9 ms·

What's it like to ride in a SF taxi? I'm not a frequent taxi user, but last time I rode in an NYC cab, the partition made me feel like I was going to jail and

by kw71 11y ago

What's it like to ride in a SF taxi? I'm not a frequent taxi user, but last time I rode in an NYC cab, the partition made me feel like I was going to jail and the advertising screen made me feel like I was riding public transportation. No doubt the normal private cars are more comfortable.

Hilyin 11y ago
This, a million times this. Also, taxi drivers could care less about your ride experience. No way to rate them and cause any change, so they just treat everyone like crap.
artursapek 11y ago
The ad screen almost feels inhumane. There's no way to turn it off or even dim it. After a long flight, having that thing in your face can be really unpleasant. It's my biggest gripe with NYC cabs. It's just too 1984 for my taste.
- marrone12 11y ago
  You definitely can turn off half the ad screens, and the other half you can at least turn down the volume
- gergles 11y ago
  What, of course there is. There's a red button in the lower-right hand corner you can hit to turn it off in most cabs; granted, there are some where you cannot turn the screen 'off' but you can turn off the display of advertising on it (and it just then says "Touch here to resume").
  - artursapek 11y ago
    That "off button" doesn't turn it off, it makes it goes into a silent slideshow mode showing you more ads with an equally bright screen. Point is you can't win against the ad machine.
    - pyrocat 11y ago
      Take a brick with you.
      - jacquesm 11y ago
        I'd suggest some duct tape and a newspaper. Those are less conspicuous and you might get away with it without ending up in handcuffs.
      - theworstshill 11y ago
        I like you.
pavel_lishin 11y ago
The ads are annoying, and I always mute them (and then re-mute them again when it "wears off" halfway through a long trip), but I never cared about the plastic partition.
x0x0 11y ago
The taxis themselves are basically fine. Probably (potentially?) cleaner than uber imo: leather seats are way easier to clean than cloth, and most ubers I've ridden in have cloth seats. Taxis tend to be unhappy if you pay with a card, but telling them they'll accept a card or nothing generally works. The problem is taxis just don't come. There are relatively few areas of sf and times where you can reasonably street hail. So you're left with calling one of the multiple taxi services, and they make it readily apparent they don't give a fuck less about you. This worked as a business model only because there was no alternative. My personal story: I had a badly broken leg (9+ months on crutches) and had to take taxis daily. From near mission/23rd (a population center), an 80% wait time for a taxi was approx 75 minutes and a 95% wait time 180 minutes. For a 16 minute drive to soma. They simply -- and a dispatcher admitted this to you -- lie when you call and ask the wait time. They couldn't follow simple requests like giving me a 5 minute warning call when they were about to arrive so I could crutch down stairs without making the driver wait. None of the services, even when told I'd be riding them 10x/week and had mobility problems, would come reliably. I took a lot of ubers even when they cost thrice what taxis did, simply because when you requested one, they told you if they were going to come. So if the wait time was too long, you could be an adult and make alternate arrangements. Taxis just leave you wondering if they're going to come. The impact on your life of using taxis, thus having to leave 90 minutes before you want to get to the office (and leaving at 5pm/commute rush hour) is really shitty. It's similar down the peninsula. I left sf and made the mistake of calling a taxi because a car was in the shop. Dispatch said 15-20 minutes. An hour in I called an Uber. Would you believe the driver has the giant balls to call 75 minutes after I requested a taxi to complain because I ditched and didn't call to cancel? I only waited 4 times their maximum estimate. I'd love to take taxis instead of Ubers. I think Uber pays their drivers too little and is exploitative. Hopefully they will be forced to pay drivers more; I'll keep using them if so. But the utility of a taxi that either actually comes, or tells you they won't so you can make plans, is what keeps me using them.
- dnautics 11y ago
  > Uber pays their drivers too little and is exploitative Taxis are even worse until you own your own medallion and car. If you are on the low end of the totem pole in the taxi system, then taxis are way more exploitative than uber.
niccaluim 11y ago
Harrowing. They drive like maniacs.
- jff 11y ago
  65mph through the streets of downtown San Francisco was pretty interesting, but on the other hand we did get back to our hotel in about 3 minutes.
muaddirac 11y ago
Where I live there is a minimum fare of $75 imposed on Uber cars leaving from the airport. I took an Uber there and had a great, simple experience ($34 fare) but had to take a taxi back when returning from my trip. The cab was falling apart. One of the doors didn't open from the inside. The axles made horrible, periodic thunking sounds (I'd guess the CV joints but am no car expert). The engine light, the wheel stability light, and the SRS warning light lit up the dash. The cab driver drove 10-15mph over the speed limit and nearly side-swiped several other cars. I asked to pay with a card and was met with a grunt of disgust, even as I added a standard 10% tip. I understand there are some regulation issues related to Uber in many cities, but given the experiences I've had, I can't wait to be rid of taxis. I should add that in London I had the opposite experience, where the standard cabs (and official app) were fantastic, but Uber was price gouging during a tube strike.
- LeoPanthera 11y ago
  Travel to the car rental center and have Uber pick you up there to avoid the fee. This also works at airports that outright ban Uber.
  - viraptor 11y ago
    This is an awesome idea! I never thought of it, but it should work in most places.
    - hkmurakami 11y ago
      You can also take any Hotel shuttle. I do this at LAX.
- dabeeeenster 11y ago
  As a Londoner I and most of my friends hate black cabs. The drivers hate going more than 2 miles out of the centre of town, the cabs spew out diesel and the fares at night are 4x uber. The drivers have the knowledge admittedly but it is not enough. I give them 5 years. Max.
- 11y ago
vermontdevil 11y ago
Here's my problem with cabs - the drivers. Many of the are downright nasty. I'm deaf and I always dread taking the cab. I write down the location prior to getting in but I am not sure if the driver can read English. If not, then I try my best to explain where I want to go. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I've been kicked out of cabs right after being picked up and the driver learned who I am. They just didn't want to deal with me. It's embarrassing and tough to swallow at times. A few drivers are very nice and personable and gave me no problems and took me where I needed to go as well as not doing the 'long tour'. When Uber came out - it was a godsend! Everything is so easy and transparent. I do not have to sit in the cab and watch continuously and make sure I am going the right direction and get off at the right place. I can finally relax while riding.
dannyr 11y ago
SF taxi? I barely remember since it's hard to find one. I tried riding a taxi once and the driver was rude and didn't want to do multiple dropoffs so we got out right away.

