To find taxis scary?

[alienbaby]

Or Ubers?

I dont mind them in city centres in big cities. But if I'm in smaller towns or going to an airport or in the sticks, I always feel slightly wary. I usually make a very quick fake call when I get in telling "someone" that "I'll be there in a minute, just getting in the taxi now".

Is that paranoid though?

No.

In unlicensed mini cabs back in the day, yes.

Yanbu. I was so trusting as a teen/early 20s, used to jump in a cab to get home from a night out, never worried. Now I realise just how dangerous that could have been.

@Ionlydomassiveones
Great username 😁

I wish there were more female taxi drivers.

Black cabs dont worry me though. Not sure if that makes me a snob.

I've told my dc to look for, then take a photo of the taxi licence then send it to me. No taxi driver has ever had an issue with them doing this, or been offended in the slightest. If one ever was to take exception then my dc have been told to take a different one.

Admittedly my ds no longer does this, but he's 20, 6ft 3" and goes to the gym all the time. The rest of my dc do though.

Would you feel comfortable taking a photo of the license, it should always be on display.

@ABCeasyasdohrayme
I take ubers more these days but I might start letting the driver know I'm screenshotting the trip details for "my paranoid friend".

[quote alienbaby]@ABCeasyasdohrayme
I take ubers more these days but I might start letting the driver know I'm screenshotting the trip details for "my paranoid friend".[/quote]
Good idea, you could even fake the tail end of a conversation as you get in the user if it makes you feel more comfortable.

If it makes you feel safer, then do whatever you need to do.

I make my dds carry around a small spray bottle of pure alcohol and a rape alarm too as an extra safety measure.

I absolutely refuse to use Uber. It is glorified hitchhiking. I am still nervous in taxis. At least they have to be licensed so that makes me feel slightly better, but I still avoid them if there are reasonable alternatives.

My DH is a taxi driver and he hates to think that people would feel unsafe with him, but also understands.

I think you just need to be sensible, so book through a established firm in the area if it is somewhere you don’t know then check out Google / Facebook.

The taxi will have a “plate” on it from the council of that area but also the driver should have a badge with their name and photo on, no decent driver would ever be offended by you asking to see it / take a photo of it before you get in.

In some (not all) licensing authorities Uber drivers don’t have as strict checks as “normal” taxi drivers, I think they are getting better but not always.