The Best (and Worst) Taxi Moments of 2016

Posted on December 30, 2016 by TaxiFareFinder

This year we all heard a lot of news happening with taxis, both good and bad. We wanted to record and share some of the best and worst taxi moments of 2016!

Some taxis went driverless! Still in testing phases across the world, these driverless taxis have been all the buzz this year. We’re expecting to hear even more as we enter the new year!
New on demand taxi companies like Grab started challenging the big rideshare players, and they’re still fighting!
Women are getting involved in the industry all around the world, breaking the stereotype that taxi drivers always have to be male, and hoping to prevent more sexual assaults. #WomenEmpowerment
We saw some of the coolest taxi decorations. Ever. Guess how many light bulbs this taxi driver used to light up his cab? Over 8,000!
Several taxi companies filed for bankruptcy in the midst of the rideshare takeover. In general, the number of taxis overall has been declining for these same reasons.
12 New York City taxi drivers were caught in a credit card scam, stealing almost $50,000 from passengers through fraudulent transactions.
Taxi Driver of the Year: This Boston taxi driver returned almost $200,000 in cash after it was left in the back seat of his cab. He knew the money would change his life, but returned it to the police instead.

Wow, what a year! That’s all we got for the best and worst taxi moments in 2016, be sure to tune in next year to see what’s in store!

Taxi Driver’s Photographs of NYC

Posted on December 15, 2016 by TaxiFareFinder

Do you remember what the world looked like 40 years ago? The style, the fashion, the city streets, and of course, the taxis?! This taxi driver collected photograph memories from a time in NYC that makes the present look dull.

The driver’s name is Ryan Weideman, and he photographed everything from his passengers, to the city streets. Mr. Weideman had his master’s degree in fine arts, and he was not one of the taxi drivers who preferred to pretend he was not in the cab.

The photographer started taking pictures of everyone, and quickly realized it was better to pick the most interesting passengers to capture on his camera. He even captured a few “selfies” before it came a common practice. Check out some of the most interesting photographs here!

The mysterious couple:

Group Selfie with puppy:

Taxi Inception:

Click here for the full story!

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Oh La La! Taxi Drivers Strip Down for a Good Cause

Posted on December 8, 2016 by TaxiFareFinder

Looking for a unique gift to give your NYC dwelling friend this holiday season? If you want to send a laugh, look no further than The 2017 NYC Taxi Drivers Calendar. Yep, that’s right, firemen move over, the taxi cab drivers are baring all and ready for their close up.

In all seriousness, this calendar was made for a good cause! A portion of all proceeds will be donated to University Settlement, a settlement house that serves over 30,000 immigrants, working individuals, and families every year with services like education, housing, wellness opportunities, and literacy programs.

The calendar is available now for purchase for $14.99.

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More than One Taxi Company Shows it’s Possible to Compete with Ridesharing’s Big Two

Posted on November 11, 2016 by TaxiFareFinder

Fast Taxi of Albany, NY has just launched a full service transportation app to compete with the outdated taxi system currently in place in Albany, a city where Uber and Lyft are still banned legally. In just 3 weeks after launch, the company has over 40 vehicles servicing the area and is growing rapidly. Based on popular ridesharing apps, Fast Taxi has taken advantage of all the great features many consumers have become accustomed to, such as:

– Sending pickup address via gps
– Finding closest driver based on users position
– Tracking driver to your location
– Paying with credit card automatically
– Getting transparent fare estimates

You would expect the clear benefits of ridesharing technology to catch on in every city. The politics of how these companies suddenly started competing with local taxi businesses, however, is an entirely different story. One key point to mention is that most ridesharing apps provide no real form of insurance to their riders, and their drivers are not vetted up to the standard the rest of the transportation industry uses. This is where Fast Taxi, a company who intends for the inevitable ridesharing wars to arrive in Albany, has setup core principles and added new standards to put the customer first. Improvements featured in Fast Taxi and not typical of other ridesharing apps include:

– Fully insured rides
– Allowance of cash payments
– No surge fees
– Advanced bookings
– Fair, transparent pricing powered by TaxiFareFinder
– No account needed (web booking only)

The Fast Taxi App has been very well received in Albany and the company is expected to grow it’s operation throughout the entire state of New York in the coming year. You can expect the trend of taxi service styled ridesharing apps to grow rapidly for the unseen future.

