Is it unreasonable to take taxis very short distances?

[CesareBorgiasUnicornMask]

I was running very late the other morning and got a taxi for what would normally be a brisk ten minute walk. I'm currently pregnant with pelvic girdle pain and it would have been double that for me, and I had approximately 3 minutes to get there due to a very delayed train. When I said where I wanted to go the taxi driver huffed and puffed, asked if I realised it was 'just round the corner', and then muttered darkly about lazy people with more money than sense all the way there. I realise it must be annoying to wait in a queue at a station only to pick up a very short fare, but surely it's an occupational hazard? He made me feel like a right twat and I've been dwelling on it...

I've had the huffers and puffers before. Even had one driver tell me they don't sit there and wait just to take me into town; they want the big fares.

Well, tough shit. Just roll your eyes and ignore them.

And to answer your questions, it's NOT unreasonable at all.

Not unreasonable. He was bloody rude. How is he to know what issues customers have with mobility? It's not always obvious. Would he have been complaining if you'd been walking with a stick or were elderly?

He's an idiot and rude.

YANBU, OP.

I had an eye roller/mutterer a few years ago when taking a taxi less than a mile.

I was running late for a court case and really couldn't afford the "only ten minutes" it would add to my journey to walk.

I just ignored the fucker. It crossed my mind that for all he knew, I could have been disabled and reliant on taxis to get from A to B, regardless if the distance.

But he cut off his own nose to spite his face in the end. I would always tip the driver up to £5 if the journey cost less than that. On this occasion, I didn't.

Probably not in your case however it's staggering the amount of lazy people who want a taxi for under 1/4 of a mile. My hubby used to taxi & there's a queue - he could have waited at train station for his next fare for over an hour & he's just got £3 fare & then had to go back to the end of the queue again

YANBU. That's the risk they take, sadly.

I get lots of short distance taxis. I can't drive because of a disability and the council cut the bus route. Not to mention a taxi is the same price or cheaper than a usual fare on the bus!!
But there's lots of competition for taxis around here and often more taxis than other cars on the road so I don't think they mind as these journeys add up.

I always give £5 for short journeys, but I've got taxi drivers in the family, so have some sympathy.

Small journeys can be their bread and butter, like dry/children's cuts/pensioner perms are for hairdressers.

Where I used to be a taxi driver a lot of customers would get a 500 yard taxi from one pub to another, i thought the office were joking when they first sent me out on one, minimum fare is minumum fare, grumpy git

Glad I'm NBU! I've only done it once before and the driver didn't say anything that time, and as pps have said I made the fare up to £5. No way I was doing that this time though!

Yanbu, the taxing driver had no idea why you needed a taxi that day and it isn't his place to judge.
This is his job and he's got to realise that every fare is a fare/people use taxis for all sorts of reasons/if he works for a firm he cannot dictate who he picks up or where he goes.

I often catch a cab to my local Tesco, which is 0.4km away. To walk it would take less than 10 mins- but involves crossing a slip road next to a roundabout, and it's dangerous (VI), especially when I've got the kids with me!

I once had one grump at me for a short distance journey at a train taxi rank. But it was late, had a tired child, and no bloody idea how to get there. I get that it's annoying for them if they've been waiting a while - but they'd probably also moan if I tried to flag one down instead.

I've had taxi drivers complain when I've got in them at the airport and my house wasn't far enough away - 8 miles! What was I supposed to do, walk?!

And Yanbu op. We sometimes get a cab home from the local pub - 15 mins walk - as it's cold or dark or wet. That's their job!

First time i ever took a taxi, near St. Pauls, i wasn't sure i was in the right place, getting stressed as i was running late. Decided to give up and take a taxi, whose driver did the whole its hardly worth it routine. I insisted, quoted the black cabs can't turn down a fare within the city.

Resigned, he let me get in, drove to the other side of the roundabout and said, with great satisfaction, here we are.

I've used taxis a lot of times for short distances, I'm disabled but that's not obvious to look at me. I had them daily when I was doing my exams, to do a 3 minute journey, I apologised to a number of them and they all told me not to apologise, it wasn't a problem and anyway they get the minimum fare and can move on to another job quickly. I always tip well but I've not apologised since then

I've known a few who always pick up at the local supermarket and expect short trips, they prefer that and they drop off and then head back when they get the next job

We know a lot of the drivers and they come to our house to collect us, so if they didn't like the short jobs they wouldn't choose to take the job when they saw it was our address

I think I've heard it all now, taxi drivers grumbling cos they have a fare. Its no ones business why you take a taxi rather than walk, they are a service ffs. Does the bus driver roll his eyes if you go 2 stops on the bus?

That's the point of a cab rank surely? They take pot luck about who comes along.

I have in the past gotten out when I had a grumbling eyeroller. Hadn't left rank yet and just said 'well if you don't want my money fine' and said loudly to the next guy 'mind if I hop in, he's refused a fare' so there can't be any que skipping accusations.

I had this reaction at Kings Cross - accompanied by my 86-year old father who walked with a stick and had just spent 8 hours on a train!! That is what taxis are for

It's QUEUE, ffs!

In the days I used to go clubbing we would get taxis home and the drivers would refuse to take us if they felt the journey wasn't long enough. So women on their own at 2am trying to get home, and they would say no. Twats.

I once had to change trains at Newport and couldn't use the lift to cross the station as it was out of order. Had ds3 in pushchair so couldn't use stairs to bridge.
The station put me in a taxi to take us round to the other platform entrance, a journey of 3 mins. Didn't have to pay but I bet all those journeys cost the station a fortune.

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