Suburban Minneapolis Cab Driver Rant
Following is a rant about Minneapolis cab drivers:
I frequently take taxis from the Minneapolis suburbs to the airport, to my job in the suburbs and back home in the suburbs. I have utilized Air Cab, Viking and Southwest multiple times. Unlike these people, I’m not carrying booze. I simply need a ride across 494.
Here’s the rant part. I want to pay with a credit card. I always tell the cab operator that I’ll be paying with a CC, and they always say no problem. But at the end of the fare, when I bust out the company Amex, the cab drivers (no matter which company) groan, sigh and act like it’s a big deal. I even had one last week say he didn’t have any credit card slips at the end of the ride and insist on cash (which I didn’t have).
I understand that sometimes smaller companies get charged big fees for cards, but a $40 fare should be worth it, right? So they have to claim it on their taxes and try to avoid that like waitresses - I have to claim all of my income on my taxes, or else it’s called tax evasion. In fact, I tip better with a CC slip than the remainder of a $20 bill on a $17 fare. It’s not like New York City where these guys are zipping off to the next customer, either.
Anyway, at the beginning of the trip I today, I asked my cab driver today if he had CC slips, he said yes and didn’t make a fuss until we got to the airport when it became an agonizing process for him to simply swipe my card into his machine. Suffice it to say, his tip wasn’t as robust as someone eager to take my money (regardless of its form).
Anyone else have credit issues with cabbies?
End of rant.
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I don’t have any problem, but since I live in Minneapolis proper, I take Rainbow all the time, and tell the dispatcher I’m going to be paying by credit card.
And if the driver gives me any guff about paying with plastic, I call dispatch while I’m waiting at the airport and explain why I don’t ever want that driver again. Had to do that just once.
If you travel a lot stick to the same cab company, and also call them for your trip home from the airport. Especially if they’re not licensed to line up there, that call means that they can turn a one-way into a round-trip, which is less dead-time for the cabbie.
I’ve gotten the same huff and sigh when I’ve paid with the company credit card. Makes me a lot less likely to take a cab and park-and-ride or SuperShuttle instead for my personal trips. I’ve only ever used Airport Taxi for trips to/from the airport, too.
It’s not like they never take credit cards. I don’t know why it’s such a big hairy deal.