Disclaimer: This post is a guest post written by Fast Taxi of Albany, NY

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Taxicab Industry Changes Since Cubs Last Won the World Series in 1908

Posted on November 3, 2016 by TaxiFareFinder

If you’re a baseball fan (and even if you’re not!), you are likely aware of the fact that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series last night, for the first time since 1908! We thought this was a great opportunity to take a look at the history of taxis in America since that time, when taxis barely existed.

First, a brief timeline of the transportation and taxi industry in Chicago, starting in the mid 19th century.

1853: The Parmelee Transfer Company was created to move passengers and baggage between Chicago’s downtown railroad terminals

1899: An electric cab venture opened in Chicago with 100 vehicles. Its success was short-lived.

1902: The first parking garage was created to hold horseless carriages.

1908: Chicago cubs won the World Series for the last time until 2016!

1909: A small group of companies operated a combined 100 rigs which contained “taximeter” and “fare” systems. However, it is argued that this was not considered the start of the official taxicab in Chicago.

It was not until 1914, 6 years after the Cubs last won the series, that the first cab company started in Chicago, called The Yellow Cab Company of Chicago.

The company was founded by John D. Hertz, and was the first yellow cab company to exist in America. Hertz took the results from a survey from the University of Chicago to determine that yellow was the best color for a taxi because it stood out. Hertz succeeded in building the company up into the largest of its kind in the world, operating some 2,000 cabs.

By the early 1920s the taxi industry in Chicago was still largely unregulated. Large automobile manufacturers controlled the industry until after the Depression. There was a surplus of cabs, and coupled with the poor economic conditions at the time, unionization and regulation emerged.

Today, there are about seven thousand licensed taxicabs operating in Chicago. It is still a fairly strong industry even with the increasing dominance of Uber and Lyft across America.

Much has changed since 1908, so congrats to the Chicago Cubs for making history.

Fun Facts:

The cost to take a taxi today from Downtown Chicago to Wrigley Field is a mere $29, according to our fare calculator.

If the Chicago Cubs team traveled between Wrigley Field and the Cleveland Indian’s Progressive Stadium for the World Series via taxi the price would have been $824 per taxi!

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7 Unusual Taxis You Don’t See Every Day

Posted on August 10, 2016 by TaxiFareFinder

A bike taxi painted and decorated like a piece of artwork!
A high-speed Mercedes taxi cab with a futuristic look
Hello Kitty decorated taxi! Whiskers and all!
This taxi that operates on land AND water!
A taxi with a sound quality like this one!

6. This can’t be a time traveling taxi.. can it?

7. This trendy taxi makes me want to take a ride to the mall!

Orlando Taxi Companies

Posted on June 14, 2016 by TaxiFareFinder

Need a taxi cab to Disney World? Looking for a ride from Orlando airport to Universal Studios? We have a list of taxi companies in Orlando to suit your needs! In fact we have a list of taxi companies in almost every city we support on TaxiFareFinder, but today we are featuring our partnered Orlando taxi companies. Take a look below at some great companies that will get you where you need to go safely and quickly!

Taxi Companies in Orlando

Ryde Taxi: (407) 603-6908

Flat Rate Taxi Drivers: (407) 936-1300

Caley’s Taxi: (321) 750-6589

Do you own or work for a taxi company in Orlando? Contact [email protected] to learn how you can list your company for free!

Need a Taxi Company?

Posted on June 2, 2016 by TaxiFareFinder

Did you know that on almost every TaxiFareFinder city page, we list taxi companies names and numbers to make life easier for our users? Most people simply think that TaxiFareFinder is only a tool for calculating your fare but we want to make sure after you calculate your fare that you can easily find a reliable taxi service for your trip.

Here is how to find a taxi company in your city!

