I know, I know: it\u2019s hard to believe. But it\u2019s true! I arrived at the Austin airport a few weeks ago, counting on Uber to get me from the airport to my hotel, but when I opened my app\u2014bam! No Uber in Austin. And double-bam: no pink-mustachioed Lyft, either!<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to believe that any major metropolitan areas aren\u2019t covered by these sorts of services nowadays, but in turns out that numerous<\/em> cities are giving push-back to the independent contractor concept. Take-home message?<\/p>\n So what\u2019s a gal traveling alone to do?<\/p>\n Of course there\u2019s usually public transit available, but unfortunately, that\u2019s typically not the most expedient option. Which means that when one is pressed for time, well, one must consider a good old fashioned taxi.<\/p>\n This week finds me in Mexico City (which does have Uber, by the way), so for the purposes of today\u2019s blog, I thought I\u2019d take advantage of the city\u2019s numerous taxis to put together a visual tutorial on the topic.\u00a0Not only will these tips up the odds for your personal safety, but they\u2019ll also increase the likelihood of you paying a fair rate. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Because nothing says “government” like the color pink.<\/p><\/div>\n At the airport<\/em>\u2014especially in many non-US countries, where you\u2019re frequently approached by independent taxi contractors the second you clear customs\u2014this means only getting in a cab at the official taxi stand at the curb. In the city center<\/em>, find out from your hotel concierge (or guidebook) which cab companies are officially vetted by the government. For example, in Mexico, it\u2019s the pink-and-white or red-and-gold cars (they\u2019ll all be pink and white by 2017). These are the cars you can safely flag down from street curbs. Take a pass on any independent contractors.<\/p>\n Mexico cab licenses are so huge they take up the entire window!<\/p><\/div>\n In Mexico, they post huge copies of their license on the rear curb-side window. In other cities, they\u2019re frequently attached to one of the car\u2019s visors. Look at the license, check that it\u2019s not expired, and MAKE SURE THE PICTURE ON THE LICENSE MATCHES YOUR DRIVER! It sounds like a huge pain in the ass, but in reality, it only takes seconds. If you can\u2019t see the license easily because it\u2019s on a visor, ask the cabbie to show it to you. They may grumble, but I\u2019ve never had them refuse.<\/p>\n Not just a for-show meter, but one that actually WORKS!<\/p><\/div>\n I was traveling with my husband in Vietnam several years ago, and we got into a cab late one night without checking this detail. This isn\u2019t so much a safety concern (although it should raise some alarm bells!) as it is an economic concern. You don\u2019t want to be taken for a five-minute drive and charged $50! As we started to pull away from the curb, we realized our error, and my husband insisted that the driver return us to the sidewalk. He doesn\u2019t speak a lick of Vietnamese, but his obvious ire got his point across. Save yourself the hassle: don\u2019t get into this predicament in the first place.<\/p>\n It ain’t fancy, but as long as it’s functional, I’m happy.<\/p><\/div>\n I learned this tip during last year\u2019s World Cup (while writing a blog on the topic, alas, and not actually attending). Apparently, a popular way to kidnap people in some countries is to get them into a cab from which they cannot exit on their own. The driver then takes the victim to a private location where much badness ensues. Play it extra safe, and check that door handle before you close the door.<\/p>\n I wouldn’t crack my windows quite this much, but at least they’re not *all* the way down.<\/p><\/div>\n Or if it\u2019s stifling, then just crack it a few inches for some air flow. What you\u2019re doing is making it difficult for someone to reach into the car from the street while you\u2019re idling at a stoplight (or, in a place like Mexico City, trapped in a traffic jam). This sort of intrusion is probably not meant to do you harm, but rather, to snatch your bag or other valuables. Don\u2019t make it easy. And don\u2019t be shy about rolling the window all the way up if someone approaches your cracked window and makes you feel uncomfortable. They\u2019re probably just going to ask for money, but better safe than sorry.<\/p>\n Our Google overlords, protecting us from harm….<\/p><\/div>\n Even if you\u2019ve done everything right, you could still end up in the car of a crooked cabbie who plans to take you on a circuitous, pricey drive. Track the little moving dot on your screen and make sure you\u2019re taking a (reasonably) expedient route. I\u2019ve personally never had someone try to take me the long way, but if that were to happen, I would suggest casually mentioning that your map shows that, say, Smith Street might be faster. This is a non-confrontational way for your cabbie to learn that you\u2019re keeping an eye on things, and it allows him\/her to save face while they return to proper behavior.<\/p>\n * * * * *<\/p>\n Finally, even if you find yourself in an Uber-less city, check the Apps store to see if there\u2019s a similar service for the local cab company. For example, Greece and Peru have TaxiBeat<\/a>, which\u2014as far as I can tell\u2014functions almost exactly like Uber, except with taxis instead of private vehicles. Once you know which cabs are government-approved, you\u2019re still safe to hail cabs from the road, but it\u2019s always nice to have the option to directly request a cab and pay for it securely online.<\/p>\n I know I have a lot of readers who are mega-frequent travelers, so I\u2019d love to get your $0.02 on how you handle transit in terrain outside your hometown. Drop me a line via the Contacts form<\/a>!<\/p>\n Like what you\u2019re seeing on the blog? Then you\u2019ll LOVE my Instagram! I mini-blog over on the IG every damn day! Give me a follow at http:\/\/bit.ly\/KStarmerTHEGRAM<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Uber is awesome, isn\u2019t it? No matter what area of the world you\u2019re in, you can open the Uber app on your phone and find someone to give you a ride. Usually within minutes! Except\u2026when there is no Uber!!! I know, I know: it\u2019s hard to believe. But it\u2019s true! I arrived at the Austin airport a few weeks ago, … <\/p>\nUber and Lyft aren\u2019t as ubiquitous as most of us think.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
6 things\u00a0you should look for before you crawl into a stranger\u2019s cab:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Only use officially recognized cab companies<\/h4>\n
![\"Mexico](\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/web-Pink-and-White-Mexico-City-Taxi-300x157.png\")
Look for the cab driver\u2019s posted license<\/h4>\n
![\"mexico](\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/web-Taxi-License-225x300.png\")
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Make sure the cab has a functioning meter<\/h4>\n
![\"mexico](\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/WEB-Taxi-Meter-288x300.png\")
Make sure the interior passenger door has a functioning door handle<\/h4>\n
![\"mexico](\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/web-Door-handle-225x300.png\")
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Keep your window rolled up<\/h4>\n
![\"mexico](\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/web-Cab-windows-rolled-down-300x168.png\")
Use Google maps to track your progress<\/h4>\n
![\"google](\"http:\/\/192.241.231.59\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/web-Google-Map-FullSizeRender-228x300.png\")
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