After a night out on the town or getting to the airport without paying for parking for a whole week, most of us rely on a taxi to get us there. They provide a great service to us in making sure we get home safe after a late night or getting us across town to meet up with friends.
It all sounds like a wonderful experience, but that isn’t the case most times you buckle up as a passenger.
As soon as the meter starts running up the driver inconsistently steps on the gas causing a jerky feeling for everyone in the car.
Even when coming to a stop sign or red light the bumpiness continues for no apparent reason.
Are they doing this to use up more gas to get a higher rate and more money in their pockets? Who knows, but when you proceed to give payment they expect you will be giving a tip.
A tip? Really? After being on the verge of becoming car sick?
That is one reason why ridesharing has become so popular in the U.S. and has tried to break ground here in Canada.
One that most of us are familiar with is Uber. You are able to request a ride through an app on your phone and can track and see when the car arrives.
That isn’t the best part, as when you have arrived at your destination there is no payment as it is completed on the app, meaning no tip!
You still give feedback to the driver with a five-star rating on what your experience was like. According to Uber’s website, if a driver continues to get below average ratings they will be deactivated as a driver.
“If your average rating still falls below the minimum after multiple notifications, your account will be deactivated.”
Taxi companies have become upset about the threat of better service being available to customers here in Canada. There was a long fought battle out east in Toronto. Calgary had Uber briefly until the city had bylaws in place for Uber unable to run.
The service is available in Canada in a few locations and talks are in place for it to begin running in Calgary again soon.
When passengers hop into a taxi they don’t want to feel like they’re sailing across the Atlantic.
It shouldn’t be a service that is avoided by customers who are trying to prevent paying higher rates and receiving subpar service.
The solution is simple: transportation should be smooth, not rocky to get more money out of customers pockets.
Taxis provide a great service to the public, but they shouldn’t take advantage of their customers.