A rather unusual taxi experience in The Beautiful Croatia on January 11, 2018 - a taxi app experience which delivered the ride, but forgot to pick up the passenger.
As people who know me will tell you, I don't like to complain, and when I do, I always try and do it in a constructive manner.
And this article is not a complaint, more an observation of the joys of the daily grind in The Beautiful Croatia, a country where even progress flatters to deceive, even when it comes to state of the art technology.
Whatever you think of Uber (and I have to confess I am a huge fan here in Croatia), given the general uselessness and rip-off nature of the Croatian taxi experience. Uber's technology is cutting edge, it works, and cars, boats and even pedicabs at Advent in Zagreb show up when they say they will, more or less.
And then there are the Croatian imitators...
Until I moved to Varazdin County, my relationship with the taxis of Croatia was poor. Indeed, after my article How to Get a Rip-Off Taxi Driver to Run After You and Offer a Full Refund was picked up by the Croatian media and became one of the top stories of the day, I have largely avoided using taxis unless absolutely necessary, and it was a true blessing with the efficiency and transparency of Uber came to Croatia and into my business life.
At least until I moved to Varazdin, for in this cute little northern city, there is but one taxi company with VERY friendly drivers and transparent prices (and very affordable). Big shout out to the local Cammeo taxi drivers and transparent prices. They are always there waiting at the bus station as the last bus from Zagreb pulls in at 23:30, and I am delivered home some 6km away for a mere 35 kuna just minutes later. Heroes all.
All was going very until recently, for there was a slight change in my Zagreb schedule. Previously, my neighbour used to drop me at the bus station in the morning and I would take the taxi home, which worked out very well. A new job for the neighbour meant I had to figure out my morning transfer. No problem, I called the Cammeo switchboard to order a taxi for the morning. Engaged. Engaged. Engaged. For over an hour. Perhaps there is an application, I thought, and to my joy there was. And it SEEMED to work. I ordered the taxi and watched the car inching its way towards me. My bus left at 08:00 and the 07:30 arrival gave me plenty of time to get my ticket and grab a drink.
And then, some 7 minutes after the taxi announced it was on its way, something rather unusual happened on my screen. Despite announcing its imminent arrival, above, the car turned around on my phone and started driving in the other direction (see above)!
One of the benefits of the Uber application is that it puts you in touch with the driver and you can call him if there is a need. Not so with Cammeo. Although I had the name of the driver, all I could do was watch him driving away, while promising to be with me in zero minutes. There is something strangely cathartic about watching your taxi drive unfold before you and approach your destination when you are freezing your nuts off at the side of the road a few kilometres away. It is a good job I had chosen to pay cash, or perhaps I would have had my credit card charged for my placebo journey.
A phone call!
"This is your taxi driver. I am in front of the address, but I don't see you."
A brief exchange of views later and our heroic driver (none of this was his fault) was once more crawling along my screen in my direction. He more than rose to the occasion and got me to the bus station with four minutes to spare.
He was a little confused, as he headed out to my address as per the application instruction until he was almost with me, and then the application gave him a different location in the middle of town. Identical street name, it appears. Very different location. I asked if he could give me a phone number to call so I could point out the problem, but he didn't know one. Nor did I, apart from the useless switchboard which is forever engaged, so if there is anyone reading who can pass the message on to the tech geniuses in the Cammeo IT department, Houston, We Have a Problem.
