Last night I got a taxi from 13th and Chestnut to 3rd and Brown for $8.00. The taxi driver was expedient and a professional driver. The car was what it was. This was after paying $8.76 to go from Kenshin Asian Diner (3rd and Spring Garden) to Smith’s (19th & Market) in an UberX that smelled like cat urine. I know this will come as a shock to some people, but I’m almost starting to lean towards taxi’s and here’s why:

  • ’16 Stats

    I can’t say for certain, but it does feel like the taxi’s have lowered their prices. I have no data to back this up. The chart to the right, made in ’16, shows considerably higher fees for taxi’s.

  • Taxi drivers are legitimately better drivers. I’ve been in contact with more Uber drivers who are fresh off the boat who don’t even know what side of the road they should be on. Exaggeration obviously, but a random civilian vs a “driver” is noticeable to me.
  • Getting into a taxi is easier than calling an Uber, especially in Center City. Calling Uber’s in crowded areas can be a nightmare. Jumping into a taxi takes 2 seconds.
  • Watching the Uber driver get to me is absurd. There will be 10 cars on the map, I confirm the ride, and then the guy who accepts is 6 minutes away and traveling in the wrong direction. Standing like a shithead waiting for an Uber is up on my list of not fun things to do.
  • They have added the “tip” function into the Uber app which I’m not sure is good or bad. It was cheaper because you didn’t have to tip.

Another reason I wrote this post is because you don’t know that driver’s mental state with Uber. I had a ride to the airport last week with a guy who has given 3,500 rides and he told 1,500 have been to the airport. He was driving up 2nd and got to Market, right where the entrance to 95 South is, and he drove passed it, made a loop around whatever hotel that was, came down Front, and then got onto that entrance. If you’ve given 1,500 rides to the airport and don’t know where that entrance is, there is something wrong with you. He was a nice guy with a 4.9 rating but he must have been on crazy meds or was just plain nuts. He kept talking to me about the 1981 Eagles team that went to the Super Bowl like I knew what he was talking about.

This isn’t an Uber bashing post or a Pro-Taxi post. It’s to point out that there is a place and time for both services. For people who rave about Uber, I’m sometimes not sure we are using the same service. I tend to get along with Taxi drivers as well so maybe I’m a bit biased to how bad people perceive the Taxi to be. My Uber rating is 4.7 which is an internal self measuring device that carries no real world rate. What’s yours?