Yellow cars, cold city and bitterness…

So we all know about the war that’s going on not only here in Montreal but also in many other countries. UBER VS CAB drivers. Some might think it’s a stupid war, while others are very concerned about the taxi drivers and their role in city life.

Now on my side, I never really took a side. I always thought that both concepts should exist because they have a common clientele. There’s competition everywhere now so why wouldn’t there be for taxi transportation?

I asked two simple questions to people around me: Which type of transportation made them feel safer and which one  would they choose over the other.
I am not quite sure why, but I was surprised with the results .

Looking at these results, we can see that cab drivers are still very popular.  Remember that Uber is still new and yet they have two thirds of Taxi’s percentage – very impressive and clearly sending a message to cab drivers everywhere.

Most people I know who use Uber do so because of the ease to pay via their phone. It’s fast, simple and apparently reliable.

But there will be Taxi loyalist. For example, I don’t think that the seniors will take the time to order an Uber car to go to their medical appointment. So at least the cab drivers don’t have to worry about loosing them 😉

Now here is my story on why I’ve changed my view on CABS …

On a beautiful evening, something very frustrating, scary and disappointing happened to me. Now I have to put you in context. I know my way around the city very well and have a pretty good sense of orientation. Not only that but when it comes to cab drivers, I usually put a lot of trust in them. I don’t know why – maybe because I feel like they know all the possible routes, or that they know the city and love it so they must know how to get you to your destination via the fastest route. It’s even better when they’re nice and don’t make long detours to make you pay more. I mean, the’re kind of like the public bus drivers. They know where they are going but then again… Some of them don’t.

On the night of the Saturday 17th, I was very excited. I was attending my 1st paid gig at a fashion show.  I was ready to go, got all dolled up and called a cab to make it on time. The cab got to my place and off we went. So far, so good.  Nothing to worry about.

I was pretty tired that day ( working 2 jobs ) so I kind of dozed off here and there only to open my eyes and realize…. Damn! I have been in the taxi for more than 30 minutes and had not arrived yet. It was odd  because I always look up new places before I go and it was supposed to be a 15-20 minutes ride.

I didn’t recognize the surroundings so I asked him why we were going all the way around and how come we hadn’t arrived yet. I guess he took it personally and told me that he was trying to avoid traffic on Sherbrooke (I don’t even know why we needed to be on Sherbrooke anyway). I asked him to drop me off because it was already like 25-28$ of ride and it was way to expensive for this supposedly SHORT ride. He didn’t even stop and kept on going trying to FINALLY put the address in his GPS.

Now we’re really lost and I really really didn’t know where I was. I got very anxious and asked him to drop me off but he didn’t stop AGAIN… At this point,  I actually thought I was going to flip out…

I asked him to drop me off yet ANOTHER time. He finally agreed but, as if to add a final blow, he had the audacity to ask me to make a DEAL !!!

The bill was at 35$ ,  So I told him that I wouldn’t pay the full amount because he didn’t stop when I asked the first time.  He asked if I was sure that I wanted to be dropped here and of course I said YES.

What can I do? Get upset and leave without paying? Not an option … especially when the man just picked you up at your place! |I paid him $25 only to have to walk around for 35-40 min to finally get to a familiar place. I was not dressed to walk that distance, especially in heels. I cried so much that  I couldn’t breathe properly and I was having a panic attack in the middle of nowhere with NOBODY around for the first 15 mins except a car driving super fast to god knows where.

In the end, it was a very bad experience and I don’t wish it to nobody. I have been spending my hard earned money on cabs since forever but this will definitely change.

I think the bad opinion that people express regarding Uber is because they don’t understand the procedure or the application process for the drivers.  Not only that, it’s change and companies, such as the Taxi Industry tend to push away changement, but sometimes it can be for the best. I will definitely give it a try and as from now on I will have a route prepared to use for everywhere I go .

But the real question is :

Why do we  feel more safe in a Cab then a Uber Car .  Let’s just remember that both of them are strangers …

To be continued with my next Cab ride or will it be Uber…