Tag Archives | taxi

Uber and Careem No Longer Allowed to Pick Up Passengers from Beirut Airport

By Rami on April 4, 2019 in Beirut, Transportation, What the fuck!

Several news websites reported last week that a new decision (number 1/247) was issued by the Minister of Transport that aims to organize the operation of Taxi cabs at the airport, an urged taxi drivers to abide with it as of the first of April. No details were provided about that decision and the ministry website didn’t have any information, so it all sounded vague.

A few days later I started hearing about people arriving to Beirut Airport not being able to meet their designated drivers at the exit and I just made sure yesterday it was because of that decision.

A friend of mine arrived last night and tried to use Careem, but a few minutes later the driver called and told him he can no longer go beyond the army check point (around 700m away from the airport entrance), and that he should meet him there to pick him up. With too much distance to walk, my friend decided to simply cancel the ride and book one of the official airport taxi cars, except that they told him it will cost “around $50” to drive him to Dekwane which is ridiculously exorbitant, so he just said thanks and called one of his relatives to come take him instead.

So whatever that decision states, it essentially no longer allows taxi river to pick up their arriving passengers from the parking lot as before in order to force people to use the official airport taxi drivers who are infamous for charging very high amount for a few kilometers rides. Therefore, in case you are arriving to Beirut anytime soon, make sure to arrange for a friend or relative to pick you up if you don’t want to bear unnecessary charges.

Keep in mind that our so called tourism season should start in a few weeks from now, and this decision is basically the best way to kick it off!

Update (April 5th 2019):

Private taxi companies can pick up passengers from the airport only if they apply for a special permit from the syndicate of Lebanese taxi drivers for every ride they want to make.

The permit should include the passengers name along with their flight details in order not to be used more than once.

Update 2 (April 5th 2019):

Minister of Transportation Youssef Fenianos just reversed his decision, so taxi drivers can pick up incoming passengers from the parking lot just like before.

Taxi Booking Apps Now Cost Less Than Regular Taxis in Lebanon

By Rami on May 3, 2017 in Transportation

It’s been a while since I last used a ride hailing app around Beirut, and when I recently booked a Careem last Saturday it caught my attention that they currently charge 6,000L.L for rides within Beirut which is less than the standard fare you pay for other regular Taxis (10,000L.L / ride). I later checked UBER and noticed that they are charging a similar low fare as well.

I know the price difference doesn’t matter much with people who rarely use taxi cabs to commute, but those who do it frequently will definitely save some good money using mobile apps. My wife for example take cabs 3 to 4 times a week and I already convinced her to use Careem since it is my favorite booking app locally.

Talking about Careem, they recently announced integration with Google Maps, so you can see the estimated time of arrival as well as a fare estimate when you search for some location on Google Maps which can be quite useful. To try it out you can simply choosing the ride-hailing icon when searching for directions, then clicking “Open App” to launch Careem and book your ride.

I know the use of apps is to some associated with paying premium prices, but in the case of taxi booking apps it is not, so give it a try.

Photo via Flickr

Allo Taxi App gets the job very well done!

By Rami on December 16, 2014 in Lebanon

3_2

I’ve been using the Allo Taxi app for a while now and am really loving it. I actually used their rides several times before and was satisfied with their service, and the new app now makes the whole booking process much easier.

Now you may ask why am I writing about Allo Taxi instead of “being cool” and writing about Uber. Well, I’ve tried Uber twice and my main concern was their arrival time. Uber operates less cars and can therefore take a bit of time to reach your place, whereas Allo Taxi on the other hand are literally everywhere and seriously never took more than 10 minutes to reach my location. Moreover, unlike with other apps, Allo Taxi accepts cash instead on insisting to bill your credit card, so it’s more convenient for people who don’t have credit cards and those who prefer not to use it online.

Placing an order on Allo Taxi app is quite easy, you either enter your pick up place manually or let the GPS do it for you, then set the drop off location and get the tariff immediately calculated for you. You usually get a phone call from your driver asking for directions a couple of minutes after placing your order, and will eventually be billed once the trip is over.

In addition, in my opinion a major advantage that Allo Taxi has with the app is the ability to pre-order a ride. For instance, if you have an outing planned for the next day, you can book your ride ahead of time and never worry about it, which is not possible with Uber.

So there you go, next time you hear some bad news about Uber whether here in Lebanon or worldwide, you know you got yourself another much more reliable option!

The Allo Taxi app is available for both Android [Here] and iOS [Here].

Careem – Another cab app launched in Beirut!

By Rami on July 11, 2014 in Lebanon

Seems like it’s the cab apps day on the blog today! I was searching for similar services to Uber in the region and came across this article on the launching of Careem in Beirut.

Careem is yet another cab app that connects passengers to drivers and works exactly the same way as Uber, except that I felt like the booking process is smoother in Uber. What remains now though is knowing which one has the best fares and service.

Careem is available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry.

Uber launches in Beirut

By Rami on July 11, 2014 in Lebanon

Uber is a on-demand car service based in San Francisco, California that connects passengers with drivers in over 140 cities through a mobile app allowing customers to order a ride, track their driver’s location, and finally pay using their credit card.

They have already been operating in several cities across the middle east, and they just announced today on their blog expanding to Beirut with Pierre Rabbat and Daniella Rahme being the first two to try their service.

I downloaded their app (Available on both iOS and Android) and found it quite easy to use. You first need a couple of minutes to create an account and verify your mobile number and you’re good to go. To order a ride, you choose the vehicle type you want and mark the location from which the driver should expect picking you up from and wait. When you reach your destination, your credit card will be automatically billed with no need to tip or carry cash.

I haven’t tried using the service yet so I can’t tell how good are their fares compared to local taxi companies and shared taxi service. However, they’re offering a couple of promo codes one for $20 (“UberLovesBeirut”) and the other for $30 (“rabbat“) which I guess is enough for us to assess the service.

Thanks @Chemali

BBM Taxi

By Rami on June 22, 2012 in Funny

Missed call me, I call you
Message me, I reply to you
Chat with me, I answer you

via Rudy Chidiac

We’ll soon start paying 3,000L.L for a service taxi?

By Rami on February 14, 2012 in Lebanon

As per this article in The Daily Star today, minivan drivers decided to raise their fares from 1,000 to 1,500L.L yesterday.

“The drivers are no longer capable of keeping the fares at a low level. At LL1,000, they can barely make ends meet,” he said. “They [drivers] do not benefit from the [recent] wage increase decision but will suffer from the consequences of the measure in terms of increases in prices and rent.”

And although it is stated at the end of the article that service taxi and bus fares will remain unchanged at 2,000 and 1,000 L.L, I highly doubt they will. Even since 2006, we got used to one of the three (Taxis, buses, or minivans) increasing their fares with the other two following shortly after. Which means that we might soon start paying 2,500 or 3,000 L.L for a taxi ride.

Photo via Note Connection

Update:

Buses already increased their fares to 1,250L.L, and some taxi drivers started charging 3,000L.L as per some people on Twitter.

Captured on camera: Lebanese cop beating a taxi driver

By Rami on October 2, 2010 in Lebanon

A lot of people often claim that Lebanese cops only use force with the poor people who are not backed up by anyone. The video below just proves it…

I wonder how would the cop have acted if the same driver was riding a 2010 Mercedes/BMW with a black number plate.