Dear Cab Drivers
Like many others, I have crossed over to the “dark side” of Uber/Lyft, and have been very happy.
That decision was reinforced recently when I took a cab home from the airport. The cab driver was friendly until I told him my destination was a short distance. And glad I was that I only live a short distance because as soon as he found out, he started his lecture.
He was so disappointed that he had been sitting for 3 hours at the airport without a customer and now I come along with my short trip and how is this going to help him pay his mortgage. Then he started on about how Uber was destroying the cab industry followed by a rant about no regulations and dirty politicians.
I sat quietly in the back seat wondering if he knew I wished I had tried out my Uber App when I landed.
Well Mr Cab Driver, I dont want anyone to be out of a job, but lets face it, this is America, the land of free enterprise. So instead of lecturing your poor customers about the evils of Uber, why dont you take positive measures. There are several reasons why we switched to alternate modes of transportation.
1. Convenience in payment – You never know when you get in a cab if they will take your credit card, charge an extra credit card fee or make you stop at an ATM along the way to pay cash. I love that with Uber, you give them a pick up and drop off and your credit card is billed automatically.
3. Dependability – More then once I called a cab to bring me to the airport and waited over 30 minutes for it to get there, sometimes longer, and there were times it never showed up leaving me panicking to find a way to the airport without missing my flight.
4. You can rate your driver – If Uber sees a trend with poor ratings they boot you out. Cab drivers on the other hand were able to be as cranky as they pleased for years, because they were after all, the only ride in town.
5. Cleanliness – I can’t tell you how often I have gotten out of a cab and wondered if I should go to the hosptial and get a tetanus shot. You can’t tell me there is a regulation that keeps you from cleaning your car. Most Uber’s I have been in are clean and smell good.
So come on cab drivers using uber is about a lot more than just a cheaper rid – its about service as well. Instead of knocking them, clean up your acts, show the public your just as good as the competition. Cab drivers are known for their tenacity and drive (no pun intended). So do some positive PR and get back in the game. And for heavens sake whatever you do, when you get a customer, do not spend the entire ride complaining about the evils of Uber, I promise you that kind of negativity will never get you a five star rating.
Pink Hat Gypsy 