by kw71 11y ago

Hilyin 11y ago

This, a million times this. Also, taxi drivers could care less about your ride experience. No way to rate them and cause any change, so they just treat everyone like crap.

artursapek 11y ago

The ad screen almost feels inhumane. There's no way to turn it off or even dim it. After a long flight, having that thing in your face can be really unpleasant. It's my biggest gripe with NYC cabs. It's just too 1984 for my taste.

marrone12 11y ago
You definitely can turn off half the ad screens, and the other half you can at least turn down the volume
gergles 11y ago
What, of course there is. There's a red button in the lower-right hand corner you can hit to turn it off in most cabs; granted, there are some where you cannot turn the screen 'off' but you can turn off the display of advertising on it (and it just then says "Touch here to resume").
- artursapek 11y ago
  That "off button" doesn't turn it off, it makes it goes into a silent slideshow mode showing you more ads with an equally bright screen. Point is you can't win against the ad machine.
  - pyrocat 11y ago
    Take a brick with you.
    - jacquesm 11y ago
      I'd suggest some duct tape and a newspaper. Those are less conspicuous and you might get away with it without ending up in handcuffs.
    - theworstshill 11y ago
      I like you.

pavel_lishin 11y ago

The ads are annoying, and I always mute them (and then re-mute them again when it "wears off" halfway through a long trip), but I never cared about the plastic partition.

