Taxa 4x35

We took one of these cabs from the port after disembarking our ship this morning. The ride started promisingly when the driver moved his seat forward w/​o being asked so Alan would have more legroom. Alan gave him the name of the hotel, the Best Western Hotel City. He drove very quickly through the city… to the wrong hotel. When we told him this wasn’t our hotel, he drove quickly to another hotel and insisted it was the right one. It wasn’t. It was a Comfort Hotel. Alan looked at the hotel information he had printed out and discovered there was no street address. When he tried to check his phone there was no connectivity, so he suggested to the driver that he call someone for directions. The driver did that, insisted he be paid, and turned off the meter. He then drove, again quickly, to our hotel. Without a word, he took our bags out of the trunk, left them in the middle of the street and drove away, leaving us to haul them from the street to the sidewalk. He obviously was not expecting a tip. When it comes time to take a taxi to the airport, we don’t expect to be calling this company.

Booked a cab the night prior for a trip to the airport. I called them after they were a few minutes late and they were still 15 minutes away. Inexcusable for me when there was so much advance notice.

There probably isn’t a big difference between the Copenhagen taxi firms but I have more experience of 4×35.
Much of the time they are OK, (although taxis don’t come cheap in this city). However, there is a significant minority (20 – 30 percent?) who treat their customers poorly. The driver tonight announced his arrival (although there is always an SMS message to tell you) with a loud and long blast of his horn, (this was 11.00 at night outside apartment blocks occupied by many young families). He then grudgingly acknowledged my presence and spent the entire ²⁰⁄₂₅ minutes of the journey talking to friends and family on his phone.
More seriously, many 4×35 drivers light up as soon as there isn’t a passenger in the car. This is a common sight on the streets. Drivers seem to believe that if they wind the window three centimeters down while smoking there isn’t a problem. Their taxis are therefore full of smoke. This is a great free extra if you are a smoker but for others (particularly if you have kids) this is — at the least — fairly unpleasant.
The worst offenders are taxis hailed in the street. If you call ahead, you are more likely to get a smoke-​free journey. It is however always a gamble.
What’s the cause of the problems? Poor management. Inadequate regulation. Indifferent attitudes towards customers.