‘Not my vibe’: Give me Uber any day of the week

The taxi cab rank in the Valley has been my saviour once or twice. But my ride (share) or die will always be Uber, writes reporter Isabella Pesch.

Reporter Isabella Pesch is a staunch Uber supporter.

Like many Brisbane locals, I have needed a rideshare or 20 in my time.

And while there are so many services to choose from, my ride (share) or die will always be Uber.

Why? Because I have completely lost faith in taxi services. I simply refuse.

Don’t get me wrong, I have tried. The taxi cab rank in the Valley in the early hours of the morning has been my saviour once or twice.

But there was one particularly infuriating time that really put me off.

Picture this: I have finished up at work – a standard 9 to 5 in the city and I am knackered with a capital K.

On this particular occasion I didn’t have my car. That baby was in for a service.

Dealing with people on the train on a busy afternoon was not on the cards for me, so what did I do? I decided to call for a taxi. My logic for doing so was a taxi would be cheaper than an Uber during peak hour traffic. Sounds fine right?

Wrong.

20 minutes go by – that is pretty standard, it is 5pm on a weekday.

30 minutes go by – hmmm, okay look I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

I hit the one hour-mark and you know what? I think they aren’t coming – I don’t know, just a hunch.

A quick call back to the taxi cab service revealed as much.

Instead of ordering an Uber, I decided to once again, call for a taxi (I didn’t say I was a smart one).

And again, I was not told of my taxi being cancelled. I had to just assume they weren’t coming.

At this point, I had waited almost an hour and a half to get home, and I had had enough. I had actually waited so long I managed to run into one of my friends from high school and have a full catch-up on each others’ lives in the time it took to wait for a taxi.

Uber to the rescue.

Fifteen minutes later I am in the back of a car heading home. Why I didn’t just cop a slightly more expensive fare is beyond me.

So for me? Taxis are not and will not ever be my vibe – even if it is cheaper than an Uber.