7 ms·

Toronto is notorious for this too. Either the credit card machine is broken and you must pay too much cash, or the credit card machine steals your card number,

by tensor 3y ago

Toronto is notorious for this too. Either the credit card machine is broken and you must pay too much cash, or the credit card machine steals your card number, or you are refused a ride because it’s not far enough. Even travelling through Europe I’ve been refused a ride because it was too short, and got overcharged by 2-3x once. I’d use Uber at this point even if it’s more expensive than a taxi.

papruapap 3y ago
In 90% of all countries really, most common scam ever. That is why travelers use Uber more than natives.
alistairSH 3y ago
Either the credit card machine is broken and you must pay too much cash... Wouldn't you just respond "Sorry, no cash!" and walk away? It's literally true for me - I rarely have more than $10 cash on hand, because I never need it.
- jncfhnb 3y ago
  Because they’re threatening
  - alistairSH 3y ago
    I guess it depends on the location. I had a car service pull this on my at Denver International a few years ago. He wasn't asking for more than the flat-fee from downtown to the airport, so I hit the ATM and gave him the cash. But if I had been in a hurry, he would have been SOL, I would have gone straight to security and not given it a second thought.
    - jncfhnb 3y ago
      Damn, I guess you’re hypothetically really resilient to that sort of thing
  - rchaud 3y ago
    Threatening? Most taxicabs have cameras inside, and I've never heard of a driver getting violent with a passenger over an inability to pay (different from a refusal to pay), considering their picture and cab ID are prominently displayed inside the cab.
    - snapcaster 3y ago
      This and the sibling comment both show a pretty big lack of sympathy or empathy. Maybe you've never been in a situation where the line is blurry between dangerous/not-dangerous but maybe just assume everyone besides you isn't a moron and it's not as easy as you're saying
      - alistairSH 3y ago
        It's not a lack of empathy, I literally don't know how this would work in the driver's favor. I rarely carry cash. If we got to the destination and the driver demanded cash, what's he expecting will happen? Everywhere I've taken a cab in the last decade requires cabs to have CC readers.
        gorbypark 3y ago
        Generally the idea is that they say the machine doesn’t work, and if you say you have no cash / won’t go to an ATM the machine magically starts working.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
dmix 3y ago
The city taxis are wayyy dirtier than Uber too, reviews were a godsend.
notyourwork 3y ago
I’ve had good luck with broken credit card machines working when I declare I have no cash. Maybe it’s because of my stature and/or luck.
rchaud 3y ago
I'm in Toronto and never experienced any of this. Even before Uber, if a drivers' credit card machine wasn't working, they'd tell me before I got in. 95% of the time there was no issue with their machine. I used legitimate taxicab companies - if one wasn't available on the street corner, you could call their dispatch and they'd send one over.
- Scoundreller 3y ago
  > I used legitimate taxicab companies There really are no “legitimate taxicab companies” in Toronto. You have dispatching companies and companies that rent out cars with branding to drivers, but they’re all independent contractors. In theory a dispatching/car providing company could boot a contractor off of its system, but it’s a fine line for them where they’ve taken fewer risks on this than Uber, because they absolutely do not want to be considered employers. Even if you haven’t encountered the “card not working, cash only”, I’m surprised you never encountered the “right too short”/“don’t want to go there” refusal.
MattGaiser 3y ago
This is also my experience with Toronto (and Athens and Barcelona and numerous other cities). I’ll stand for a half hour in the rain before I take another Toronto cab.
gentleman11 3y ago
I have never had an experience like this with a taxi in any city
JumpCrisscross 3y ago
Same in New York. Also fuck you if it’s shift change or you’re my former black roommate, who despite being a habitual suit wearer and Brown graduate would get passed by 90% of the cabs on Fifth Avenue. Since Uber, granted, they’ve massively improved. But take it away and, of course, the incentive structure guarantees one outcome.
a_random_canuck 3y ago
I’ve taken many taxis in Montreal and London and other European cities, and in Taiwan, and have never had anything like this happen to me. Instead I get Uber drivers who refuse to come to my pickup spot and drive around in circles hoping I’ll cancel the trip first so they can still get paid something.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

by tensor 3y ago

papruapap 3y ago

In 90% of all countries really, most common scam ever. That is why travelers use Uber more than natives.

