Yellow Cab

To all of the very CaRinG Yellow Cab Drivers who haVe helped me brinG up my groceries because I Battle Health Challenges...I haVe sooOoo appreciated your assistanCe!👍I haVe also been a generous tipper as I understand that many of you aRe strugglinG to keep up to the HiGh CoSt of Gas, Car RepairS etC!👍I liVe on a fixed income but I moSt definitely suppoRt a $10. 00 chaRge for gettinG into your cabS because I also want you to not be stressed out so muCh about money that you can't foCuS on driVinG!👍My suggestion to many of You iS to ensure that you cars aRe kept niCe and clean, maybe put an air freshener inside too, and be Sociable with your Customers so that they will be relaXed about your driVinG!👍MaY Our Precious CreatoR oF Life Bless so many of you foR watChinG out for humanity especially durinG these Batsh#t crazy times!✌😀🙏😇🌹🌞🌹☕🍵☕🌷🌻🐰🌻🌷

On Feb.28 we asked for a cab by saying: “we would like a cab for tomorrow morning 5:30” - NO calendar day was mentioned when booking. A confirmation message came, but we did not get a cab the next morning & when we phoned were told there was no cab listed for our address. Luckily our car started in the cold & we made it to the airport otherwise we would have missed our all-inclusive trip about $6000. Only today we noticed that the confirmation message said 03/31/2033 - now WHO would book a cab 1 month ahead of time???

I encountered this yellow cab driver who was so rude and started yelling at me for accidentally hit the right side mirror of his van.His name was Manchanda Amand.The scratch was a very thin 2 1/2 inches long.The taxi (van) registration K 16431.I am 76 years old,he was yelling at me saying I don’t know how to drive.I told him stop yelling at me but he wouldn’t.It made me so Nervous and stressed from his attitude.I could barely find what he was asking registration,drivers licence insurance.I could have had a heart attack dealing with this driver.

Twice a wallet a cell phone were left in cab. So was garbage from eating. Cabbie had to have cleaned cab before next fare. Funny how he never found any phones!! Pfft

Arriving at Via Rail after 3 days on a train we were pretty anxious to get to our hotel. It was great to see the cabs waiting for passengers arriving including cars and small SUV taxi vehicles. This was especially helpful as I had luggage and a mobility walker.

Our driver was not particularly sociable but I thought this was more due to a language barrier. However once we were on the highway he indicated in clear English that he had forgotten to start the meter at the station and would just add a couple of dollars to the final bill to cover the omission. (Ripping off the company was my thought). However in spite of having checked the fare rate prior to calling we saved about $8 as our driver quickly zipped in/out of highway traffic. Car was clean enough but not overly impressive. There were personal items in trunk which made it difficult to put all out stuff in it so we held the basket off the walker on our knees.

Ride to hotel was quicker than expected but felt secure in drivers ability to manouvre in/out of traffic. The vehicle did sound like it could use a tune up but my own car sometimes sounds a bit unhealthy so I wasn't really concerned about that; but a tune up would likely have made for a smoother ride.

We appreciated the taxis waiting at the VIA station as its a bit out of town so we're happy enough with ride and service and of course savings which were likely speed related but after all.... he's the professional.

My 33 daughter resides in an extended care facility, is wheelchair bound and is on stomach tube feed and has trouble communicating. She now averages one outing per month due to health and transportation challenges. We tried two outings for the weekend of April 20th, 2013 and we tried to make it more efficient by using wheelchair taxi.
I phoned Edmonton Taxi Service Group (780 462-3456 Yellow Cab Wheel Chair taxi) on April 17th for pick-ups (p/u) as follows (I would attend both trips):
1. April 20th, 2013 at 11:15am at Care facility to see a movie that starts at 12:10pm and theatre was 15 minutes away. Theatre p/u was to be at 2:10pm for return to Care facility.
2. April 21st, 2013 at 5:15pm at Care facility to see an Oiler hockey that starts at 6:30pm and Rexall Place was 15 minutes away. P/U at Rexall was to be at 8:45pm for return to Care facility.

Here is a chronology of events:

