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urban1 · 04-29-2007, 09:56 AM

Cabs are terrible in Calgary when compared to any other large city. Theres two problems: 1) dispatch and 2) too few cabs.

I live in a community just outside of downtown and take cabs quite often. Both for going out in the evenings and to work (instead of transit or driving and paying for parking.)

1) dispatch is definitely a bottleneck in the system. Even the cab drivers will tell you that dispatch is a joke. I dont really know why the cab companies create the bottle neck here. Sometimes in the winter I will take a can to work in the morning - anywhere between 6 and 7 am. Sometimes at 5:30am on weekday morning its impossible to get through and then after trying for 15 minutes you will finally get through and be on hold for another 15 minutes. Then when I talk with the cab driver they will tell you that the dispatchers are a-holes and that cabs are sitting around at that time waiting for fares but dispatch is understaffed and the person working doesnt really give a sh*t. I think most companies only have one person on staff per shift because at least in the mornings, i recognize the same voices all the time.

2) Theres definitely a shortage of cabs. If on a weekend evening I cant get through to dispatch, I will walk to a nearby street that busy with pubs and restaurants. Even here, its next to impossible to flag down a cab. Every cab that flies by has people in it and even ones that are dropping people off wont pick anyone up because they have another pickup already arranged. I dont know how many, if any new taxi licenses the city has added in the past few years. Look how much the city has grown - the taxi fleet definitely hasnt kept. Cab drivers will always say theres already too many cabs because its in their interest to keep up the value of a taxi license and to guarantee their business stays profitable. But theres gotta be a point where the cab companies themselves would make more money if they added more cabs. The city needs to look into adding new licenses. (I also now that now it may be a problem getting cab drivers but I dont believe that theres cabs sitting empty.)

Some tips:

Pre-arranged pickups are a possible solution but not great. If you call a couple of hours or even a day in advance to arrange a pickup chances are you will get a cab. Problem is that it could be quite late as people mentioned earlier in the thread. I had a couple of bad experiences and wouldnt recommend this. Ive also had a coworker who missed a flight this winter because the cab didnt show up at all and it was on a stormy day and they couldnt get through to the company to get another cab and had no other way to get to the airport.

The cab companies have a second dispatch number that isnt publicized. I dont have my phone near me right now otherwise Id post the numbers. Theyre similar to the main numbers but one or two digits off. These used to be great when the main numbers werek busy but even now these have gotten harder to get thru.

#taxi on the cell phone sux. save your money and dont use it. if you cant get thru to the cab companies, neither will this and youll still get the charge on your bill and then have to argue to get it removed.

Best bet: Someone mentioned it already. If you have a friendly cab driver, ask for his card and ask him if you can call him directly. This is great if youre going out for the nite and will need a pickup later in the night when its impossible to flag down a cab. A lot of the drivers will tell you what shifts they work; ive now got a few guys i can call early on weekday mornings. Most drivers will also give you someone else to call if they cant come pick you when you call them. By far this is the best bet to make sure you get to where you need to be.

04-29-2007, 09:56 AM	#20
urban1 Scoring Winger Join Date: Apr 2007 Exp:	Cabs are terrible in Calgary when compared to any other large city. Theres two problems: 1) dispatch and 2) too few cabs. I live in a community just outside of downtown and take cabs quite often. Both for going out in the evenings and to work (instead of transit or driving and paying for parking.) 1) dispatch is definitely a bottleneck in the system. Even the cab drivers will tell you that dispatch is a joke. I dont really know why the cab companies create the bottle neck here. Sometimes in the winter I will take a can to work in the morning - anywhere between 6 and 7 am. Sometimes at 5:30am on weekday morning its impossible to get through and then after trying for 15 minutes you will finally get through and be on hold for another 15 minutes. Then when I talk with the cab driver they will tell you that the dispatchers are a-holes and that cabs are sitting around at that time waiting for fares but dispatch is understaffed and the person working doesnt really give a sh*t. I think most companies only have one person on staff per shift because at least in the mornings, i recognize the same voices all the time. 2) Theres definitely a shortage of cabs. If on a weekend evening I cant get through to dispatch, I will walk to a nearby street that busy with pubs and restaurants. Even here, its next to impossible to flag down a cab. Every cab that flies by has people in it and even ones that are dropping people off wont pick anyone up because they have another pickup already arranged. I dont know how many, if any new taxi licenses the city has added in the past few years. Look how much the city has grown - the taxi fleet definitely hasnt kept. Cab drivers will always say theres already too many cabs because its in their interest to keep up the value of a taxi license and to guarantee their business stays profitable. But theres gotta be a point where the cab companies themselves would make more money if they added more cabs. The city needs to look into adding new licenses. (I also now that now it may be a problem getting cab drivers but I dont believe that theres cabs sitting empty.) Some tips: Pre-arranged pickups are a possible solution but not great. If you call a couple of hours or even a day in advance to arrange a pickup chances are you will get a cab. Problem is that it could be quite late as people mentioned earlier in the thread. I had a couple of bad experiences and wouldnt recommend this. Ive also had a coworker who missed a flight this winter because the cab didnt show up at all and it was on a stormy day and they couldnt get through to the company to get another cab and had no other way to get to the airport. The cab companies have a second dispatch number that isnt publicized. I dont have my phone near me right now otherwise Id post the numbers. Theyre similar to the main numbers but one or two digits off. These used to be great when the main numbers werek busy but even now these have gotten harder to get thru. #taxi on the cell phone sux. save your money and dont use it. if you cant get thru to the cab companies, neither will this and youll still get the charge on your bill and then have to argue to get it removed. Best bet: Someone mentioned it already. If you have a friendly cab driver, ask for his card and ask him if you can call him directly. This is great if youre going out for the nite and will need a pickup later in the night when its impossible to flag down a cab. A lot of the drivers will tell you what shifts they work; ive now got a few guys i can call early on weekday mornings. Most drivers will also give you someone else to call if they cant come pick you when you call them. By far this is the best bet to make sure you get to where you need to be.