x0x0 11y ago

The taxis themselves are basically fine. Probably (potentially?) cleaner than uber imo: leather seats are way easier to clean than cloth, and most ubers I've ridden in have cloth seats. Taxis tend to be unhappy if you pay with a card, but telling them they'll accept a card or nothing generally works. The problem is taxis just don't come. There are relatively few areas of sf and times where you can reasonably street hail. So you're left with calling one of the multiple taxi services, and they make it readily apparent they don't give a fuck less about you. This worked as a business model only because there was no alternative. My personal story: I had a badly broken leg (9+ months on crutches) and had to take taxis daily. From near mission/23rd (a population center), an 80% wait time for a taxi was approx 75 minutes and a 95% wait time 180 minutes. For a 16 minute drive to soma. They simply -- and a dispatcher admitted this to you -- lie when you call and ask the wait time. They couldn't follow simple requests like giving me a 5 minute warning call when they were about to arrive so I could crutch down stairs without making the driver wait. None of the services, even when told I'd be riding them 10x/week and had mobility problems, would come reliably. I took a lot of ubers even when they cost thrice what taxis did, simply because when you requested one, they told you if they were going to come. So if the wait time was too long, you could be an adult and make alternate arrangements. Taxis just leave you wondering if they're going to come. The impact on your life of using taxis, thus having to leave 90 minutes before you want to get to the office (and leaving at 5pm/commute rush hour) is really shitty. It's similar down the peninsula. I left sf and made the mistake of calling a taxi because a car was in the shop. Dispatch said 15-20 minutes. An hour in I called an Uber. Would you believe the driver has the giant balls to call 75 minutes after I requested a taxi to complain because I ditched and didn't call to cancel? I only waited 4 times their maximum estimate. I'd love to take taxis instead of Ubers. I think Uber pays their drivers too little and is exploitative. Hopefully they will be forced to pay drivers more; I'll keep using them if so. But the utility of a taxi that either actually comes, or tells you they won't so you can make plans, is what keeps me using them.

dnautics 11y ago
> Uber pays their drivers too little and is exploitative Taxis are even worse until you own your own medallion and car. If you are on the low end of the totem pole in the taxi system, then taxis are way more exploitative than uber.

niccaluim 11y ago

Harrowing. They drive like maniacs.

jff 11y ago
65mph through the streets of downtown San Francisco was pretty interesting, but on the other hand we did get back to our hotel in about 3 minutes.

muaddirac 11y ago

Where I live there is a minimum fare of $75 imposed on Uber cars leaving from the airport. I took an Uber there and had a great, simple experience ($34 fare) but had to take a taxi back when returning from my trip. The cab was falling apart. One of the doors didn't open from the inside. The axles made horrible, periodic thunking sounds (I'd guess the CV joints but am no car expert). The engine light, the wheel stability light, and the SRS warning light lit up the dash. The cab driver drove 10-15mph over the speed limit and nearly side-swiped several other cars. I asked to pay with a card and was met with a grunt of disgust, even as I added a standard 10% tip. I understand there are some regulation issues related to Uber in many cities, but given the experiences I've had, I can't wait to be rid of taxis. I should add that in London I had the opposite experience, where the standard cabs (and official app) were fantastic, but Uber was price gouging during a tube strike.

LeoPanthera 11y ago
Travel to the car rental center and have Uber pick you up there to avoid the fee. This also works at airports that outright ban Uber.
- viraptor 11y ago
  This is an awesome idea! I never thought of it, but it should work in most places.
  - hkmurakami 11y ago
    You can also take any Hotel shuttle. I do this at LAX.
dabeeeenster 11y ago
As a Londoner I and most of my friends hate black cabs. The drivers hate going more than 2 miles out of the centre of town, the cabs spew out diesel and the fares at night are 4x uber. The drivers have the knowledge admittedly but it is not enough. I give them 5 years. Max.
11y ago

vermontdevil 11y ago

Here's my problem with cabs - the drivers. Many of the are downright nasty. I'm deaf and I always dread taking the cab. I write down the location prior to getting in but I am not sure if the driver can read English. If not, then I try my best to explain where I want to go. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I've been kicked out of cabs right after being picked up and the driver learned who I am. They just didn't want to deal with me. It's embarrassing and tough to swallow at times. A few drivers are very nice and personable and gave me no problems and took me where I needed to go as well as not doing the 'long tour'. When Uber came out - it was a godsend! Everything is so easy and transparent. I do not have to sit in the cab and watch continuously and make sure I am going the right direction and get off at the right place. I can finally relax while riding.

dannyr 11y ago

SF taxi? I barely remember since it's hard to find one. I tried riding a taxi once and the driver was rude and didn't want to do multiple dropoffs so we got out right away.