Don't Find a Surprise Inside Your Taxi

Business and leisure travelers routinely use the Internet to research their destination, search for the best airfare and choose a hotel. Few, however, give a single thought to the taxicab service they will utilize. Most will blindly accept any taxicab that is parked near their exit or simply hail a cab from a sea of yellow. Often, they will find a surprise inside.

The taxicab industry is heavily regulated. Most municipalities and airports set minimum driver qualifications and govern permits, vehicle age, colors, condition, insurance and fare structures. Usually, assuming the driver is taking the correct (most direct) route, prices between competing taxicab companies for the same trip will be identical.

Flat rates, instead of metered fares, from airports to downtown areas are common and can usually be found online. Flat rates gained popularity as a means of preventing drivers from taking passengers, unfamiliar with the area, on long scenic routes to their destination..... all while the meter was adding up the dollars....

Since pricing is usually set in stone by a governmental agency, service differentiation is the yardstick by which cab companies are measured. Essentially every cab company is providing the same basic service, taking you from point A to point B. The best cab companies are those that provide consistently high quality and timely point A to point B service as well as useful complimentary services.

Some cab companies are really better described as leasing companies, whereby they are simply leasing a taxicab to a driver and the driver is entirely responsible for the level of service that he or she provides. Other cab companies are really dispatching services, where drivers own their taxicab and pay a fee to the cab company for advertising, dispatching and other services. Again, the level of service would vary wildly from driver to driver. Where available, full service cab companies are usually the preferred choice of the traveling public. Full service companies own their cars, are partners with their drivers and tend to be brand and customer service oriented.

Skylark Taxi in Wichita Falls, Texas is an example of a full service taxicab company. They service the local community as well as Sheppard Air Force Base. They maintain a professional website where you can order your taxicab minutes or years in advance. They accept major credit cards. They have a business center available in their depot equipped with computers, Internet access, telephones and fax machines. Skylark's state of the art dispatch center will also provide free wake up calls as well as concierge services. Clean late model vehicles, professional drivers and consistent service are further hallmarks of this company. This company and others like them are true community partners, providing exceptional service at regulated rates.

How do you find a Skylark Taxi in your destination city?

1. Search the Internet for taxicab companies in your destination city?
2. Google the names you find. Do they have a website? A toll free number? Do their local media outlets have stories about them? Are they active in charitable activities? What reviews do they have in local discussion groups or blogs?
3. Send them an email with information about your itinerary. How fast and how professional is their response?
4. Check with the local Better Business Bureau. Most are available online.
5. Check with your hotel about the reputation of local taxicabs.

Just a few minutes of research will make your trip smoother and much more enjoyable. A good company will be able to tell you how early you need to leave your hotel in order to get to your meeting on time. They will be able to make appropriate recomendations about restaurants, dry cleaning and other local services. Calling a local taxicab company before you finalize your trip might help you find a hotel in a better area of town, or closer to your final destination. They might also be able to help you find the cheapest hotel rate or tell you about special events in the area and can even assist you with restaurant reservations.

By choosing carefully, you will never need to hail a taxicab, it will be waiting for you... with NO surprises.