the Price of Taxis

This experience begins with no knowledge of taxis in an area. I glanced through a phone book on a late Friday afternoon, and discovered the full selection available to me. I was in a huge suburb where you never see identifiable taxis, making any nearby taxi service very powerful by way of this geographic monopoly. I called one gentleman who posted a regular small-font phone book listing. His heavy accent was slightly difficult to comprehend, but he was not the man that would eventually drive me. We agreed for me to meet his driver later at a book store.

I arrived there at the designated time and received a phone call from them. The driver was very close and on his way. I waited a couple minutes past the agreed upon time, and no one arrived. The driver soon called me to ask where I was, and we discovered that due to the foreign language complication, he was waiting for me at a nearby restaurant that happened to have in its title the word that served as the name of the book store where I was waiting. He soon found me and I entered his burgundy touring sedan with leather seats and a very comfortable climate.

The cost of the ride was $65 plus I gave a $15 tip.

The service this gentleman provided was exceptional. He was older and very well spoken. His driving skills were standard and even though he sped a little, he never made me feel concerned for my safety. He confirmed my acceptance of the air conditioning level, and the music selection and volume. He asked abstract questions about me and we had a very enjoyable conversation about his associations to my information. We spoke of his son's recent graduation at my university and about how coming to this country, coupled with his hard work, made his son's dream a reality. This conversation was the primary service I appreciated the most, and it made me forget all about the complicated path leading up my getting in his taxi.

The only negative I experienced was the occasional squawking of his CB radio back to his dispatch partner. This was ever so slight, though. I feel that because of all of these details, it was well worth the eighty-five dollars.

I recommend giving a chance to the taxi service providers with the tiny and simplistic phone book ads. The language difficulty was minor, and is simply something to be accepted. I definitely recommend the comfort of touring sedans, as opposed to traditional taxis or the popular mini-wan taxi.

Before this experience I wish I had discovered better human opinions on these services, such as local blogs or taxi service portals.