[tijlover]

There's the sticker, paying the deductible, as I've always chosen a high deductible! W/the Loss Waiver Damage, I have complete peace of mind while I'm renting that car, l have come back with the car with scratches, and it's not an issue!

I put a big price on peace of mind!

[oeccscclhjhn]

They're called personals by the taxi dispatchers - dispatcher'll call the driver and tell him his personal called and pass details - aka caller who asks for a specific driver. Little known fact, a personal can pick you up at the airport. They drive past the taxi line, up to the cattle drive that is the arriving passenger disney a ride maze, drive up to the brown shirt and tell'm they're to pick up a personal and they park near the crosswalk, you show up load luggage and hop in and go. If you time it right it's an in and go type deal.

For companies, i'd stick with Henderson / Whittlesea myself.

[dynimagelv]

^1
Personals can MAKE a good drivers day....when I drove, I KNEW at the beginning of the day that I had my minimum book guaranteed just from personals...

Mostly hookers because I always forgot where I took them.

[NLVgal]

I wanted to go down to the strip with some friends, but I wasn't interested in a DUI, so I caught a cab. I think it was $25 bucks, plus tip. The lady was very nice.

[LV2ndHome]

Originally Posted by tijlover

There's the sticker, paying the deductible, as I've always chosen a high deductible! W/the Loss Waiver Damage, I have complete peace of mind while I'm renting that car, l have come back with the car with scratches, and it's not an issue!

I put a big price on peace of mind!

There's of course nothing wrong with putting a high price on peace of mind, but I don't understand why you're apparently ok with being at risk to a high deductible the 90+% (?) of the time you are not in a rental, but that's not acceptable the small % of the time you are in a rental. And if you spend a high % of your time in a rental, you can certainly get the same full coverage a lot cheaper through an insurance company instead of paying the rental company based on an annualized rate of over $7k/yr.

The other thing is LDW through the rental company only covers the rental vehicle unless you pay even a lot more for supplemental coverage. If you have a wreck, LDW pays nothing towards the other person's vehicle or any medical costs if there are injuries. It doesn't make sense to me that being at risk to a deductible on a rental (though I don't think you are as I'll explain below) is unacceptable, but being at risk for the cost of fixing someone else's car plus their medical expenses is ok. And if you already have liability coverage through an insurance company that covers the other person's car and medical costs if you hit them, it most likely also covers your liability to the rental company for the damage you did to their car. Now to address potential deductible for rental car damage...

I'm like you in that I always choose high deductibles, and I'm no expert on insurance, but my understanding is there is usually no deductible on the liability components of coverage (I think this usually applies to any property insurance, whether it be automotive, homeowner's, etc). Usually the deductibles only apply to fixing your own stuff, and of course a rental is not yours. At least this is how it works on my policies and how it has worked when others hit my vehicles over the years.

I'm not sure how often you rent, but for example say you rent a cumulative total of 15 days per year, you are paying about $300/yr in LDW. Even if your current coverage is subject to a high deductible, you can likely get your insurance company to drop the deductible (or lower it to an insignificant amount, which would also apply to your own vehicle) for less than the amount paid in LDW, plus again keep in mind that LDW provides no coverage towards your liability to the person you hit. In short, you can almost always get a lot better coverage for less money by insuring through an insurance company if you are renting on a regular basis.

It would certainly be worth a visit or call to your insurance agent to review your current coverage and and research potential change options as I think it will save you some money compared to paying LDW. You may find that the liability component of your existing coverage is not subject to a deductible, or that you can eliminate/greatly reduce the deductible for a whole lot less than the cost of LDW.

[yellowsnow]

Originally Posted by macgeek

I have been using DesertCab, with ZERO problems.
I book the car a hr or a few (if its a 6AM pickup) and the car is at my house EXACTLY when I asked
(I'm in Spring valley, 89103) I still get sticker shock, a 15 min cab ride is $30.00

My Local friend who lives here talks about a "discount" book for cab rides (1/2 for locals, its like $10) anyone know anything about that?

Jonathan

The only program I know of was designed for low income seniors who have to rely on cabs. Maybe there is another one?

[Cyborgt800]

I'm a new cabbie, yet, I've already learned that the locals don't tip well...most anyway.

Yeah it sucks if you're not on the strip, but look from a cabbies perspective.

Local= Drive empty for 2-10 miles for a ten dollar fare and a two dollar tip then drive empty back to the strip.

Strip= Drive a tourist a few blocks for a ten dollar fare and a 3-5 dollar tip then pick up another tourist same location...lather, rinse, repeat!

Don't get me wrong though, when I drive a local home from a club and they tip well, they get my personal cell number, they can call me direct for repeat rides.

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by Cyborgt800

I'm a new cabbie, yet, I've already learned that the locals don't tip well...most anyway.

Yeah it sucks if you're not on the strip, but look from a cabbies perspective.

Local= Drive empty for 2-10 miles for a ten dollar fare and a two dollar tip then drive empty back to the strip.

Strip= Drive a tourist a few blocks for a ten dollar fare and a 3-5 dollar tip then pick up another tourist same location...lather, rinse, repeat!

Don't get me wrong though, when I drive a local home from a club and they tip well, they get my personal cell number, they can call me direct for repeat rides.

Totally understandable, but I've seen some cabs that are marked "no airport". Is that no strip too? If so, I guess they would rather have my 20% tip than nothing. If no-airport cabs are not restricted from the strip, then maybe I made a neighbor's day a little more profitable when she drove to work. As an adult, I've only taken a cab in Vegas once. To the strip. Not sure how I got home....

(just kidding) I had a ride lined up.

[MadManofBethesda]

Originally Posted by Danknee

Most credit card companies don't provide rental car insurance any longer. Don't always refuse rental car insurance coverage; credit card protections become iffy

How did you come to that conclusion? Here is a quote directly from your linked article:

Most major credit cards come with no-cost rental car collision and theft protection. All Visa and Diners Club cards have it, while MasterCard, Discover and American Express offer it to cardholders at elite levels who have better credit.

It then goes on to add:

What your card covers ... sort of
If you have protection and you get into a wreck, your credit card will theoretically pick up the tab for anything your primary insurance doesn't cover, such as your deductible, towing charges and other fees. If you don't have personal auto insurance, it may even reimburse you for the entire cost of the damage.


Sound good? It's certainly better than paying a ridiculous amount for the rental car company's collision damage waiver. But you've got to watch the fine print. To start with, to get the coverage you need to:

• Decline the rental company's collision waiver.
• Be the primary renter of the car.
• Pay for the car in full with the card that provides the protection.

Of course, there are some exclusions, but it appears that credit cards still provide decent coverage, especially if it is only secondary to your primary auto coverage anyway.

[Cyborgt800]

There are geographically restricted cabs...they may not pick up downtown, the strip or the airport...but all of the outlying casinos are game!

Like I said, if you tip well, you'll get a card most likely.
BTW all of the strip clubs are fair game too...a lot of guys exiting one want to go to another....that's fare, tip plus 20-30 per head from the club. That run to Vons doesn't look that attractive unless it's during a slow time.....6-7AM so far for me unless I find a sweet spot during that time...I'm just learning.

Another thing to consider is that those local calls are often gone by the time we get there...they call then hop in a taxi happening by so it REALLY doesn't pay to chase them unless you happen to already be really close by and empty. That is a problem caused by the locals themselves. If they call company A they should wait for company A and not jump in Company B's cab....you're teaching company A to not want to take a chance on you next time.