Why Are Taxi Dispatchers Often Rude?

Taxicab Dispatchers, Are They Rude?

Call for a cab, a dispatcher answers the phone. When do you need a cab?

When you can't drive, for what ever reason:

• car broke down
• you got a DWI or your licence is suspended for something
• you can't take the bus (public transportation often runs a limited schedule on holidays or "off peak" hours),
• you don't want to walk (it's either too hot or too cold or raining.... or snowing)

Well the same things are going through the minds of everyone else who is in your non driving situation: you all call a cab at the same time.

Cab companies all have "regular customers", then... it rains, and everyone wants a cab, all at the same time. And all of you are asking the dispatcher this question:

and he or she can not answer it

How long till my cab gets here?

You aren't the only one calling, everyone is asking the same thing, all of you are calling for the same thing, There is TRAFFIC...

The dispatcher can not tell you something they don't know, hell, the driver doesn't really know, he can not see how much traffic is around the next bend.

Night Time Dispatchers

Who gets the graveyard shift at a cab company?

A driver, a driver who is moonlighting, he's doing double duty. He's probably tired, he's probably getting paid a fraction of what he can make behind the wheel. The prime time dispatchers are often "first string", the night time dispatchers are often "second string".

Someone get's stuck with the graveyard shift

As described above, all of you are needing a ride, usually at the same time. All of the dispatchers are swamped with calls, the drivers are swamped with runs, and all of you want what you want, when you want it (and all of you are as impatient as the cab company is)

So... after fielding a dozen or more rude calls from you taxi customers, the dispatcher is getting a bit frustrated with telling all of you what you don't want to hear... so they say something "generic" like: "20 minutes"

it's a lie

it's a stab in the dark

he has no idea how long it's really going to take

... but the truth is NOT what you want to hear

So what do you do?

You call a second cab company.

You figure who ever shows up first gets the job

The dispatcher is now frustrated even more because he diverted his already scant resources away from a paying customer to show up at your location... and you took a cab from another cab company.

The night time dispatchers "recognize your voice", they "know" you were the one who sent them on a wild goose chase...

so, wonder why some of them are rude?

What's a cab company to do? Hire a professional dispatcher for both day shift AND night shift.

If you're needing a ride to BWI from Frederick County Maryland call Gordon Seaven at 240 626-1147

To BWI From Frederick Maryland