I was recently in Miami, and like most trips I take in the U.S., my default plan for getting around was Uber or Lyft. I almost never take taxis anymore. It’s been many years since I last relied on one.
But this time, I made an exception.
I had just gotten off a cruise ship at the Miami cruise terminal. There was a clearly marked taxi stand right outside, with a line of cabs waiting. Our destination was a coffee shop in downtown Miami on 4th Street, no more than a five-minute drive. I could have called an Uber, but the taxis were already there, luggage in hand, no waiting. It seemed more convenient.
I also had a bit of optimism going in. I’ve heard people say taxis have gotten better over the years. Some folks who strongly dislike Uber and Lyft will tell you taxis are fairer to drivers, better regulated, and generally less sketchy than they used to be 10 or 15 years ago. So I figured, fine, let’s give taxis another shot.
That optimism didn’t last long.
We got into the first cab in line, loaded our luggage, and told the driver where we were going. The moment he realized it was only a five-minute trip, his mood visibly shifted. He was clearly annoyed, borderline angry, that we weren’t going somewhere farther, like the airport.
I get it. Longer trips pay more. But at the end of the day, taking fares is the job, and giving passengers attitude because the ride is short is just unprofessional.
We got in the back seat and started driving. About halfway there, we stopped at a traffic light next to another taxi. Our driver rolled down his window. The other cab rolled down theirs. Then, right in front of us, our driver started complaining about us to the other driver, about how short the trip was and how ridiculous it was.
We’re sitting right there in the back, listening to him complain about us like we weren’t even there. It was surreal.
Then things got worse.
As we approached 4th Street, our actual destination, the driver blew right past it. No turn. We kept going. 3rd Street. 2nd Street. 1st Street.
Only then does he say, “Oh, you were going to 4th Street, weren’t you? Guess we’ll have to go around the block.”
We looped all the way around, taking the long way back.
I don’t believe for a second that he missed the turn by accident. I’m confident he did it intentionally to run up the meter. This is exactly the kind of behavior taxis have been infamous for forever, taking the long way, especially when you know the passengers are tourists.
Eventually, we arrived.
I asked how much it was.
“Eighteen dollars.”
For a five-minute drive. An Uber for the same trip would have been around $8.
I asked if he took credit cards.
“No. Credit card machine is broken.”
At that point, I had basically hit every taxi cliché in one ride:
- Driver gives attitude over a short trip
- Complains about passengers while they’re in the car
- Takes the long way to inflate the fare
- Credit card machine “broken”
We gave him a $20 bill, told him to keep the change, and left. The rest of the day was fine, but the experience stuck with me.
What really struck me is how little taxis seem to have learned, even after more than a decade of competition from Uber and Lyft. This ride could have happened in 2006 and it would have felt exactly the same.
The system feels fundamentally broken. Drivers are incentivized to behave badly, take longer routes, avoid short trips, and squeeze tourists for a few extra dollars. Because there’s no real accountability, the same behavior persists year after year.
For all their faults, Uber and Lyft got one thing very right: incentives.
Drivers aren’t paid more for taking longer routes, so there’s no reason to intentionally miss turns. If this had been an Uber, I’m confident the driver would have taken the most direct path, because dragging it out wouldn’t benefit them at all.
So when people tell me, “Taxis are better now,” or “They’ve adapted,” I can only speak from experience. As of 2026, in Miami, they haven’t. They’re still just as scummy and unreliable as they’ve always been.
Maybe in another 10 years they’ll finally figure it out.
Or be replaced by Waymo.
Kyle Piira 