1. Go to TaxiFareFinder.com and type in your desired city in the search box.

2. Once you are on your desired city page, scroll down and look to the left for taxi companies that operate in that city.

3. Once you have found the list of taxi companies for your area of travel, simply call one up and request a taxi!

Want to List Your Taxi Company?

If you are a taxi or limo company and are looking to list your taxi company, simply fill out the form on this page and a representative from TaxiFareFinder will be in touch!

How To Calculate Your Taxi Fare

Posted on May 24, 2016 by TaxiFareFinder

Taking a taxi can be confusing especially if you are new to a city. After the relief of hailing a cab correctly and jumping inside many people immediately fear that they are going to be ripped off. Our team at TaxiFareFinder is constantly fielding questions about how much a ride should cost and whether or not a customer paid too much.

While TaxiFareFinder can easily help you find the price of your taxi ride, we thought it would be beneficial to explain exactly how your taxi fare is calculated so you can be better informed as a rider!

How is My Taxi Fare Calculated?

Taxi fares can actually be calculated in 3 different ways, by Zones, Flat Rates, or Meters. Make sure to ask your driver which method he or she is using to calculate your fare.

The Zone System

The zone system is pretty simple to understand! When a city decides to use zoning to determine taxi prices, they essentially divided the city and surrounding areas into multiples sections. For the sake of this article we will say that our example city, San-Fran Tokyo City, has created 5 zones. Each of these zones will have a set price to one another. For example if you are taking a cab from anywhere in zone 1 to anywhere in zone 2, the price will always be $13, even if you are traveling from the very edge of zone 1 to the very opposite edge of zone 2. Zone 1 to zone 4 might be $25 and so on.

Here is an example of a city broken up into zones.

When you take a taxi that is calculating your fare based on zones, you might also encounter some unexpected fees, such as tolls, extra person fees, or luggage fees. Make sure you are aware of any extra fees before you enter the cab!

The Flat Rate System

The flat rate system is perhaps the simplest way to calculate a taxi fare. When using flat rates, a taxi will simply charge you one set price to get between two major locations, such as an airport and the city center. For example, if you are at San Fran Tokyo City Airport and need to get to your hotel in Downtown San Fran Tokyo, and the city uses flat rates, you will pay a one-time fee for your ride. With flat rates you will usually not be charged extra for any extra people, tolls, luggage, etc.

The Taxi Meter System

The taxi meter system is the most commonly used system to calculate a taxi fare. When the taxi meter is active, you are being charged on 3 main criteria, an initial fee, a per mile/km fee, and a wait time fee.

Initial Fee – A flat fee charged at the beginning of every ride
Cost per mile/km – How much you are charged for each mile/km of your journey
Cost per minute – How much you are charged for each minute of the ride where the car is moving very slowly or is standing still

Immediately, upon entering a taxi, you will be charged an initial fee. This dollar amount varies but is usually just a few dollars. The initial fee typically does not account for any distance, it is simply the starting amount for every ride.

Once the taxi starts moving, the meter will start adding up how many miles/kms you have traveled and will charge you the set price for each mile. Typically, you will be charged every part of a mile, such as every 1/10^th of a mile to make your fare as accurate as possible.

If the taxi slows down (typically below 10mph) or is stuck still in traffic, the meter will switch over and will start charging you be the minute instead of by mile/km. This ensures that the cab driver is still getting paid for his/her time while sitting at red lights or in traffic.

To sum up how meters work, we have put together the following formula to help you better understand:

Base Fare + (Cost per mile * ride distance) + (Cost per minute * time in taxi while taxi is standing still or traveling very slowly) = Your Fare

Keep in mind that while taking a metered taxi, you will still be expected to pay for any tolls. You might also encounter some surcharges such as additional passenger’s fees, luggage fees, or booking fees.

Lastly, we want to remind you to always remember to tip your driver! Generally tips range from 10-20% of the total fare.

Now that you understand all the factors that go into calculating your taxi fare, make your life simpler and try TaxiFareFinder’s Calculators!

Happy Travels!