7 November 2006

Alternative to taxis?

| emd
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So how would you get to the airport if you wanted to avoid the taxis?

After listening to yet another talback radio session on the Canberra’s crappy cabs, I think I’ll avoid them when I go to the airport next week. It’s not the cost of missing the flight that concerns me, it’s the possibility of missing business at the other end of my journey.

The Airliner bus looks OK, but it’s only to/from Civic (not where I live). There are no Action buses.

So I’m thinking I should book a hire car. Anyone done this? Did it work?

I need to book a car, have it turn up roughly on time, and take Diner’s or Cab Charge if possible.

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Snahon and Bonfire you will just end up wasting the cab drivers time and money. These are the poeple most suffering from Canberra cabs booking system. Not a well thought through plan.

get 1000 people to call the IVR – say a bogus name and when it suggests an alternative accept it.

Perhaps after a 1000 prank calls in a short time frame they might get the hint….

if after 3 goes it still demanded australian pork corporation, say yes and hang up.

call back 10 minutes later and have another go.

game the machine.

Becasue they turn-up and you really have to catch a taxi and they have drivers who clean their taxis and dont stink?

Don’t use Silver Service! They are just another front for Aerial. Why should you pay an extra $10 just to get the level of service that ordinary taxis should provide.

Most recent adventures with Canberra Cab’s version of Stephen Hawkins – Where would you like to picked up from – ‘Australian War Memorial’ – that’s the ‘Australian Pork Corporation’ in Deakin is that correct? – ‘no’ ‘Australian War Memorial’ – that’s the ‘Australian Pork Corporation’ in Deakin is that correct? – ‘NO’. Had another two tries before I managed to get onto an operator.

Tried booking a taxi to the airport and it wouldn’t recognise ‘Airport’ But it would recognise Piallago…. go figure. So I thought I’d try making a booking using Canberra Cab’s website, typed in my details and submitted it and it came back with an error so I left it for about twenty minutes and called to see if the booking actually worked…..no it didn’t try resubmitting it was the advice. Did that, same error again, phoned twenty minutes later to enquire whether it made it through and was told that the internet booking system had been down all day….would have been handy to know that after the first call. So I was put back into the queue to talk to Stephen Hawkins, didn’t reconsie the ‘Airport’ and I end up with the same person who had taken my second enquiry call who then took my booking.

Beam me up Scottie…….

as for Action, no they cut the buses out in the 70s. Made getting home from school if you had after -school activities difficult. Had to walk from Duntroon and there’s no safe way to walk across either bridge.

Get Silver Service. You pay about $10 more but they turn-up

Thanks for the advice, will try the hire car companies mentioned.

Getting someone to drive me there is not an option due to the time of my flight. And long-stay parking is not an option as we’re a one-car family.

I second a vote for CBD Hire Cars – I used to use them all the time a year ago but they’ve been getting increasingly busy over the past year. (Perhaps a comment on the state of taxi service).

They seem to be a reasonably economical option to cabs (i.e. not double the price). One company charged me $48 to get from the airport to Braddon! That’s just extortion.

I recently got a hire car from the airport upon returning from one hell of a weekend on the gold coast.
It was a better experience than standing in a mile long queue and the driver was much more friendlier and professional than some of the cab drivers I’ve come across!

I drive for Canberra Hire Cars, we are guaranteed on-time (early even!), nice car and actual service. A human will answer the phone when you ring, and Cabcharge/Diners no problem – EFTPOS machine in car. We can also pick you up on your return, save having to stand in the queue (no airport parking surcharge either).

Yes the long stay is roughly 15.00 a day, and works out cheaper than cabs if you are only gone a day or two.
– my partner recently did manage to get a taxi there though for an early flight – but I was here to drive him if it hadn’t showed.

Another option is simply to use the long-stay car park. For a day or two it’s cheaper than a cab anyway.

In Canberra try CBD. They seem to turn up on time, dont muck about and get the job done.

if i go to melb for work i book a hire car – its cheaper than a taxi to-from where i need to go and i can use it during the day. if theres more people it works out better.

Surely you’ve got a mate or family member who can give you a ride?

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