever.
At least, that’s how my one taxi experience went. There will not be another
|
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> AestheticsInMotion
02/22/2018 at 13:09 |
|
Sounds exactly how I imagined it lol.
The only time I tried calling a taxi was in NJ for a ride to the airport. An uber was going to cost like $60 so I figured I would at least get some quotes from a local place before committing. I found one in the town right next to me that advertised “flat rate airport transport” so I figured it was worth calling about. Dude who picked up seemed wholly uninterested in having any sort of business with anyone. I ask about airport transport and he says “yeah we do that”. When he asks where I am, I tell him the town and he just says “no we dont go there” and then proceeds to say “bye” and hangs up! I was just entirely confused since I am literally 5 miles away from where this guy is at and the airport is a solid 55 miles away. The town itself is larger than 5 miles so it made even less sense to not even ask for my address. Needless to say I ended up just taking an Uber since work was paying anyways and I wasnt dealing with anymore hassle.
|
BJ
> SmugAardvark
02/24/2018 at 12:20 |
|
Sounds like the same sort of person who’s not yet figured out cell phones... :)
|
BJ
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/24/2018 at 12:25 |
|
Montreal is a big city with lots of taxis and nowadays they all accept credit cards. I make a point of stating that I’m paying by card when I get in to avoid any complaints or confusion.
When I need a taxi I’m either downtown where they’re always available, or I’m booking in advance online the night before. The company I use is always on time.
I guess the system is a bit better here.
|
BJ
> Quadradeuce
02/24/2018 at 12:27 |
|
I used taxis in NO last year and they were ok. But the quality of taxi cars varies wildly in every city. I guess i got lucky.
|
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> BJ
02/24/2018 at 16:58 |
|
I know I’ve heard it’s common for taxis to claim the card reader is “broken”. Mostly for tax evasion purposes. And they can get away with it since there isn’t really any way for them to get in trouble.
|
BJ
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/24/2018 at 18:23 |
|
Cash is definitely easier to manage, but uber had forced the taxis here to adjust.
|
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> BJ
02/24/2018 at 19:01 |
|
The only time I can talk about the free market and not be trying to make fun of Trump