Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Scumandvillany t1_jcf97do wrote

I get that taxis got fucked but they were caught with their pants down when technology leapt over their heads. They were a complacent, shitty service before Uberization. Always "my card reader is down", cab wasn't clean, shitty attitude when I told em my destination, etc. it's only recently they've changed their minds, but not the attitudes.

121

DunieMunny t1_jcflbsd wrote

Yeah I truly do have pity for yellow cabs in NYC, which were generally knowledgable and a fair service.. But the cabs here in Philly don't get much of my pity. Starting every ride with an argument about payment just isn't a good experience.

55

PurpleWhiteOut t1_jcfuf69 wrote

I tried again last year because one happened to be coming by. Started pulling the card reader shit and I got out and got an Uber. Someone else got in, and he got right back out too lol

20

gnartato t1_jcfxpen wrote

Cab drivers need to hold themselves accountable. They are the reason no one wants to take a cab.

Once a year or so I'll try one when uber/lyft isn't working out for whatever reason. It's either no card reader, we don't go there, or they intentionally miss exits or turns even though I remind them where to exit to pad the meter. And that's not counting them just being generally shitty attitudes at best, which is honestly a detergent enough in itself.

33

gigidim t1_jci969c wrote

I once got in a cab at the airport where there was someone who was allegedly there to monitor them. Can driver wanted cash I immediately got out and complained to the rep who said to the cab driver "you know you're not supposed to do that"

I hop in the next cab, pay cash and 25% tip. Asked the cab driver to tell the first driver when he gets back.

TL;DR - Nobody monitors them

4

monkeymaxx t1_jcnsg0h wrote

Last time this exact thing happened to me, the rep made the shitty cab driver leave the pick up line and go around the airport loop and get back at the end of the line. I hope he learned his lesson!

2

nnp1989 t1_jcfjo8h wrote

The very few times that I've been stuck with taking a cab in the last few years, they've still tried to pull the "card reader isn't working" BS each time.

22

nsweeney11 t1_jcg7k2i wrote

I truly don't understand why they still do this. Like, do they think someone's gonna have cash??? In 2023??

21

heliotropic t1_jci2myg wrote

I don’t take cabs super often, but probably every month or so (basically whenever I’m at PHL or 30th St) and I’ve honestly never had card reader BS from them.

3

spw1215 t1_jckr4q2 wrote

When you tell them you only have a few bucks cash, the card reader miraculously works again.

1

DavidLieberMintz t1_jcgyiye wrote

I love when they say the card reader is down; it means you pay what you want. I took a cab in Baltimore once and he legit turned off the meter and tried to charge me $20 for like a 1 mile ride. We gave him a ten and got out.

5

horsebatterystaple99 t1_jckfvyr wrote

Yeah I was a big supporter of cabs, but they have really not gotten any better since ride shares came to town. Still don't show up, or dispatch says a cab is on the way when there isn't one, or drive the long way round to a destination, or have a 'broken meter' and quote steep prices, etc.

I get that ride shares don't pay well so I just give an extra cash tip to them. (Got to tip in the app as well as this adds to the driver's rep.)

2

calonmawr10 t1_jcf9v4m wrote

I live in delco extremely close to the airport and had to take a taxi home as my phone was dead and I couldn't call an uber. Practically had to beg someone to take me, as none of them wanted to go anywhere but the city. Dude even had the gall to charge me extra, but I was so tired I wasn't going to fight it. Absolutely ridiculous and one of the many reasons people try not to use them any more.

111

mistersausage t1_jcfyktq wrote

if you actually care about this and have your receipt or know your trip information, call the PPA taxi hotline. They take these complaints seriously

27

felldestroyed t1_jcgsfi4 wrote

Based on my own experience six months ago, they certainly do not. Never got a call or email back, despite leaving 2 forms and 3 voice messages.

8

mistersausage t1_jchmjtd wrote

I called a couple years ago about a driver driving like a psychopath and I got a call from an investigator a day later.

