1. If you only have Cash
Rideshare vehicles such as Uber and Lyft only allow payment through a credit card processed on the application. For travelers who wish to use cash, taking a taxi is your best option as taxis are one of the only for hire vehicles to still accept cash as a form of payment.
2. Guaranteed rides
While Uber promotes their scheduled rides feature, it is widely known that this does not guarantee you a ride. Uber’s scheduled ride feature simply requests a ride for you at your desired pickup time but if there is not a driver available in your area, your ride request will not be fulfilled. Taxis on the other hand take advanced bookings and will be there to pick you up even if it is at 3am in the morning to catch an early flight.
3. Safety regulations
There is a lot of debate around the safety of Uber vehicles especially after Uber’s most recently released safety report. While there is always some danger in getting into a car with a stranger, Taxi vehicles and drivers have to undergo much more rigorous background checks and vehicle safety requirements than Uber drivers. If you are worried about your safety, taking a taxi is still the better option.
4. Cities where Cabs are Plentiful
If you are traveling to a city where taxi cabs are a notorious form of transport (think New York City!) then you are often better off taking a cab than ordering an Uber. In these select cities, the pricing tends to be similar and it is much faster to hail a cab than to order and wait for an Uber. In New York City, yellow cabs line the streets making it incredibly fast to throw you hand in the air and wave one over. If you ordered an Uber you would have to wait for your driver to navigate the busy NYC streets to get to you, almost always resulting in a significant delay.
5. When you don’t have a choice!
Make sure to do your research on what vehicles are allowed in any city you are traveling to before you go. As Uber is still a relatively new concept, many cities are in the process of approving or denying the service to operate. For instance, London just recently announced it will not allow Uber to operate moving forward. Make sure to do your research and check which companies are available by using RideGuru so you are not stranded when you arrive at your destination!
