I Hate Not Having Taxis

2019-10-20 16:32:14

About 1.5 years ago I applied at a well-known chain hotel in my local area to work as a night auditor. I didn't get the job, likely because I did not give a very good interview.
One of the questions asked was "what is your least favorite part of the job" and, not anticipating this particular query, I froze up for a moment and gave a non-answer.
Now having worked in two different hotels and having had considerable time to ponder this question I have a decisive answer: not having taxis.

Both hotels I've worked at have been out in rural or semi-rural areas. One thing that cities have that the countryside doesn't is the ubiquity of taxis and rideshare drivers.
I drove for Uber for a few months between my shifts at my previous hotel. Most nights I didn't get any rides, and if I did it was only one or two. There simply wasn't much business to be had and therefore the area simply didn't have many drivers. Consequently, summoning an Uber at 2 AM was a non-option for guests at the desk asking for a cab.
Taxis in these areas seem to have a similar problem: they're sparse, expensive, and closed at night. Probably the biggest contributor to cabs being much more expensive out here is the fact that everything is more spread out in the countryside. A 20-minute ride in the city might take you five or six blocks*, while in the country it might take you 25 miles. I'm given to understand that cabs are available 24/7 in most major cities like Washington, Chicago, and especially New York. In a rural area it's just not so.

My least favorite part of this job is trying and failing to find a ride for someone. Always they have a flight to catch or they're bored and need a ride to a pub, and always I have to tell them they're out of luck.
Today a couple wanted help setting up a ride at 5 AM tomorrow morning to the airport an hour from here. I learned that it's not possible to schedule an Uber ahead of time out here because we're not in a major city. I strongly advised them not to wait until 4 AM tomorrow to try to get a ride, because even at noon today there were no Ubers available and chances at 4 AM would be near zero. There are only two cab services that operate here and they each wanted $125, about 150% of what Uber was asking, and said they were limited on drivers so they needed an appointment ASAP if it was going to happen.
I spent half an hour trying to help these guests and I still had no good news to give them.

Going through these motions over and over again is very frustrating and is easily my least favorite part of this job.

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