5

felldestroyed t1_jchmw41 wrote

Mine was about an $88 fare from the airport to fishtown. And yeah, that driver making an extra 30-40$+ left a very sour taste in my mouth.

6

calonmawr10 t1_jcgk4f0 wrote

Unfortunately this was years ago, so that info is long gone 😕

1

PhiladelphiaCounty t1_jcey1bu wrote

It sucks that once was a decent living in America had all its excess value sucked to VC and tech bros. On the other hand I fucking hate taxis and they price gouge like crazy at the airport so more access to ride share the better

48

ell0bo t1_jcf29yc wrote

From amount of time I was told 'reader no work, you pay cash' and was driven to an ATM instead of my home, I have no sympathy for these guys. They would stop, ask where I live, and then drive away when I said 'East Falls' at the time.

Uber isn't better, agree fuck VCs, but they guys has something coming. I'm sure there's good one caught in the wash, and that sucks, but I ain't shedding a tear.

64

Indiana_Jawns t1_jcfcbxm wrote

The thing about that is if a taxi denies you a ride because of where you’re going you can report them and they risk having their medallion revoked. Same with driving without a working credit card machine or taking you somewhere you didn’t ask to go.

Taxis are regulated. Meanwhile the quality of the rideshares has gone way down and are worse than taxis now

19

Leviathant t1_jcghb4x wrote

I used to take the R5 into the city for work, never had much use for taxis, but a bunch of my colleagues had stories about having to call the cops over paying their taxi fare. And early on, "machine doesn't work" was the norm, not the exception. Yes, taxis are regulated. No, having to invoke that regulation on the regular was not a better experience.

You know what I haven't had to do since the rideshare revolution? Argue over how much I'm paying or how I'm paying it. I take a cab home from the airport every time I'm flying home. They're now cleaner, friendlier, and all around better. The taxi system overplayed their hand for a long time, and now everyone in their industry is worse off for it, but customers are better off.

13

krissyface t1_jcgm6sw wrote

I got into a taxi at the airport headed to the Italian market. The taxi got onto 76, took me all the way out to the zoo and then headed back into center city and down to south Philly and tried to charge me close to $100. PPA didn’t care. I filed a report and never heard anything back.

8

cpndff93 t1_jcf2djg wrote

What do you mean they price gouge at the airport? There’s a Center City flat rate to/from the airport, regular meter otherwise. Ive never had a problem

18

sugr_magnolia t1_jcf38pa wrote

Yes, there is a flat rate. Not everyone knows this. Sometimes (especially if traffic on 95 is bad) they will try to run the meter on you despite the flat rate. I've gotten into an argument with a cab driver on more than one occasion because they've tried to pull this on me.

25

Vague_Disclosure t1_jcf9549 wrote

provide garbage service for years.. act shocked and incredulous when someone innovates you out of a job

18

tomyownrhythm t1_jcf8omn wrote

Or when I lived in south Philly and the flat rate was an overcharge and they would get pissy about a “short fare.” I get that my ride wasn’t the lucrative one, but asking “are you sure” when I give my home address is ludicrous. I used to carry an extra $10 to hand to drivers that didn’t try to gouge me after I expensed my max tip allowed by my company.

8

sugr_magnolia t1_jcfr6h5 wrote

I live slightly south of South, so technically out of the "Center City" zone for a flat rate. Had one driver argue this point with me and said it allowed him to run the meter. I knew he was doing it because it was a high traffic time of day. I shut that down real quick by threatening to call the PPA while we were on 95. No fucking way are you charging me a higher rate for going a shorter distance than the CC zone.

3

Sweaty-Inside t1_jcgxvu3 wrote

>I got into a taxi at the airport headed to the Italian market. The taxi got onto 76, took me all the way out to the zoo and then headed back into center city and down to south Philly and tried to charge me close to $100. PPA didn’t care. I filed a report and never heard anything back.

