Book a taxi from your phone
Order a car, see the price before you agree to it, and watch it coming down the road.
Booking a taxi in an app asks you exactly what the person on the phone asks: where from, where to, when, and how many of you.
Two things are better than the phone. You can see the price before you say yes, and you can watch the car approaching instead of standing at the window.
The practice app below is called Curbside Cabs and does not exist. Yours will look a little different, and every one of them has these same four steps: where to, how long, what it costs, confirm.
Key points
- Order a car and see the fare before you agree to anything
- Choose how to pay before the driver arrives
- Check the license plate on the screen against the car at the curb
- Let somebody watch the trip, and cancel without committing by accident
What to remember
- The price screen comes before the confirm button, and you can walk away from it.
- Estimated means close, and it moves only if the trip moves. Ask before you add a stop.
- Checking the license plate against the screen takes two seconds and is the only check that matters.
Try this
Open a taxi app on your own phone and get as far as the price screen for a trip you might really make. Then close it. Nothing is booked until the confirm button, and proving that to yourself is the point.
Practice: Book a taxi from your phone. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.