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Cab companies to avoid?

Discussion in 'Getting There & Getting Around' started by win4me, May 13, 2014.

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  1. win4me

    win4me VIP Whale

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    We will be "cabbing" around town this trip and I was wondering if there are any companies we should try to avoid when calling for a ride? Or are they equal opportunity LHers? :wink2: Or any that folks recommend?

    (I have the Taxi Finder app so that should help us figure out if we are getting LHed)
     
  2. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

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    When you say "around town," do you mean you're planning to hit non-Strip, non-casino places? Or just that you're going to be traveling around to the main spots by cab? Because if it's the latter, you don't really have much opportunity to pick which cab company you use, it's just whatever's next in line. Also, many of the "companies" are under the same corporate umbrella; Frias, for example, operates like five different brands (Ace, Union, a couple others).

    All that being said, I've generally found that it's often more about getting a bad driver than a bad company, but others might disagree.
     
  3. vegasvic

    vegasvic VIP Whale

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    I agree. Each company has good and bad drivers. It's just another gamble you take while in Vegas. :beer:
     
  4. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    all :thumbsup:
    its pot luck , know where you going and how to get there . and pray you dont get ripped off
     
  5. melbedewy

    melbedewy MIA

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    When will people realize that if your priority is not getting ripped off you stay OUT of taxi's. Rely on rental cars, shuttles, buses and walking.
    Taxi should be only from one strip place to another and tell them "stay on the Strip".
     
  6. Sinatraatthesands

    Sinatraatthesands Low-Roller

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    Congrats to all. You've created another irrational long haul hysteric!
     
  7. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    well staying on the strip is one way they jack up the meter price, they love when you say that.

    much better to say run behind koval or frank sinatra or dean martin,
    i try never to run on the strip trafic is a nitemare
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2014
  8. win4me

    win4me VIP Whale

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    That is what I figured. Thanks for the responses :beer:
     
  9. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    By far most of the taxi rides I take in Las Vegas are at the hotels, just by joining the taxi line.

    Off-Strip I've had good luck with Whittlesea/Henderson. I keep the number in my cell phone. One trip when I was doing a lot of rides the one dispatcher started recognizing my voice. :)
     
  10. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    just incase people didnt know its illegal to hail a cab in vegas on the street, yes it can be done desecretly but still illegal
     
  11. aaisack

    aaisack VIP Whale

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    I avoid taking a cab whenever possible. In my experience half of Vegas' cabbies are crooks or belong in a mental institution. They have attempted to rip me off on numerous occasions. Many of them drive at ridiculous speeds and commit numerous infractions in a single ride. It's amazing to me that some of these guys are still on the road. The cab companies must have the politicians and police in their back pockets. In a single trip as a pedestrian I was almost hit twice by cabbies within a 24 hour period at the same intersection downtown (I had the walk sign at a crosswalk). The second time the driver had the gall to blare his horn at me (after he came a couple feet away from nailing me).

    I use the bus or one of the numerous free shuttles. The SDX stops at just a few places on the strip but is pretty quick compared to the Duece. This suits me fine. In 20+ trips I've gotten pretty good at getting around without one, including to and from the airport.
     
  12. Chuck2009x

    Chuck2009x VIP Whale

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    I must get lucky, unless I say I want to go up the Strip, on any trip going south to north, I've never had a cabbie do anything other than go bombing 70mph up Sinatra.
     
  13. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    My experience has been the opposite. I've had mostly good luck with taxi drivers in Las Vegas.

    The worst I can remember was when the driver was yapping incessantly and loudly in some Balto-Slavic language I could not readily identify into a cell phone for the entire trip.

    I've never been long-hauled (in Las Vegas, that is). In fact, I've learned a number of "sneak routes" from the drivers, such as the back ways in to various properties via those Rat Pack named streets and such.

    In a way, dealing with a taxi driver is like dealing with a vendor at work. You, the customer, are in charge and should be calling the shots. LOL, many vendors forget that they answer to us, the customer, and not the other way around. :)

    I don't want to p*ss off a driver, but I do want to let him (and in Las Vegas, it seems like it's almost always a "him") know that I know the correct way to go and that I am the one in charge. A polite but assertive "Bally's, take Swenson to Paradise" gets the point across. Dropping a few local slang terms such as "Trop" and "DI" ("Dee Aye") gives the message that you are familiar with the streets of the area and not fresh off of some turnip farm in Manitoba. :)

    The drivers are often very friendly and eager to do small talk. One of the more memorable exchanges, as I was taking a taxi to retrieve my rental car, having left it in place the night before after consuming far too many adult beverages to safely drive, went something like this ...

    He: Where to?

    Me: Bahama Breeze, please.

    He: Uh, it doesn't open until noon, you know.

    Me: I know, I'm just picking up my rental car, too many beverages, etc.

    He: I sure wish more people would do that. When I'm on nights I've lost count of the near-miss accidents from drivers who should not be out there ...
     
  14. melbedewy

    melbedewy MIA

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    That's you cause you know the roads as I do-I also know the cabs are ripoffs way too often. For the OP the side roads are a recipe for disaster.
    Other than Friday/Saturday nights the Strip traffic is not so horrendous as to avoid. Better that then to go from the Wynn to Palms by way of Paradise-if not the tunnel. :rolleyes2:
     
  15. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    You'll get "screwed" in any city in the world with a taxi. Save yourself the hassle and just pick one up outside a hotel. Cab service sucks in Vegas when you call one if you are more than a mile from the strip (as a general rule).
     
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