Earlier this week I left my car at the mechanic's for a minor repair and had to get an early morning taxi to pick it up before work. I called at 6:45 a.m. to request a cab pick-up in a half hour, and despite the downpour outside, Hello Taxi arrived promptly at 7:15 a.m. How's that for service? The driver was polite; the cab was clean and toasty. Despite the fact that I rather dislike the styling of the Scion xB, it actually makes for a darn roomy cab! During the short 3-mile ride across Brookline over to Brighton, the driver even asked my opinion of which route I'd prefer to take and I appreciated that. Given that I have my own car, I don't need to take taxis that often, but I am keeping Hello Taxi's number handy in my cell--just in case. read more

Recently in Brookline for a dentist appointment, I was having a hard time hailing a cab on Beacon St. In front of the Dunkin Donuts, I finally saw a little line of adorable Scion's emblazoned with "Hello Taxi" across the side. I hopped in with groceries and told the cab driver that I was going to Somerville - which I'm sure took him a little off-guard. My mouth filled with gauze and my lips numb from the dentist, I did my best to give him directions which he repeated back to me until we finally came to an understanding. Though he drove under the speed limit the entire time, he was very nice, a very careful driver and kept one of the cleanest cabs I've ever seen. He got me to my house safely, helped me unload my groceries and was very thankful for the tip I gave to show my appreciation. Thumbs up! read more

We had a bitterly cold streak in early January, and there were no cabs to be found in Brookline. Then I saw a beat-up van turn the corner with "Hello Taxi' written on the side. I was pretty desperate, so I flagged him down. "Hi, do you take credit cards?" "Where are you going?" "Arlington St." "Fine." As soon as I entered the cab, the driver informed me that he was going to drop me off at the ATM so that I could pay him in cash. This was completely unacceptable for so many reasons. The chances of me letting a creepy stranger follow me to my bank are about zero. When I told him I would not go to the bank, he immediately pulled over and let me out *on the street*. I should have just driven or taken the train. Sprinting in heels to catch a train because my cab driver was a jerk wasn't fun at all. read more

Fail. When Hello Taxi was new, they were great. Clean cars, excellent excellent service from both dispatch and the drivers. Now...well... Let's just say I've gone back to using Bay State and Red Cab. read more

I have to give this company a 5 star review. Last night, my drunk ass managed to stumble to the curb from the bar and get in a Hello Taxi. Whilst I was fumbling around in my purse and probably about to pay with an old receipt instead of money, my cell phone fell out of my purse unknown to me at the time. As I woke the next morning and as the vodka haze wore off, I laid back trying to recount the events of the night before. I immediately reached for my phone to go through my recent call list and texts hoping I hadn't made an ass of myself. Again. Minutes later I was still not able to find it and realized I must've lost it. I happened to find a business card for Hello Taxi in my purse, (apparently in my drunken state, I knew I'd somehow fuck up and would need that number again) walked to the pay phone and called to see if it was turned in. Turns out I had lost it in the cab and the guy who answered the phone was the one who dropped me off. He offered to bring it right over to me (!!) and I thanked him profusely and waited. Fast forward to 5 hours later and the guy hadn't come. I ran to the pay phone up the street and called and he assured me he had come by but no one answered. I sighed, wanting to kill myself for being so stupid, when he offered to drive all the way back (he is from Malden) with it for me. He said he understands how important cell phones are for people, and I am currently planning to wait outside for him at 11 tonight. Thumbs way up for this guy. So, the next time you find yourself petering on the edge of a blackout and need decent transportation home, call Hello Taxi and ask for Jean-Michael. ********* Just an update - this guy really did drive to Somerville from Malden at 11 at night just to give a dumbass like me my phone back just now. We actually chatted for a minute or two and I sent him off with a nice big tip. That dude is a legend. This is the only company I will use for cabs in any future booze-fueled, I'm-so-dumb-I-missed-the-last-T nights. read more

