Reliable Taxi Co in Twin Cities, MN

October 6, 2009 10:26 PM

Seeking a good (reliable) taxi company in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St Paul). A long term Insomniac, now I'm having trouble staying awake more than 25 minutes if driving alone, and want to have the option of getting off the road and calling a cab. Reviews on the web seem totally variable.

I can take a pill in advance, but I try to minimize that. The thing is, traffic can change my travel time. If coming home, Minneapolis Lakes area and St Louis park would be the area, but I occasionally go all over (i.e. Maplewood, this Thurs, St Paul, North Mpls, etc). The reviews I read go from 'best in the cities' to 'horrible, never use them' for the same company. What do you use if you want a good chance they'll show up when they say, drive reasonably, etc.
(if I catch a cab, then I'd come back to get the car with a friend, at a convenient time, if you are wondering about the strategy).

I appreciate your concern, but please, lets not start with insomnia suggestions - believe me, I work hard at getting more sleep, in lots of ways, and that's not the question I'm asking now.

(I recommend the book, Insomniac )
So, cab recommendations, please!

posted by judybxxx to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

I've used Airport & Town Taxi frequently through a corporate account. They're pretty good - prompt to show up, fine drivers.
posted by Coffeemate at 7:02 AM on October 7

I've used Gopher Taxi many times in the past. Nice, prompt drivers and clean cabs.
posted by nathan_teske at 8:50 AM on October 7

I have a friend who uses a taxi at least 6 times a week, and she will not ride in anything but a Rainbow Cab. I think most companies will give you better (more reliable) service if you are a regular customer.
posted by soelo at 9:19 AM on October 7

thanks, all. I had no idea if I'd get any responses. I hope I don't need a cab in the next 30 days, but if I do, I'll certainly report my experience. Otherwise, they all seem like best answers.
posted by judybxxx at 10:07 PM on October 7

Hmm probably too late for this now but in case you're still reading answers... I used to drive taxi in the Twin Cities, and there are issues with this that most customers don't understand. Several parts of the area (MPLS, St Paul, Richmond, Bloomington, and at least one other suburb) require drivers to get a special license to pick people up in town. Thus: if you're in St Paul, a MPLS cab driver isn't legally allowed to pick you up there. The fines are large enough to make it daunting, and at least in theory, the company will never send you a cab there unless they have drivers licensed in the area where you are. (so, MPLS yellow can't legally send cabs to St Paul, and vice versa.)

Point being, if you need picked up in the suburbs, you might be really limited in your options, and you might not be able to use the same company all the time.

As far as customer ratings on the web - well, pretty much anybody can be a cab driver. Lots of them suck suck suck at it, and usually they won't stay in the business long, but all it takes is one (crazy/hostile/lost/radically-unskilled) driver to create an unforgettably bad experience. IF that happens to you - call the dispatcher and complain, and if that isn't satisfying, call later and ask to talk to a manager. People don't usually do that, but they should.

So anyways - here's what you probably want to do - try as many cab companies as you want, and find a driver you like, who works at times when you need cabs. Tip him well (but not extravagantly, unless you want to set a precedent) and ask him/her to be your regular driver. Get his cell number. This can be great for you, because you can get cabs when it's super-busy, etc. Drivers tend to love regulars, so you'll get great service this way (and probably, you can get picked up anywhere, despite the licensing issues, because what the hey, you're a regular, right?)
posted by hap_hazard at 12:29 PM on October 10

I shd add, I guess, that as a driver, I got to hear both ranting, and raving, about drivers for every cab company I ever heard of, including the one I drove for. And they were probably all true. But I'm not going to go into any of that, because I really don't think it matters that much - there's fantastically good, and horrifically bad, drivers (who are pretty much all independent contractors) at all of them, so really, there's a bit of luck involved when you call the dispatcher to order a ride. So, good luck!
posted by hap_hazard at 12:35 PM on October 10

thanks all for the information. I will try the suggested companies. Happily, I haven't had to resort to a cab yet, so I can't report on the suggestions. hap_hazaard's perspective was very very helpful.
posted by judybxxx at 3:16 PM on November 6