Without exception, every trip I have taken in a taxicab has been uncomfortable, regardless of city or country. It has involved one or more of the following:
- difficulty in hailing a cab,
- discomforting drivers[1],
- drivers talking on their cellphone while driving,
- non-standard driving routes (which I suspect were attempts to raise the cost of the trip),
- dirty cabs,
- worry whether (a) I had sufficient cash to cover the cost of the fare, or (b) if the driver could process a credit card,
- if I paid with a credit card, worry over the security of the mobile transaction, and/ or
- unsafe driving that was too fast or involved weaving through traffic or running “yellows” lights.
In the early days of Uber[2], I loved the service because it addressed and solved all of the above. As such, regardless of the smear campaign run by taxi companies, I continue to favor Uber over cabs. Services like Flywheel, which hail and handle payment of traditional taxis, do not interest me because they address only two of the issues identified above.