Listen up yelpers, and listen good: HEED MY WARNING!! do not use this company if you need any sort of reliability!! Two weeks ago we ordered them for an airport run; And we almost lost our plane tickets because of them- Our street is common amongst four different Boston towns, so. We verified with dispatch the night before with our location. We gave cross-reference streets, a major landmark, And again in the morning at the crack of dawn to verify. Amazingly they still went to the wrong town! And they also said they could not transport children (news to us)!!! I have heard that they do not pay their drivers well and/or have some type of a ridiculous percentage they take from drivers --(I can't verify if that's urban legend or real) so I feel certain that Morale is probably quite low. Disgruntled drivers do not make for happy, reliable, and safe drivers I suspect. Regardless of the veracity, i can say for certain: this is NOT a company that is going to take you where you need to go at five in the morning. Had it not been for the generosity of our neighbors, some folks at Logan airport, and some fellow travelers-- we would've been really out o' luck. Buyer beware!!! read more

First and foremost, my sister was appalled by the unprofessionalism of the driver and the trainee: under no circumstances should two men be telling a young woman traveling alone how good she smells. Host of other issues: tipping was addressed in a rude and presumptive manner, the taxi smelled of smoke, trash had been left out. The taxi showed up quickly, and I've had decent experience with them in the past, but this particular experience was terrible. read more

They didn't want my business so I won't give it to them. Ever. I took my grandmother to the optometrist, and we had to take a cab back because the eye doctor's treatment renders her temporarily blind. My elderly grandmother can't walk very far and even moreso at the time because she couldn't see. We walked up to two cabs sitting outside the Mariott hotel in Brookline. The first cabbie, in a minivan told us to go to the cab behind him. Not a problem, The minivan was too high for my grandmother to get into anyway. So, we walked back to the cab behind him, which was a standard Crown Vic. The second cabbie said that he wasn't on duty. So, I told him that the other cabbie told us to go to him. After that, both cabbies got out of their cabs and had a shouting match which ended up with the second cabbie flipping the first one off and storming into the Mariott hotel. The first cabbie then said he was off duty too and started talking on his phone. We went back to Beacon street in hopes of hailing a cab. Hello Taxi. Goodbye Taxi. You're never getting a penny from me. Ever. read more

So granted, I have never ridden in a Hello Taxi. But, I have had more than my fair share of encounters on the road with them and I can say definitively that of all the really shitty cab drivers around this town, they are the absolute WORST. Whether it's weaving around at 13 miles an hour on Comm ave so no one can pass them or careening headlong through a yield sign and almost killing me, Hello Taxi drivers never cease to amaze....and disgust me. I would never, in my right mind, put myself into the hands of one of their drivers. I don't think you should either. Also, if you're a driver, watch out for these guys. They may just kill you. read more

Me: HI can I get a cab to (insert my home address) Them: Are you sure that's the right address? What's the phone number? Me:gives number Them: Are you sure, sounds like you're guessing. Me: What?? Um, ok, nevermind I'll call someone else who wants my business WTF is wrong with this company? read more

One more update. I HAVE to give this place a shout out. This past Halloween weekend this company was stellar. Cabs arrived when they said they would, they sent vans when they said they would - more than I can say for other companies. (Cough*baystate cab!*) The drivers were nice AND knew where they were going. Hello... you are back in my good graces. read more

Never used em before. was in great pain, had to get to ER at hospital. they came within 2 minutes of estimate and helped me with my cane and gammy leg in and out of the full size crown vic cab, which the driver pushed the seat forward to accommodate lame ol' me. the driver was worried about me. genuinely. he gave me his cell number and said he'd come right back to get me til he quit. so i called him 5 days later. he'd just gotten off, but sent his partner who was a bit late getting to me, so they agreed to give me the ride for nothing out of sheer kindness, not because i asked or complained. again, his partner helped me in, put the seat forward, was extremely friendly, and then took me to the pharmacy and waited 20 min while i got my meds and then took me home. he got lucky and had a good fare while i was getting my meds, so i didn't feel to bad. ;0 he never ran the meter, but i tipped him anyway, which he was surprised at. these two guys share a medallion and car lease. they are polite, friendly and provided amongst the best cab experiences i've ever had, and i grew up using nothing but taxis in NYC. When YOU call for a ride, daytime, ask for David, and evening, ask for Daud. they deserve to be asked for by name for their manners, humanity, clean cab and general nice demeanor. they may be my favorite cabbies of all time! to say that they rock is to sell them short! read more

