Discount Cab? Never Again

It's  cheaper to take a cab to the air port, than it is to leave your car in long term parking for a week or more, in Phoenix.  So I have adopted a method of calling Discount Cab the night before to arrange a ride for the next morning, and not getting a more expensive car service.

Sunday morning I set up my cab for a 6am pick-up Monday morning.  Prime congestion ramping up and traffic bogging down time.  At  5:55am I wheel my bags to the driveway and wait.  And wait.  And wait.   At 6:05am I call Discount Cab, and I get a surly, attitude filled dispatcher, who tells me our pick up times are  not guaranteed, your cab just left the airport and will be there within 30 minutes.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
30 minutes? then 45 or 60 minutes Back In against traffic, and I miss my boarding time of 730am.   Not acceptable.

I begin calling other cab companies, but no one is answering their phone at 615am.  The Discount Cab driver dispatched (we'll call her "B") calls and asks for "Jose?"  Jose???  Who is Jose???  She says she just left the airport, and has just been given my call.   WTF.  At 6:35am she calls to say she's arrived..  No cab in sight.   She's stopped a 1/4 mile away, her GPS confused.  When B arrives, she didn't bother to hoist her large form out of the driver's seat, I throw my luggage in, hop in the cab, and tell her to DRIVE!

For the first 15 minutes, she ignores the existence HOV lane, languishing slowly in the right hand lanes as traffic congestion gets into full swing.  I recommend the HOV lane and it is like a Revelation to her. As we near dowtown, B hands me her cell phone (which she's been trying to ineptly and unsuccessfully dial while driving) and asks that I dial it for her, as she dictates the number. Huh??  WTF again.

We make it to the airport at 715, security lines are long, and I make it to my plane with 5 minutes to spare.  Sweaty, cortisol filled, aggravated, vowing to never use Discount Cab again.  I like to get to the airport 30 minutes or more ahead of time to not rush, to not be stressed, to take my time.  "When you have time to spare, go by air".  Surly dispatchers, incompetent and unsafe drivers, no thanks.  I'll get a car service next time.