Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past month you would of heard that Uber the International Taxi app has set up business in Cardiff a few weeks back. Taxi firms across the globe have been up in arms thinking that Uber will take away their custom but if you ask me it’s about time there was some competition in the taxi ranks as I for one have had a guts full of dodgy taxi drivers trying to rip me off refusing to go on the meter and charging over the odds for fairs home from Cardiff.
Last weekend I was out in Cardiff for a few drinks on a Saturday afternoon down Mill Lane as it was the first bit of sun we have had in ages but not thinking about the Judgment Day rugby double header in the Principality Stadium so they closed Queen Street station and made the regular users and the valley lines walk all the way around the back of the station like rat’s just to make the train journey and waiting a little easier for people who never use the station travelling back across the border after the game.
As we went to walk down under the bridge around the back of the station we saw them queuing up the street with estimates of an hour just to get in the station so i though f#ck that! My mate gave me a Uber discount code on signing up the week before so I thought i’d give the app a go as I already it downloaded on my phone.
A group of friends I had been speaking to had just been charged £45 to get home and the fair estimate on my phone said £27, which after i’d taken the free £10 Uber discount code i’d had from my friend that was just £17 between 3 of us it was less than half the price of a normal taxi and saved us an hour queuing and the walk home from the station the other side so that being said it was an excellent first experience. The taxi estimated it would be there in 8 minutes and I could actually see from the map on the app where he was. Modi, the driver who you can see before he arrives even gave me a call to confirm my exact location due to the 60’000 rugby fans loitering around the street. The car was a brand new Volkswagen Saran, automatic doors, 7 seater and spotless inside.
There was none of the usual haggling when the usual Cardiff Tax drivers put £10-£15 on top of the fee you normally pay and refuse to go on the meter and money upfront. I usually ask how much before I get in these days and if they take the piss move onto the next one till I get a price I know is fair which is usually £35-40 not the £50+ the cheeky b@stards try raping me for most of the time.
I’d definitely recommend Uber in Cardiff from my first experience and will be using it overtime from now on and is especially good for people looking for a lift home and spent all their hard earned cash or lost their wallet or purse as you sign up your bank details or paypal payment details in the app after downloading the app so no money actually passes between you and the driver physically and you have a full audit trail of the driver and your past rides just in case you have any issues you can raise it with Uber unlike half the Cardiff taxi’s who I think most have never been behind the wheel or have a grasp on the English language that’s all they understand MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!
Anyway if you’re heading out in Cardiff this weekend and don’t want to get mugged off and ripped off by Cardiff taxi’s then download uber today and use the Uber discount code nickyb880ue when signing up and you will get £10 off your first ride.
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