They moved the zone several years back. It goes down to Washington Ave. now.

0

krissyface t1_jcgmb7p wrote

This is correct. They’ll refuse to run the flat rate. Or they’ll try to charge the flat rate if you’re not going far enough.

4

mb2231 t1_jcf6xpu wrote

Taxis are a straight pain in the ass and nothing has changed in the Uber era.

People want a flat rate to go somewhere and taxi drivers are almost never honest about it (I didn't even know there was a flat rate to CC). Half the time I ask a price the drivers ask to see Lyft or Uber apps. Card readers end up not working, it's just a general hassle compared to opening my phone and ordering and Uber.

11

CerealJello t1_jcf8jge wrote

I've had them do the opposite for me. They ask if I want the flat rate to South Philly because they know it'll be higher than the metered fare.

7

cpndff93 t1_jcfakxk wrote

Yeah idk, i take a cab every time i land at PHL and never once had an issue. Meanwhile, my uber or lyft drivers are usually poor drivers, and the apps actually/literally gouge prices based on demand.

4

Vague_Disclosure t1_jcf9bei wrote

if the card reader doesn't work and they don't tell you before the ride starts do you still need to pay? I don't ever carry cash.

2

CerealJello t1_jcfe8qe wrote

They're required by law to accept card payment. Usually it's not actually broken, they just want cash.

10

ILoveKittensAndCats t1_jcg55tm wrote

I live in S PHL and a driver tried to pull that “flat rate” shit with me. I had taken a cab to the airport, so I knew it wasn’t going to be $30+. I told him to run the meter. He told me to “Get out.”

2

PhiladelphiaCounty t1_jcf41ct wrote

Maybe wrong word. Unreasonable probably better I live like at most 15 min drive from the airport and never paid more than $25 for an Uber but the taxis start at $35 and expect a tip on top of that

−1

cpndff93 t1_jcf4jg6 wrote

You’ve never paid more than $25 for an uber??! It was $35 just to get to center city from fairmount for me the other day lol

13

courageous_liquid t1_jcfiqyc wrote

...why

1

nnp1989 t1_jcfk3i7 wrote

Peak usage plus bad weather can result in some obscenely high rideshare prices. I'm assuming it was one or a combination of both.

3

courageous_liquid t1_jcfkg6r wrote

But also like, why would you accept that? Just take a bus. They're everywhere.

2

cpndff93 t1_jcfl5je wrote

I didnt do it because the price was too high. I took the bus, which is what i usually do. Thank you for the advice though!

5

Leviathant t1_jcghv48 wrote

Flat rate from the airport was $28.50, post-tip was always $36 for me. They just bumped up the flat rate to $33 - first increase in decades. I'm also about 15 minutes away, and waiting 7 minutes for a Lyft or Uber to meander around the airport got old a few years ago. If I'm tightening the belt, I can wait, and if I want to be home in 15 minutes, I'll go to the line of taxis and jump right in.

1

NewPhillyResident t1_jcexchp wrote

TL;DR:

Taxis (zone 5 adjacent to baggage claim doors) were going to have to swapl with ride share (zone 7, across and down the road a little from zone 5). They complained and now are going to be sharing zone 5. Some taxi drivers were cool with this (?) But now they're complaining again.

--

First, it's kind of sad-funny the article emphasizes how the drivers have been complaining directly to Jim Kenney. Beyond that, taxis and ride-sharing both suck at the airport; unless you get the fixed rate fare I think at this point anyone watching the meter tick up assumes they're being somehow cheated, and the rideshare wait-for-your-driver-then-watch-them-fuck-up-parking-and-pulling-way-from-the-curb system is gigantically annoying at the airport as well.

Unfortunately taxis being unwilling to adapt to what people want is why rideshare exists at all, and rideshare is fundamentally unable to improve dispatch in this case for a number of reasons, so I guess sorry taxis, maybe if you had spent the last 10 years improving the taxi system instead of complaining you wouldn't still be losing and complaining now.