alistairSH 3y ago

Either the credit card machine is broken and you must pay too much cash... Wouldn't you just respond "Sorry, no cash!" and walk away? It's literally true for me - I rarely have more than $10 cash on hand, because I never need it.

jncfhnb 3y ago
Because they’re threatening
- alistairSH 3y ago
  I guess it depends on the location. I had a car service pull this on my at Denver International a few years ago. He wasn't asking for more than the flat-fee from downtown to the airport, so I hit the ATM and gave him the cash. But if I had been in a hurry, he would have been SOL, I would have gone straight to security and not given it a second thought.
  - jncfhnb 3y ago
    Damn, I guess you’re hypothetically really resilient to that sort of thing
- rchaud 3y ago
  Threatening? Most taxicabs have cameras inside, and I've never heard of a driver getting violent with a passenger over an inability to pay (different from a refusal to pay), considering their picture and cab ID are prominently displayed inside the cab.
  - snapcaster 3y ago
    This and the sibling comment both show a pretty big lack of sympathy or empathy. Maybe you've never been in a situation where the line is blurry between dangerous/not-dangerous but maybe just assume everyone besides you isn't a moron and it's not as easy as you're saying
    - alistairSH 3y ago
      It's not a lack of empathy, I literally don't know how this would work in the driver's favor. I rarely carry cash. If we got to the destination and the driver demanded cash, what's he expecting will happen? Everywhere I've taken a cab in the last decade requires cabs to have CC readers.
      - gorbypark 3y ago
        Generally the idea is that they say the machine doesn’t work, and if you say you have no cash / won’t go to an ATM the machine magically starts working.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]

dmix 3y ago

The city taxis are wayyy dirtier than Uber too, reviews were a godsend.

notyourwork 3y ago

I’ve had good luck with broken credit card machines working when I declare I have no cash. Maybe it’s because of my stature and/or luck.

rchaud 3y ago

I'm in Toronto and never experienced any of this. Even before Uber, if a drivers' credit card machine wasn't working, they'd tell me before I got in. 95% of the time there was no issue with their machine. I used legitimate taxicab companies - if one wasn't available on the street corner, you could call their dispatch and they'd send one over.

Scoundreller 3y ago
> I used legitimate taxicab companies There really are no “legitimate taxicab companies” in Toronto. You have dispatching companies and companies that rent out cars with branding to drivers, but they’re all independent contractors. In theory a dispatching/car providing company could boot a contractor off of its system, but it’s a fine line for them where they’ve taken fewer risks on this than Uber, because they absolutely do not want to be considered employers. Even if you haven’t encountered the “card not working, cash only”, I’m surprised you never encountered the “right too short”/“don’t want to go there” refusal.

MattGaiser 3y ago

This is also my experience with Toronto (and Athens and Barcelona and numerous other cities). I’ll stand for a half hour in the rain before I take another Toronto cab.

gentleman11 3y ago

I have never had an experience like this with a taxi in any city

JumpCrisscross 3y ago

Same in New York. Also fuck you if it’s shift change or you’re my former black roommate, who despite being a habitual suit wearer and Brown graduate would get passed by 90% of the cabs on Fifth Avenue. Since Uber, granted, they’ve massively improved. But take it away and, of course, the incentive structure guarantees one outcome.

a_random_canuck 3y ago

I’ve taken many taxis in Montreal and London and other European cities, and in Taiwan, and have never had anything like this happen to me. Instead I get Uber drivers who refuse to come to my pickup spot and drive around in circles hoping I’ll cancel the trip first so they can still get paid something.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]