Monthly Archives: September 2015

Insight

Tips to Survive Chicago’s Public Transportation

Chicago has the second largest public transportation system in the United States. There are several different transport systems to choose from, such as the Metra Commuter Rail, the city buses, or taxi cabs. But if you are new to the Windy City, you might find it confusing at first because of all the routes available. So, here are tips to help you survive Chicago’s public transportation.

  1. Plan Ahead

There are a lot of places to visit and things to see in Chicago. To get the most out of your travel, plan ahead on the order of places to go to. This way, you’ll spend less time finding your way and more time enjoying the sights and sounds.

You should also learn which routes to take. Check out which sites are close to train stations or bus stops. You can use a regular map or an online map so you know the location of the places you want to visit and the landmarks you need to watch out for. If you wish to book a cabbie for the duration of your stay in Chicago, go for one who is under a legitimate taxi operating company. Take Universal Taxi Dispatch, for instance.

  1. Check Transportation Fares

Chicago offers you several ways to pay for your transportation. You can pay in cash or through your credit card. There are also transit cards you can load up with your money for easy fare payment. Choose which option is best for your itinerary. If you plan to switch your mode of transportation depending on your schedule, choosing a limited-use card is wiser than buying a full metro card.

  1. Know Your Ride

Chicago public transportation is divided into three major modes:

  • Riding the Bus

When commuting in Chicago, you would most probably take a bus. It is easy as long as you know which bus stops to wait in and what bus you should take. This is precisely the reason why it is important to plan ahead. Always check the destination signs on the bus to make sure you are on the right one.

  • Riding the Train

You can purchase Ventra Cards or tickets in every train station in Chicago. You can also load money into your card if you already have one. Also, each station has a map, so you can double check where you are and where your destination is. Follow the signs to get on the right train.

  • Riding a Taxi

Of course, the most convenient way to get around the Windy City is to ride a taxi since it can take you from point A to point B directly. And Universal Taxi has made it even easier for you to book a cab simply by downloading its app, input where you are and your destination, then a taxi will be dispatched to your location and take you to your next destination. On top of that, you can always be sure that Universal Taxi cabbies are polite, courteous, and professional.

 

For you to enjoy the best of this great city, we encourage tourists to take all three modes of transportation for a fuller and richer vacation in Chicago.

Insight

How to Act when the Cab Driver Goes into a Mild Road Rage

In a study conducted by a Connecticut auto club, commuters in 25 prominent U.S. metropolitan areas recorded occurrences of road rage in their city. This includes tailgating, profanity, and other aggravating tendencies. Out of 25 cities, Chicago ranked seventh with the worst road rage incidents. Here at Universal Taxi Dispatch, we aim to lower that rank by mentoring our taxi drivers on how to deal with road rage.

 

Road Rage Reaction as a Passenger

 

According to the US Department of Transportation, if you commute to and from work every day, you most likely spend a minimum of one hour each day in a vehicle. This amount of time raises the likelihood of you to experience road rage, even as a passenger.

 

A mildly upset cab driver because of justifiable circumstances, like a motorist who carelessly cuts him off, is easy to pacify. The hard part is when you encounter a taxi driver who takes personal offense over every little thing on the road. So, as a passenger, what is the proper way to respond when your cab driver is well into a full-blown road rage? Here are two helpful tips:

 

  1. Stay calm and sharp.

 

In actuality, when your taxi driver experiences the rage, there isn’t a great deal you can do. When he turns to you and howls, “Can you believe that? Did you see what happened? Where did that idiot learn to drive?” there is very little that you can say since the questions are rhetorical. Moreover, you can’t put a stop to the driver’s genuine feelings. His knee-jerk reaction is something you can’t prevent whether you are in agreement with him or not. In fact, either response from you can potentially make his feelings worse. If you agree with him, you validate his reaction. If not, you can frustrate him more that can make a bad situation worse. What you can do is to stay calm, vigilant and sharp. Don’t make further comments that will push him over the edge.

2. Get the driver’s attention off the road.

 

Obviously, this doesn’t mean that you avert his attention so much that he can’t properly drive anymore. Divert his attention by talking to him. If you already have an ongoing conversation that gets off track due to the road rage, the most sensible thing to do is maneuver the conversation back to the original topic. If you haven’t chatted with him yet, this is the perfect time to start a conversation. Choose a mundane topic, something that can’t get him more excited or fired up. You can also pick a topic that calls for a good amount of thought to keep the conversation going. For instance, talk about kids or mutual hobbies. Make sure to bring up topics that the driver can relate to.

 

If the driver is mildly upset, it’ll be an easy task to divert his attention. However, if he’s incredibly mad or out of line, it’s wiser, for your own safety, to ask him to stop so you can get out of the car. Lastly, make sure to report the incident to the cab service company. The Universal Taxi Dispatch, and other Chicago cab companies for that matter, will benefit a lot from this kind of feedback.