Boston Taxi-Wiz

Cab fares are far too expensive in Boston. A ride that would cost you $5 in NYC is going to run you at least $10-15 here. Maybe it's the cowpath roads, maybe it's just the typical Mass-markup. Either way, it really stinks, because the T stops running at 12:30 a.m. -- just early enough that you're forced to take cabs on many weekend nights. We've been known to walk an extra block or five to avoid paying for a cab, but usually either the weather or Bev's shoes prevent us from doing that and we soon find ourselves sliding around the back seat of cab. (I'm always reminded of that Seinfeld skit -- "Everything's always slightly amusing in the back seat of a cab....[Chuckle, chuckle] I wouldn't try that in my car.") I also hate taking cabs because I always have this fear that the cabbie ("I don't even know what's required to be a cabdriver. Apparently, all you need is a license and a face. A name with about 5 consonants in a row helps too.") will take us on some death-defying, circuitous route and I won't have enough cash at the end. Is there anything worse than watching that meter slowly increase every 1/8 mile? Luckily, there's a great new website, Boston Taxi Fare Finder, that allows you to calculate the approximate cab fare for a trip. You just enter your starting point and destination and voila, you get an estimated cost. This won't make me any more amenable to taxis, but at least now I'll have an idea how much a ride will cost.