A meaningful title involving taxis
I felt the need to ramble on about taxis. Since I'm a city employee, I can take the bus for free (supposedly only to and from work). But that involves a walk to the bus stop and a longish ride on the bus, and at the wee hours of the morning, I'm not always so inclined. And when going anywhere other than work, it invariably involves two buses and takes at least an hour. So, needless to say, I have some experience with cabs, as expensive as they are.
For the longest time, I took one particular cab company. To get to work cost me 10.25, then it cost me 10.50, then it cost me 10.75, all in the span of about 9 months. And one time they charged me 11$. It was getting ridiculous, so I've since switched.
One time, I was trying to catch a flight.. I think I detailed this elsewhere. Driver was new (in town!) and couldn't find me, so was late picking me up, and I almost missed the bus to the airport, which meant I would've missed my flight. Next time I went to try to catch that same bus, though not to go to the airport, the driver didn't have change so stopped at a gas station. Also, despite this being about a 10 minute ride, and even shorter than the trip to work, it costs about 50% more. Because this cab company charges based on how far they drive from the cab company to pick you up, and how far they have to drive back to the cab company after they drop you off. It makes for truly ridiculous fares at times. To go across the street from home, I think it would cost 20$.
So I sought a cheaper alternative. The company I use now charges 9.50 to get to work. But I've more often run into cabbies not having change. Dude, it's your job, bring some small bills to work with you. One time this contributed to making me nearly 20 minutes late for work.
But what prompted the post today is that I was asked to share a cab with some guy waiting at the mall. I was nice and agreed, though I pointed out this would make me late for work. And then when I got here, he charged full fare anyway! Dude, sharing the cab should include sharing the fare, or at least you should compensate for making me late for work. On top of that, I lost a quarter in the seat. A couple of the pockets in these pants are very good for keeping things in them when you're sitting.
So am I going to get a car? I still don't see how. Cars are expensive. I can't even afford my student loan payments. But boy, do I have some ideas about how to run a taxi company.