46

sugr_magnolia t1_jcfs6t8 wrote

>emphasizes how the drivers have been complaining directly to Jim Kenney

It's especially funny to me because the last time they did their blocking traffic/horns blaring thing around City Hall, it was a day when Kenney was clearly not even there. You can te when he is or isn't at CH based on whether his entire car detail is parked outside. I'm all for protesting and making noise, but to do it when it's not even hitting its intended target doesn't make much sense.

5

PROMETHEUS606 OP t1_jcglmhd wrote

The other problem here is that riders get charged maybe $30 frm PHL to CC , but Rideshare drivers only get maybe $12 out of it , it’s called “ price gauging “

4

bukkakedebeppo t1_jcfhkpi wrote

I seem to have had the opposite experience of almost everyone in this thread. I exclusively take cabs from airports because there's no waiting around - they're right there! And 99 times out of 100 it's a pleasant ride home. Sometimes they ask me which way I want to go, which is annoying, but that's about it. I live in Fairmount, though, which puts them in the flat rate zone.

Lyft, on the other hand, has been a complete shitshow. On multiple occasions, just recently, I've had to stop drivers (who were ignoring the directions the phone was shouting at them) from doing things like going West on 76 when they should be going East, etc. Or driving erratically, or having an extra person in the car and then stopping for gas and that other person, who kept trying to engage me in conversation, lighting up a cigarette as they pumped gas. It is to the point where I pretty much never want to take Lyft in Philly again. It isn't nearly as bad in other cities.

I'm glad that the taxi person lobbied to keep the taxis at Zone 5. I absolutely loathe crossing traffic to get to the taxi.

15

Leviathant t1_jcgikox wrote

Same. I gave up on rideshares from the airport years ago. Worth noting, the flat rate went up to $33 about a month ago. I accidentally came off like an asshole to a taxi driver a couple of weeks ago because he didn't have the meter running and did a couple of fast moves on the Curb device, and it wasn't the dollar value I was used to seeing.

He showed me on his machine that the flat rate is $33, and it occurred to me that those little posters they used to have - showing the boundaries of the flat rate area, and the cost - as well as taxi drivers licenses - aren't in taxis anymore, because none of the cars have those barriers between the front and the back anymore.

Anyway - Lyft to the airport, cab home from the airport. It's great.

6

ambiguator t1_jcgbs6w wrote

this times 1000

the glory days of uber lyft are over, and they suck now in addition to costing more and being inconvenient.

2

Brahette t1_jcgmncq wrote

I also love taking cabs from airports for the exact same reasons. I don't want to mess around requesting and waiting for Uber/Lyft. I literally walk out the door and into a taxi, and am on my way. It's a little more expensive for me in Manayunk, but WELL worth it in times like when I landed the day of the NFC Championship game. Rideshares were surging $80-$90 whereas my cab was my usual $45-$50. Pretty much any airport I fly into, I will use taxis if they are available.

2

hic_maneo t1_jcfvw23 wrote

I feel the exact same way. Last thing I want to do at an airport is jockey with all the other people hailing Ubers trying to figure out which one is mine or why “my” car hasn’t moved in 15min. The free-for-all isn’t innovation, it’s chaos for chaos’ sake. I’d much rather go to the taxi stand and just get a car in under 5min.

0

bukkakedebeppo t1_jcfzbg9 wrote

Yup. Lyft/Uber makes sense from home to the airport, and taxi makes sense on the way back. Same with 30th St.

5

adwvn t1_jch1bcy wrote

Most passengers at the airport don't want to use these taxis anymore, which is why they are being moved. These drivers have earned their reputation of being incredibly abusive to customers. The city should worry about increasing train frequency from the airport, it would better serve the public. Currently, trains are only running hourly from PHL on Saturdays and Sundays, and only every 30 mins on weekdays. That's pretty embarrassing.

