Long Hauling, still alive and well!!

After 16 years of going to Vegas like most members have been long ride by taxi's only once traveling from the airport to the Mirage, about 13 years ago. Like most have also learned how not to let this happen again. However we have never been long ride from the Hotel back to the airport until this trip. Luckily for us we called him out on it a block out from the Mirage heading back to the airport. So word to the wise, take the time to look at a map. In saying that, I can honestly say this will never happen again leaving the Mirage going to the airport. I can only hope.

 

What was he trying to do, and what did he say when you called him on it?

 

Merlin, thanks for asking, when you leave the Mirage you turn right on the blvd. going south, get in the left lane to turn left on Flamingo Rd. then right onto Paradise Rd. towards the airport. This is the way that we have always gone back to the airport. When we left the Mirage he stayed in the far right lane and was going to turn right on Flamingo to take the Hwy. I thank my wife for catching this because I was checking emails on my phone at the time. We ask him if he was taking the Hwy and he said "yes". We told him NO WAY!! He then drove about 10 mph slower than the speed limit the rest of the way to the airport. He only got a two dollar tip instead of what we usually give them. However he was driving a Prius so he may have had the thing floored the whole time.

 

He knew what he was doing, a no tip was called for.

 

I totally agree!!!!

 

Between the airport and hotel or vice versa I take uber or lyft.
I've been long hauled too many times. The cabbies will no longer get that fare from me.

 

Agree.

And they can thank their colleagues as described above for accelerating the growth of Uber.

 

Exactly!

As long as Uber/Lyft is operating in Vegas, I will not be taking any more cabs.

 

In November 2014, I was going to the airport from NYNY when the cab driver turns the wrong way. When I called him on it, he tried to tell me that the highway was the best way to go and when I called that a load of crapulence, he tried to say there was construction on Tropicana so they'd all been redirected to go this way. I told him I'd made this trip several times and that it cost $15 tops to get to the airport from NYNY and I had no intention of paying more. As I said this, I got out my phone and started looking for his identification. He turned the cab around and made his sullen way to the airport.

That was the last straw for me when it came to cabs. During my 2015 trip, I tried Lyft. LOVED IT! I'm trying Uber when I go in October. What I'm not trying anymore are cabs.

 

As we fly in from the UK, most cabbies feel that entitles them to long haul us. The last occasion, when we arrived at the Plaza, we just refused to pay. The cabbie eventually accepted $20 less. Not the best start to our trip.
So we tried Uber, but without US roaming on our cell phones it's difficult. If we add US roaming charges, we might as well overpay for a cab.
Lyft didn't seem to work on our UK phones.
For us, the answer was a small limo, $50, no queuing, no arguments & no filthy cab. Cost is a bit more but after at least 11 hours on a plane, well worth it
The sad thing is, 10 years ago the cabs in Vegas were good. Something changed!

 

Not sure the last time you visited Vegas but the airport now has free wifi. I flew in from across the pond a few months ago worried about the roaming situation as well. Fortunately I picked up my bag, turned on the free wifi (no personal details required to be entered), opened the Uber app, booked the car and enjoyed the ride. In fact, the wifi worked right through to the pick up area.

 

We got long hauled years ago FROM Mandalay Bay! I commented to the driver when we were in the parking lot by their convention center, he said something about it being faster. I said, no, it's not and he kept going. We paid him what the fare WOULD have been had ne not long hauled us.

 

Yeah I got tired of having to give cabbies explicit directions to resorts on the strip as if they'd never been there before, I now do the Bell shared limo service when I go to town. It's only $28 round trip plus tips, and since there's no incentive for the drivers to go the long way the trip is usually even faster than a cab.

I've done it a few times and haven't had to "share" a ride (despite the name) on any trip, and even if I did I usually stay south strip so I imagine I'd be first dropped off. Plus you feel a little more swaggy when you roll up to the valet in a Town Car or an Escalade instead of a beat up Prius cab.

 

^^^^ This is my go-to every trip now. Even with mom where it becomes $56 RT for two of us (plus tips), it still is better than paying in the 40's and battling with a cab driver. Not much more for downtown drop-off.

 

I third the Bell Trans shared service. I used it last year in Vegas. had a SUV going downtown and a stretch limo back to the airport, $28 plus tip round trip.

 

You say he tried to long haul you and yet still gave a tip. $2 is still quite good money. That is called a positive reinforcement. You can rest assured that this guy will continue his attempts at long hauling if everyone tipped him $2.

To stop him, one should give zero tip, or some amount like 10c to make him feel miserable for his act. Or maybe even call the cab authority and provide his license plate etc. Only this kind of attitude can solve this stupid practice.

I chose to do neither, as I stopped riding cabs in Vegas for a long time. That could be another option for you too.

 

Has anyone actually done the complaint to the Taxicab Authority? Is it much of a hassle? Is the phone answered by a live body? ("Your call is very important, please wait for the next ...") Has anyone had a positive outcome by complaining?

 

I called them after we were long hauls but all I had was the cab company name and not the drivers name so there wasn't much they could do.

 

It was such a hassle it bordered on ludicrous.

First I called a number I found online, they then had me fill something out online. I had taxi number, company name, driver name, I wrote it all down because I knew I was being long hauled. Thought I was done, it's an open and shut complaint right?

Wrong. Three freaking months later an investigator calls me and says I have to write a notorized statement to be sent in since I'm not based in Vegas. The investigator says after I send in a notorized statement, then I have to pick the cabbie out of a freaking picture line up. I'll be honest, I gave up at that point.

I'm not joking. This is exactly how it went down in May-August 2015. It was absurd. After that I refuse to take a taxi to or from the airport. I use uber/lyft or I spring for a limo, never again will I be in that situation.

 

FYI, got longhauled last trip by an UBER driver. Didn't even see it coming. Started driving out of the pickup area after we told him Caesars first to drop of our friend, then to the Cosmo. He "starts having trouble with his GPS" or something, couldn't get Ceasars on it (couldn't spell it he said) and asked us to get out our phones to map it. Turns out, while I was getting out my phone and trying to pull it up, he gets on the highway. He then pulls over to the side of the shoulder on the highway, types in Caesars and heads off. By that point we were already on it and no going back.

Two things I can think of why he did this. 1, to keep us occupied and not looking at the highway to see he was longhauling, or 2, that if he pulled up the GPS at the pickup in the airport it would have not been a longhaul, but he knew if he pulled over on the side of the highway and mapped it from that point, it would be a longhaul.

Either way, I rated him a 1. UBER refunded the trip. I gave him no tip.