1. On April 20th, after several phone calls to Yellow Cab a taxi finally showed up at 12:30pm and after loading the wheelchair and driving to the theatre we arrived after 1pm for a movie that started at 12:10pm. Another daughter had purchased tickets in advance and we went directly to the movie. After the abbreviated movie, we waited for a taxi and after a phone call they showed up at 3pm (total wait time was over 2 hours).
2. On April 21st, a Yellow Cab electronic phone message received by me at 5:36pm (we were waiting in foyer for a 5:15pm p/u) advised that a taxi was not in the area and asked whether I wanted to cancel the booking, of course, I said no.
3. After my additional calls a cab arrived at 6:15pm. The driver took 15 minutes to hook up the wheelchair in the cab—he was not efficient. We drove down 82 Street but did not turn on Yellowhead to go to Rexall, instead we continued down 82 Street to behind Northlands and then fought with traffic as the car show was closing down at Northlands. I asked why we did not go down Yellowhead like DATS would always do and he said this was faster. He had a man bang on his taxi window as we fought through the car show traffic.
4. So we arrived late at Rexall and missed ½ the first period.
5. I received a call from a yellow taxi driver at 8:15pm and said he was out front for my 8:15pm p/u. I said the p/u was for 8:45pm. He said no and if I wanted 8:45pm to re-book with Yellow Cab and hung up. I had to find a quiet place in Rexall to phone him back and then phone Yellow Cab who said they would have someone there within 45 minutes of 8:45pm and could not understand why the driver would suggest an 8:15pm p/u. They said they would look into this (never did). The cab eventually came around 9:15pm and he had trouble explaining where to meet us and became argumentative, etc.
I have the following comments:
1. Your clients are either elderly and/or handicapped and are usually not able to communicate or register their displeasure to your company’s poor service. Your drivers take advantage of this, provide poor customer service and don’t care.
2. Most of these clients seldom leave their extended care facility. It is either for medical appointments or the occasion pleasure outings. Your company destroys the pleasure by being materially late (60 to 85 minutes). We try to be ready 10-15 minutes in advance so that adds to the amount of total wait time. These clients then get tired, do want to go out or just do not enjoy the outing.
3. Your tardiness adds to the expense of an outing. Our hockey tickets exceeded $200 and then taxi fares plus the stress on everyone just to arrive ½ way though the first period and receive pre-mature phone calls about pick-ups which took 10-12 minutes to clarify. We pay full money to watch part of a game/movie not knowing if we will be under duress waiting for a ride back to the facility.
4. In addition to the inefficiencies, I would suggest the overall rudeness and arrogance of drivers and dispatchers is appalling. They are willing to blame someone else for tardiness and tell you to contact someone else if complaining.
5. If your company can not ensure a pick up with-in 30 minutes of a given time then do not accept the reservation or no longer participate in this business.
6. DATS is usually within 30 minutes and only charges $3.20 versus your +$20.00 taxi fee. Their drivers are friendly and more helpful.
I waited a day to forward this message to reconsider your company’s service but my opinion did not change. I also copied this to my contact at the Edmonton Journal who recently published articles about improper treatment of the disabled and elderly.
Someone has to speak out to protect the vulnerable.

PL

Yellow taxi service is one of the leading companies but does it make them the best?? No! Although i know alot of yellow drivers I feel sorry for them to have to tell the truth so others may beware of the sometimes safe and unprofessional service. I have been taking cabs for years as I like many do not drive and I know for a fact more than once they have been late even when pre-ordered to arrive at a certain time for me to be to the airport. Not to mention as a single woman certain drivers are hoping for you to be intoxicated after the club so they may take advantage of you financially and sometimes SEXUALLY. which totally goes against al regualtions and a safe taxi service. When you make compalints the dispatcher are sometimes defensive, inexpierienced or just having a bad day and can very rude and unhelpful and may hang up on you or shout /inturrupt you during a complaint the worst part is sometimes thier manager or superviser on duty acts in the same manner depending on who is working. So as a cab user you may want to think twice before calling them to complain no matter how wrong you have been done. Sometimes it's better to call the police or your lawyer first. IF not they may not deal with you accordingly! I know for a fact of someone who is considering suing them for giving out her personal home phone number to a cab driver which resulted in him threatening her life and calling her explicit and deragatory racial comments even though he was of another race himself. These drivers can get very rough and rude soemtimes as soon as you enter the vehicle. "Thier Turf" When you get in there they feel sometimes as if you have invaded thier space, now your on thier territory and they can do whatever they please. I know a cab driver who will offer you drugs or even ask you if you have drugs for heavens sakes. I have been in a cab when we went through a drive through where the dirver was so whacked out he asked the lady at the window if she had drugs!???? And that happened 2 times believe it or not and once the lady was my 8 yr old sons friend like oh my goodness wooow! Not to mention the cab drivers who chose to use thier cell phones to call thier friend for directions rather than calling dispatch for the proper directions which will result in you getting lost and being late not to mention paying more than you should. What about the huge amount of drivers yellow has that will not take the route you would like and will be upset if you suggest anything at all! Or when you almost get in a huge accident cause the dirver is so old he can hardly see and your scared for your life? I suggest if you have a problem you post it. I suggest you do not fall asleep in one of these cabs. I suggest you do not fight with thier dispatch or supervisors, when they are rude to you or hang up and just call your lawyer if its a situation such as assualt or even abuse verbally from a yellow driver. I suggest you do not send one of your teenagers home in one of these cabs. I suggest when the driver refuses to call dispatch you get out of the cab immediatluy and if he says he is going to call the police let him. I suggest if you loose your cellphone and they do not return it without an additional payment on top of the cab fee you call the police and the company for that is blackmail its your property not thiers they must turn it in and not keep it. Yes all this can happen to you it has happened to me and many people i know with yellow cab. Yes they have good drivers but that ratio is small and the ones who are bad are worse and someitmes ruder than you can ever imagine and if your a woman someitmes not safe. I know when my friend worked at mcdonalds they were so rough to her she had to get out of the cab and mcdonalds had to call them and tell them they would not stand for it and would end thier account with yellow cab and thats a business account so if they will do it to them they will do it to you i suggest even getting the number of a dirver you like and is kind to you for that is rare and they deserve the money and its because of the foolishness some of the good dirvers are forced into going on thier own or giving out thier private numbers cause they would rather deal with the customer properly than the dispatch and thats bad when your own drivers are working against you YELLOW CAB SO GET WITH IT! Edmonton is a nice city and we dont deserve that garbage it used to be safe and friendly so whats the deal!