Over the past year, taxi safety has become increasingly important. Various Garda investigations have uncovered bogus unlicensed taxi drivers, transporting people from A to B. Today, there are plenty of steps you can take when taking a taxi alone. Here are our 5 top taxi safety tips on how to stay safe when grabbing a cab.
Share Your Live Location With Facebook Messenger
This is so cool:
You can share your live location with friends through Facebook Messenger. This feature is amazing if you’re trying to meet up with people for a pint. It’s also great if you’re trying to get a taxi home on your own.
Once you share your location with someone they’ll be able to view it for sixty minutes. If you veer off the expected route home or are taking too long, it’ll be spotted.
Share Your Live Location With Google Maps
Ok, so it’s practically the same thing, but you can also share your live location with Google Maps. Still, Google Maps has some benefits. You can set a destination for your trip and get an estimated length of time for your journey home. There’s also the obvious benefit that this allows you to share with people who are not on Facebook. Within Google Maps you can also hail a taxi with MyTaxi.
Hail A Taxi With MyTaxi
This is important:
Nothing can replace having a taxi driver you know and trust
Having a regular driver in bigger cities can be quite difficult. If you find yourself in a city without a regular taxi driver, MyTaxi is a must have app.
Back in the day, MyTaxi was known as Hailo, a service that defined the smartphone taxi hailing experience in Ireland. A simple tap of the app will usually get you a taxi within five minutes. By using the app, you don’t need to carry cash, can estimate your fare before you set off and see how others rated your driver. Just like Facebook and Google Maps, you can also share your live location, offering both safety and convenience if you’re picking someone up.
The rebrand from Hailo to MyTaxi wasn’t smooth, but there are benefits. The app works in 9 countries, meaning you can get a taxi to the airport and use the app again when you land abroad.
Check out their site for the latest offers or download the app below:
Transport for Ireland’s Driver Check App
This has obvious benefits:
One of the most simple and effective methods of ensuring your taxi driver is genuine is to check his details in the Transport for Ireland Driver Check app.
You first enter the taxi’s number plate, driver’s licence number or vehicle licence number into the app. Rather intelligently, the app also offers an option to simply scan the driver’s QR code, visible on his dash board info. Once completed, you’ll be given a photo of the driver, the details of their taxi and other items of information such as the area they are permitted to work in. From here, if you are not satisfied, you can report the driver and email details to a nominated contact.
How To Grab A Cab Safely – More Practical Tips
We’re going to look at how tech can help keep you safe. First, here are some practical safety tips:
- Have a regular driver. Save their number and build up loyalty with them
- Try not to travel alone; particularly at night
- When hailing a taxi on the street, note the registration on the roof. Make sure this matches his door number and number in the cab itself
- Note the driver’s name
- Make a quick call to a loved one at home, stating the registration number and name of the taxi driver, ensuring the driver hears you
- Try out some of our taxi tech tips
