The Worst Times to Hail a Cab

There’s little worse than fumbling with your bags while you try to get your bearings in an unfamiliar city when you need to hail a taxi – unless, of course, it’s pouring with rain at the same time. It really gets ugly if it’s rush hour, the local bus company is on strike, and the temperature is steadily dropping. What else could make your cab ride truly miserable?

Hailing a cab during shift changes

Like most of us, cabbies keep to a particular schedule – this means they have regular shift changes because no one works a 24-hour day. Whenever drivers are returning to base for the shift change, you’re going to have a harder time hailing a cab.  It’s not because they don’t want your business, but rather, because “rules are rules”. In most areas, the peak for cab shortages due to “shift change” is going to be right around 5pm. So if you know you’re going to need a taxi during what’s already the busiest time of day on the road, you’d do well to book ahead.

Getting caught in a “hail swarm”

The odds are good that if you’re trying to hail a taxi, you’re out of your element already – somewhere unfamiliar, somewhere far from home, somewhere you’ve gone for a special event. The trouble with these situations is you, and all 10,000 of your new best friends are also standing outside the venue trying to flag down a cab.  Good venues will have stewards who organize the flow of available taxis as well as the onslaught of hopeful riders – but you’re still likely to be in for a long wait. If you’re willing to walk a block or so away from the main event, the odds of hailing your own cab shoot up dramatically.

Not knowing where you’re going

Fair enough, you’re not from around here – but your cab driver should be, right? The truth is in many areas, the cab drivers aren’t much better at navigating side streets than the tourists. Taking the scenic route is all fine and good if you’re truly interested in seeing the sites and/or have money to burn – but for the rest of us, who need to get where we’re going without breaking the bank, knowing the exact address of “The Waterfront Hotel” is a huge step. Packing a mobile device with GPS or an actual map is another huge bonus for budget-minded travelers.

That time your taxi wasn’t really a taxi

This is a tricky area, but very important for solo business travelers in unfamiliar areas: know what marks/insignias/placards genuine, licensed taxis should display wherever you are going. Licensed taxis are bound by local regulations pertaining to everything from insurance to fares – which means you know where you stand in terms of cost, have a path of recourse should something go awry, and are able to trace the driver or firm should the need arise. This isn’t to say that unlicensed operations are to be avoided at all costs – in some areas, there are flourishing alternatives to traditional taxi ranks – but it’s important to know the best options for the market you’re traveling in and consider them carefully before buckling yourself in for a ride.

Some of the worst experiences other people have had using taxis are also among the best opportunities for the rest of us to learn how to make the most of our own journeys, we hope these examples can help you find ways to improve your next taxi trip.

10 Reasons to Take Cab Instead of Drive

Owning a car has many benefits, but there are many perks to taking a cab instead of driving. From cost factors to freedom and flexibility to environmental reasons, taking a cab has many benefits.

Cost Factors:

Driving to the Airport.  When you drive to the airport you must park in the lot. Depending on the length of your travel, this could result in a substantial cost. By taking a cab, you are dropped right at the airport loading zone and can be picked up in the same area saving you both time and money.

Work.  Depending on how far away you live from work, taking a cab can save you considerably on parking costs. Not only is finding parking often difficult but paying for the parking can result in a high monthly bill. Keep in mind a cab bills by time, not by distance, so carefully evaluate the time it takes to get to work rather than the miles.

Maintenance.  Lets face it, cars are expensive to own and maintain. The more you use a cab, the less wear and tear on your own vehicle.

Groups.  Gather a few friends and head over to happy hour or out to dinner. By sharing the costs of the cab, the costs will be minimal.

Flexibility:

Night Out.  Enjoying a night out and not having to worry about where your car is parked, how long is left on the parking meter or if the car is in a safe area can make your night out more enjoyable. Stay as long as you want without any worries.

Ease.  Catching a cab is relatively easy and allows a lot of flexibility in your plans. You don’t have to worry about the location of your car and staying close enough to get back to it. Go out, enjoy your time in the city and when you are done, simply hail a cab.

Busy Events.  Enjoying many of the activities a big city offers is a wonderful perk but dealing with traffic, parking and crowds can make it quite difficult to navigate when driving your own vehicle. By taking a cab, you can avoid all the hassles and frustrations that come with big events and driving.

Drinking and Driving.  Perhaps one of the best known reasons to use a cab is the well known phrase “Don’t drink and drive!” Meet up with your friends, co-workers, family and leave the worries behind. You don’t have to worry about a designated driver or how much you are drinking. Relax and enjoy your time knowing you will not be driving home and a cab driver will handle the responsibility of returning you home safely.

Time.  Think of things you can do in a cab that you may not have time for. Can you read the newspaper? Catch up on a book? Do a crossword puzzle? Make a phone call? When you drive, you have to focus on the road but not when you have a driver. For many, this time is invaluable.

Environmental:

Pollution.  The fewer cars on the roadway reduce the overall pollution. Using a cab with other people to carpool to events or functions may not seem like it will make a difference but over time and with more people being conscious, the benefits will begin to add up. It is important for everyone to be aware and to do their part.

The next time you find yourself groaning about the hassles of driving, consider a cab! You may find it an enjoyable experience that allows you to relax and enjoy your time away that much more.

Why are Taxicabs Yellow?

Yellow taxicabs are as iconic to America as apple pie and baseball. While the United Kingdom employs a fleet of black cars, the United States from New York to San Francisco employ a fleet of bright yellow taxi cabs to take passengers around busy city streets. While the yellow color of a cab is easily recognizable and rather ingrained in the minds of Americans few seem to know where the yellow cab came from and how it developed into the iconic image you know and love today.

Taxis Didn’t Start off Yellow 

The first legitimate taxicabs can be traced back to 1907, when a fleet of cabs were dispersed across new York by Harry N. Allen. The cabs were affixed with taximeters, and were painted red and green. While Allen launched the world of taxi cabs, his chosen color combination simply did not stick. The cab business began to grow and expand to multiple cities, and many began painting their cars alternative colors. Albert Rockwell, for example, began a taxicab company that utilized the iconic yellow color. He was not the first, and by far not the last to utilize yellow as the unofficial “official” color of taxis. The cab drivers were also dressed in official uniforms, perhaps, to mimic the look of the black car service available in other parts of the world.

Color Psychology

While the yellow taxicab is an iconic statement, there is a psychological reason why yellow is the staple color for taxis. In 1915 John Hertz commissioned a psychological study to find out what color was easiest to see at a distance. Hertz asked for the study, because he was building a cab company in the city of Chicago. The study found that yellow stood out the most to people at a distance, and thus, yellow won as the color that would be used by Hertz’s cab company.

While Hertz’s study was the first of its kind, it was not the first time yellow had been used on Taxis. In fact, the Yellow Cab Company, began some ten years prior in New York, and yellow was the chosen color. Why yellow was used prior to the university study remains somewhat of a myth. Some claim yellow the favorite color of Albert Rockwell’s wife. Rockwell, was one of the first businessmen to begin a cab company.

Making it Official

While yellow had been the preferred color of taxicabs for a number of years, a 1967 decision in the city of New York set the color in stone. The ruling made it so official taxis were yellow in color. The decision helped to solidify and legitimize a business that had been running, largely unregulated, for decades in New York. Many other cities followed suit, ensuring that official taxis all donned the yellow color to make them easily recognizable and legitimate to city dwellers and tourists.