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Albany Taxi Survey
In September 2014, the Albany County Convention & Visitors
Bureau (ACCVB) posted a Taxi Experience Survey at
www.albanycabs.com for the purposes of assessing the current
taxi
situation in the Albany area and to identify areas of
improvement to better enhance the destination and visitor
experience. The ACCVB distributed cards to hotels, attractions, and
visitors centers encouraging residents, business travelers, and
vacation/leisure travelers to
complete the short survey. Since then, more than 377 responses
have been collected.
The following pages contain an analysis of the responses based
on a number of factors that were considered in the survey. Select
comments have been included below the respective
graphs to support the overall opinion of the respondents, to
emphasize recurring themes found within the responses, or to
represent outlying data. Some comments have been slightly edited
to
remove profanities or to correct spelling and punctuation.
Questions regarding the survey may be directed to Michele
Vennard, President/CEO of the ACCVB, at (518) 434-1217 ext. 300 or
[email protected].
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030
60
90
120
150
Cab was in disgusting condition, dirt, dried goo, and trash was
on all surfaces. The cab driver was eating an entire plate of
take-out food while driving. I'm not kidding.
The cab was filthy dirty and had a very unpleasant odor.
Every Albany taxi that I have patronized has been literally
disgusting...
The cabs are often dirty and in poor operating condition.
Vehicles are older but generally clean and drivers are polite
and friendly.
the driver kept a poor cab. We often opt to drive rather than
use cabs as the conditions and service are less than desirable.
Cabs in Albany are notorious for their lack of quality. Whenever
I go back to visit, I make sure to never go out unless I can drive
myself back and forth. The cab was
filthy, there was graffiti INSIDE the cab itself.
Cab was spotless. Driver was well dressed and courteous. Cab and
driver did not smell. Driver spoke and understood English.
Survey Comments
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050
100
150
200
The driver helped with my bags and engaged in polite
conversation regarding the weather and my travels. I felt like I
had my own personal driver.
The way the driver of this company helped me in the middle of
the night after being discharged at Albany Med was phenomenal. His
act of kindness to help carry my son, and then waited for me
while filling my prescription at the nearby pharmacy without
asking for an extra charge is an indication that we still have some
good people out there.
With the exception of a few, the drivers either don't talk to
you at all or are extremely rude! But not nearly as rude as the
dispatchers!
The cab ride was fine. The driver was very professional and
friendly, however the guy dispatching from curbside at the airport
was rude to customers (he yelled at me when I indicated I'd be
paying
by credit card) and was quite demeaning towards the driver. He
truly soured the otherwise pleasant experience.
I was strongly pushed to share a taxi because the company didn't
have enough. I agreed, because the stop was largely on my way. The
taxi driver mocked the first passenger because he was a student and
couldn't tip much. Then, on the way to my place, he made racist
comments
about being willing to run over African American young men while
they crossed the street against the light. It was pretty dreadful.
Such unprofessional service. Get enough drivers. Train them to not
be racists. Pay them a decent wage so that they don't pressure
riders for tips they cannot afford.
Survey Comments
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050
100
150
200
250
Survey Comments
You're going to hear a lot in these responses that it is time to
evolve and allow Uber, Lyft, etc. into the area and I could not
agree more. Without competition,
poor service is all we can expect. Above I clicked "as expected"
for the rate I was charged and I want to be clear; I expected to be
charged inconsistent rates with
no known system behind pricing and that is what I received.
He charged me twice what I was charged two weeks ago. They need
consistency when charging people and they should not be charging
twice because they think
the person is drunk. They are just taking advantage of
vulnerable people.
The distance from the airport to my mother's home was 4.33 miles
(9 minutes in total), and I was charged $20.00. This occurred in
1996. I am responding to this survey because it still irks me to
think of how the dispatcher treated not only the
driver, but also me. Utterly disgusting.
Very very poor - by far the worst of any city I have ever been
in. We had to call the cab company back after waiting double their
estimated time. When they finally sent someone, the cab smelled
like cigarettes and we were charged $35 EACH,
with no visible meter running. All in all, we paid $70 to be
driven less than 3 miles, and it took over an hour in the middle of
the afternoon on a weekday.
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050
100
150
200
250
300
Survey Comments
Taxis in Albany are often overpriced for the short distances
that they travel. I've also questioned the sobriety of multiple cab
drivers.
Drivers generally polite and upfront about fare. Cabs decent
condition. But forced sharing of cabs, with no discount, is
terrible, terrible, terrible. I will routinely drive
myself to pick up clients at airport or train station to avoid
subjecting them to this. I only take a cab myself when absolutely
necessary because it can take 45 minutes or more when sharing (when
I could be home from the Amtrak station in ten minutes if I
took a direct route).
I love my city. I just moved back here after 10 years away, but
I wish our cab service better represented our region's warm
hospitality and amazing asset!
I'm from the Bronx and drove a taxi there and Albany's cab
service is appalling. This is not just based on a single
experience, it is the same every time. I would never recommend
visitors or my children to take a taxi in Albany or from the train
or airport.
It is unbecoming and long overdue for improvement.
I take Capital Land Colonie weekly to doctors appointments
through Medical Transportation. I have had great experiences with
them. Medical Transportation Capital Land Colonie has taken me to
Mass General Hospital in Massachusetts.
Love everyone at Capital Land Colonie.