Terrible service, terrible knowledge of the area. inaccurate in time estimates, and deceitful information regarding arrival times. I saw the taxi that (later) came to pick me up pull into the dunkin donuts, wait there for 15 minutes engine running, doing nothing and then came to my street, and appologised for the wait, he said "traffic was bad" (it wasn't) I am in awe at the level of care this company has for its work. do not use this service, terrible, terrible, terrible. read more

I called in hour in advance for a ride to airport. They were late to pick me up and I almost missed my flight. This will be a taxi company I never call again. read more

This company stood me up three times in one day. The dispatcher is a liar. Three times. In one day. Unacceptable. Don't know how they are still in business. read more

Over the past three years, I've used Hello Taxi at least 20 times to get to the airport. I often book taxis for 5AM, and I have only had a driver show up late three times and never by more than 7 minutes. I travel a lot for work and have come to rely on Yelp reviews when trying to find airport taxis when on the road. I often read stories about how a booked taxi did not show up leaving people in the lurch at 5AM and causing them to miss flights. This is a fear for me when I'm away from home; however, due to Hello Taxis consistent service, it is no longer a concern for me when at home. The reasons I only give them four stars are the following: --There have not always been credit card machines in the taxis. As a result, if you do not tell them you are using a credit card in advance, they have had to call your credit card into dispatch. It doesn't take too much time, but it still takes time when you're trying to catch a flight. --I have twice had issues with drivers who drove too fast. They were really speeding and moving around lanes, and didn't slow much when I asked. read more

Pretty sure my cab driver was drunk or under the influence of something. He was driving 20 mph down Beacon, stopping at green lights, and swerving the entire time. Wish I took down the # so I could have reported him, but I just wanted to get out of the cab ASAP. I somewhat blame myself as I was apprehensive to begin with since I've never used Hello Taxi before and now I know I will never use this cab company ever again. Would give this company zero stars if that were an option. read more

They never change... I called them this morning because I missed my bus for work and they said 10 minutes but it took almost 40. I called them back at 20 minutes and they said 3 to 4 more minutes. Nope! This company sucks. Only call if you don't have to be somewhere on time. read more

This seems to be the only Brookline company serious about doing business IN Brookline. Every city and town issues their own taxi licences and sets its own rates keep in mind that Brookline`s taxi rates are .80 cents more per mile then Boston`s rates. When traveling from Brookline to Logan this results in a significant difference. Brookline has about 100 more taxis then the city actually needs resulting in these cabs spreading like a virus all over Metro Boston. Be careful which cab you get in as no other city or town has the high vehicle and driver standards that Boston has. read more

Hit or miss -- just like most cab companies. The first two or three times I rode in Hello Taxi I was so impressed by how clean the cab was, how nice the drivers were, and how quickly they got me to my destination. Lately though the cabs have been nasty -- smelling like food or BO with rude drivers on cell phones and slow pick up times. Don't tell me you'll be at my apartment in 10 minutes and then have it take 30 -- WTF... say 30 minutes if that's how long it is going to take. Seriously. I prefer an honest answer than setting up my expectations for a let down. It only hurts your tip in the end. I've also had two experiences where I called Hello Taxi, was told someone would be picking me up and then nothing...nothing...nothing and they never showed up. So I stopped using Hello Taxi -- to unreliable for me. read more