12

chewsterrr t1_jchqb11 wrote

One evening about ~10 years ago, I met a girl in University City, and we were going back to my place in Fairmount. I was biking at the time, so I got her a cab to my place. The cab driver took her on a long, unknown route. I got to my house first on my bike and waited 20 mins for her to arrive. She called me crying, and I yelled at the driver why it's taking so long and gave him my address again. When she arrived, I berated the driver and then refused payment that was over $60.

That was some sketchy shit.

7

MagnusUnda t1_jcfbsub wrote

Taxi companies: we want to run over the people who call ubers so make them cross the road to zone 7 so we can hit them with our battered Buick le sabres

6

TokiWart00th88 t1_jcfgt3v wrote

What's the cost of a Philly medallion for a cab (if they even exist or are worth anything any longer) you always heard how the ones in NY were $$$

4

bierdimpfe t1_jcf2wyk wrote

Paywall; is Uber planning to pay into the Commercial Road?

3

Tzames t1_jcg1361 wrote

Taxis suck plain and simple.

3

embarrassmyself t1_jcgqa2j wrote

Trying to get an Uber/Lyft from the airport is annoying as fuck. We got cancelled on 4 times before we gave up and took a cab. Cost us $15 more than the Uber would have.

3

Revolutionary_Bee700 t1_jcgtq69 wrote

What’s the big deal? You just have to cross the street that isn’t busy any time I’ve been there.

I wish they’d make a rule that drivers can’t meet you at the door and start bugging you to solicit a fare.

3

DlnnerTable t1_jcg0kjm wrote

What is the card reader ploy some of these guys pull? I’ve never actually taken a taxi anywhere

2

1up t1_jcgv02x wrote

They want the fare in cash so they just say the card reader is broken when it's not so that you'll pay cash instead.

1

DlnnerTable t1_jcgxwh2 wrote

Does it hurt the customer to pay cash? If I have it on me I don’t mind

1

APettyJ t1_jch3ngp wrote

Many if not most don't carry cash, that's why car readers are installed. I don't want to go to an ATM for you, take the payment you are required to take and let's go.

1

DlnnerTable t1_jch4fr2 wrote

I see. So they probably make a little more money with cash payments? I thought it was some sort of con

1

APettyJ t1_jch5tfl wrote

I think they are charged a small processing fee for card transactions.

3

WI_LFRED t1_jcg1rh9 wrote

I hate uber. Uber is just another way to suck money out of the middle class and put it in the pocket of technocrats through the gig economy. Taxis wern't the best, but I would rather support the life of the person driving than some rich guys in silicon valley.

2

kkirchhoff t1_jcgk0ll wrote

Honestly I think taxis should get priority. I hate taking ride shares back from the airport. Uber/Lyft always takes like 10 minutes to get to me and I really just want to get the fuck home. It’s the only place I take a taxi

2

Lower_Alternative770 t1_jcghw6u wrote

If you use the curb app for taxi's it's upfront pricing. It's a bit higher than Uber, except when there's surge pricing. So, that's when I use it.

1

ambiguator t1_jcgbjw8 wrote

Taxis to and from the airport are cheaper than uber lyft, most of the time.

Taxis to and from the airport are cheaper than uber lyft, most of the time.

Taxis to and from the airport are cheaper than uber lyft, most of the time.

Taxis to and from the airport are cheaper than uber lyft, most of the time.

Taxis to and from the airport are cheaper than uber lyft, most of the time.

Taxis to and from the airport are cheaper than uber lyft, most of the time.

Taxis to and from the airport are cheaper than uber lyft, most of the time.

Taxis to and from the airport are cheaper than uber lyft, most of the time.

Taxis to and from the airport are cheaper than uber lyft, most of the time.

Taxis to and from the airport are cheaper than uber lyft, most of the time.

−11