Cabs of Philly, Philadelphia

If you are looking to travel in style for your business meeting or travel between your hotel and Philadelphia airport PHL Limousine is the way to go. They have nice vehicles with WiFi so could do some work on the way to your hotel or office. I found this convenient and very helpful.

If you're in Center City, you won't have any trouble locating a cab. Just stick you hand out and one will stop for you. They come in all shapes, but you should be able to easily identify the car by the taxi sign on the roof or on the sides. The meter starts at $2.70. From Center City, you can get a flat rate of $25 to the airport.

At the airport, just step outside from baggage claim and there will be a line of cabs waiting to take you where you need to go, however you can also take the train from the airport for $5.50 to Center City and with the train ticket you can get a daypass for all other city transportation (subway and buses), by having it validated at the ticket office.

Some companies to try if you need to call are:
Capital Dispatch (pictured) 215-235-2200
City Cab Co, 215.238.5000
Liberty Cab Co, 215.389.8000
Olde City Taxi, 215.AIRPORT
Quaker City Cab, 215.728.8000

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The Hertz bus brought us to Arrivals area at the airport and told us that we'd have to walk across to the taxis - he couldn't take us over there and the taxis couldn't come over here. After we got the luggage loaded, it was about 12:30. All the traffic for the Eagles game was gone. We got to the terminal location in only 15 minutes and then there were people directing us to the ship.

The taxi ride was $17.60 plus $2.00 for the bags. Bob gave him $22.00. I took pictures of the rate signs on the back of the front seat.

The Philadelphia Parking Authority currently regulates taxi fares in Philadelphia.
Rates for service in the City of Philadelphia are as follows:

* First 1/6 mile or fraction thereof: $1.80
* Each additional 1/6 mile or fraction thereof: $.30
* Each 1 minute of wait time or fraction thereof: $.20
* Airport flat rate (to and from Center City): $20.00
For areas outside Center City, the P.P.A. has authorized the taxi drivers to add $1.50 per trip egress fee as an additional charge to the fare and is payable at destination.

Effective 06/12/2004 all Philadelphia taxicabs are required to charge a $.50 fuel surcharge per trip for each paying passenger under Special Permission No. 28208

The taxi we took from the airport had slightly different fares:

$25.00 Flat Rate from the Airport to the Central Philadelphia Area. This area encompasses: Fairmount Ave (most Northern point), South Street (most Southern point) Delaware River (most eastern point) and University City/ 38th Street(most Western point) Any destination that falls within these boundaries are eligible for the Center City flat rate.

$10.00 minimum fare from the Airport to any destination.

Other fares based on the meter which based upon entry (flag drop) is $2.30 and $2.10 per mile or portion thereof. In addition you will be charged an additional $1.50 Airport fee. First 1/7th of a mile $2.30 and each additional 1/7th of a mile $.30.

We figured it out. Comparing the price of taking a bus and the price of taking a cab.. for 4 people, the cab was less expensive.

The cabs of Philly were clean and they have maps posted in the back seat so you can actually see for yourself that the cabbie is taking the best route.

We got from the hotel to the Independance Hall very quickly and very inexpensively.

For the most part we walked around Philadelphia, but a couple of times we found ourselves farther than we felt like walking, so we hailed a cab. Easy to do, they were everywhere we were. Far less expensive than New York City, a cab ride ran us usually around 4-6 USD.
Other forms of transport that we saw around the city were the purple PHLASH buses, the Duck tours, the double decker buses and a subway system. I'm told that parking is pretty expensive, though the place we parked was not that bad. Anyway, it's far easier to use some sort of public transport to get around.

OK, parking is a nightmare, bring a stack of cash just for the cabbies. They're not that bad but some are known for gouging.
The cabs around here are easy to get, they constantly drive around making the streets unsafe for walking at times, but commuting much fast than by foot.
Who wants to drive after a night of partying anyway?