Very disappointed with this taxi company. I called at 9:00 thursday to request a cab to take me to the airport at 4:30 the next morning. I called at 4:35 because the cab was not there, and was told that it was close and should be there in a few minutes. This repeated several times, and the cab didn't arrive until 4:55, which almost made me miss my flight. The ride was relatively uncomfortable, since the cabbie kept tapping the gas every few seconds instead of maintaining a steady pace. I suppose he was trying to maximize fuel efficiency, but there are better ways to do that. Also, they apparently do not take credit cards, and since I only get reimbursed for things I use the company card for, is irritating. I will not be using them again. read more

Terrible. Showed up at wrong address. Late. Unfriendly. Second bad experience with them. Will not call again.

Called saying I had to make it to the train and the operator said 10 minutes for the cab to meet me. Almost 30 minutes later the cab finally comes, he drove me all the way there just to find out I missed the train so he drove me back. I was in the cab for about 10 minutes and about 2 miles down the street and somehow it came out to $23!! He bumped it down to $20. Real generous... This is not the first time something like this has happened with this company. Never using them again!! read more

First off, incredibly rude dispatchers answering the phone. Are they aware that running a taxi service falls under the category of customer service? Apparently not, because before hanging up, I wanted to confirm my home address where I was being picked up, by simply asking "can you confirm the initial address," to which the dispatcher replied sarcastically "thank you ma'am, bye" and hung up. Then they never showed, a common theme for this cab company that I will no longer be giving second chances to. In my experience, they show up 50% of the time and are always late. No thank you. read more

I wish I could give them zero stars. I called Hello Taxi the night before I needed a cab to ask how far in advance I should call, and I was told twenty minutes. I had a doctor's appointment the next morning and called before 8 a.m. to ask for a cab at 8:20. At 8:25 it hadn't arrived--I called them to check in and was told the driver would be there in 6 or 7 minutes. At 8:40 he still hadn't arrived, so I called again and was told he was less than 2 minutes away. I had to reschedule my appointment for later in the day- when I left my house at 9 a.m. to catch a bus instead, the cab still had not shown up. I don't care how much traffic there is, there is NO excuse for being over 40 minutes late to pick someone up, especially when that person called in advance and you told them the cab could be at their house ten minutes before you asked for it to arrive. The best part was they had taken my phone number, but I never received a phone call saying that the cab had arrived--I doubt it ever showed up. read more

Told the dispatcher and driver to drop me off at a hotel downtown, gave him the address and the hotel name. When we arrived I told him this wasn't the right hotel or address but he assured me it was on the other side of the building. Never calling these guys again. read more

The taxi I called for never came and I had to call again to ask where it was. I was told it would be outside momentarily, after another 5 mins it finally showed up and the driver was not happy. The driver sped and seemed irritated that he had to drive me. When I arrived at my destination, I pulled out my debit card to pay (which I has been assured would be perfectly fine by the dispatcher when I called for the taxi), only to be told "I only take cash". When I told him I was assured he would take my payment, he replied "I don't have a phone to call them". So I had to call the company myself & have them talk to him so that I could be driven to an atm to get the cash for him. The dispatcher also made lovely comments over the radio about how he cold not wait to leave and stop being annoyed. I will never use this taxi cab company again. read more

I've never reviewed something as it's happening before but I feel the need to document every moment of the experience because it continues to shock me. Cab pulls up to my house (25 mins later even though i was told 10) and I was expecting the cute little square Scion hello taxi cabs I've seen around Brighton, but nope this is a beat up 1990s ford, no credit card machine, no partition between the back seat and driver. I then wait for him to pop the trunk since I am clearly standing there with bags, but nothing, I awkwardly squeeze them into the back seat with me. In the past 15 minutes, my lovely driver has attempted to go clockwise (aka the wrong way) around a rotary until I screamed at him, asked me how to get to the pike from Brighton, made me pay the toll, and blasted a radio station playing only static while humming the same note over and over. He has been twitching the entire time and hasn't kept his hand on the wheel for more than a minute at a time, has the window open to let in the "refreshing" 20 degree breeze...Oh and he has had his right hand wedged under his butt cheek for most of the ride. Am I on candid camera here?! Is this driver on drugs?! What a nightmare!! Back to Top Cab from now on... read more

