I am currently in Albuquerque, New Mexico for work. If you remember, I came to New Mexico a few months ago for the International Balloon Fiesta, which was quite the experience. This is only my second time visiting the state. Yesterday, I planned to meet a friend that I had not seen in six years at La Cumbre Brewery.
I called Yellow Cab for a ride because I was told that Uber could not gain access to my location. While speaking to the Yellow Cab dispatcher, I was told that the driver would pick me up in 5-20 minutes. What? I asked for a phone call from the driver when he was near. The driver called to say that he was two minutes away. After waiting outside for 15 minutes, I called the driver and he did not answer the phone. I find this to be shady business. If there was an issue, why didn’t the driver call me? Is this the norm for Yellow Cab?
After making a few phone calls, I found that Uber had a designated meeting point near my location. When I opened the Uber app to request a ride, I noticed my $35 in credits for December. The credits will be displayed above the request button. I received the credits from my American Express Platinum card. (other AMEX Platinum benefits can be found here)
How did I forget about the credits?! Anyway, I had a ride within minutes. The beer at La Cumbre was delicious.
Final World
Taxi companies have grown weary of ride sharing companies over the years, but if you leave customers waiting on the sidewalk and do not answer your phone, then Uber and Lyft will continue to get business. I can only imagine the amount of money Yellow Cab is losing because of their drivers.