I called last night for a 5:30 AM reservation to goto the airport. Was told no problem. This morning I called at 4:30 to see if they could come early, at 5 AM. I was told- no problem. At 5:10 when I called, they said he would be there in 10 mins. At 5:30 he calls me back and says "to be honest, no cabs are answering their calls". I am now waiting for another taxi company to send me a cab, and hope I don't miss my flight. TERRIBLE service. read more

Coolidge Corner, early Tuesday morning, 12:45a, a friend needing a cab to Cambridge -- after a 35 minute wait for a Red Cab, a no-show, a sleeping dispatcher who doesn't answer the phone, and a callback from the dispatcher telling me my cab is waiting (while I'm looking at a dark street). I call Hello Taxi, the dispatcher answers, says "10 minutes", and five minutes later the cab is there and the dispatcher is calling me to say so. In short -- a BIG thumbs up for Hello Taxi, a big thumbs down for Red Cab Brookline. read more

Hello Taxi is absolutely atrocious. I called and the dispatcher told me ten minutes. Thirty minutes later I called the dispatcher to ask where the taxi was, as I had a doctor's appointment that I was now going to be late for. The man who answers at dispatch was EXTREMELY RUDE and essentially tried to make it seem like it was my fault that the taxi was late. All in all, the cab was 45 minutes late and they weren't apologetic in the least. I cannot stress enough how bad this company is. DO NOT USE HELLO TAXI. It seems that many people who wrote reviews had similar experiences. read more

WORST CAB COMPANY EVER. I left my bag in one of their cabs early Saturday morning. I called them as soon as I stepped into my house. They then proceeded to tell me that there was nothing that they could do because their driver does not answer the dispatch calls. I then called back all day Saturday to see if the driver had turned in my bag and of course they had not been able to reach him. Fast forward to 6PM Saturday night, I called and the dispatcher got through to the driver and asked if he had found a bag. The driver said that he did have my bag and would drop it off. I called at 9:30 and no bag had been dropped off. I called at 10:30 and no bag had been dropped off. It is now Sunday morning and I have yet to get any bag. The dispatcher has not received the bag and then tells me that the driver "picks his own hours and it is very difficult to get into contact with him." If I had known they would be so unprofessional I would have walked home 7 miles instead of dealing with them. read more

Requested cab the night before for 5AM pickup - cab did not come - dispatcher yelled at me when, 10 minutes after arranged time, I (very politely) tried to ask where the cab was. read more

I will never call Hello Taxi again. When they were 10 minutes late, I called the office and they called the driver who said he was only two minutes away. 10 minutes later, when he had still not arrived, I called the office again and the dispatcher was extremely rude and even hung up on me! read more

I will never use Hello Taxi again. I called them to schedule a ride to the airport, When i spoke with the person, I scheduled the pick up for 6:10 am and asked if it would be a good idea to schedule it earlier, since I need to make a flight and wanted to assure that I'd have enough time. He assured me that the taxi drivers always plan arrive 10 minutes before the requested pick-up time, so the driver would absolutely be there by 6:10 am. The next morning, 6 am and 6:10 passed with no sign of the taxi. At 6:15, I called the dispatcher to check in. He checked on the status and said that the driver was "a few minutes away" and would be there shortly. 6:20 came and went - still no taxi. I called the dispatcher again. He checked with the driver, and told me that the cab was "around the corner and would be there in a second". 6:25 passed. I called back. This time, he put me on hold for a while. The driver told him that he was in front of my house. But there was no cab anywhere in site. I told this to the the dispatcher. He confirmed that they had the correct address. The driver was still claiming that he was in front of my house. At this point, it was 6:30. I asked if it would be a good idea to walk to the nearest cross streets, which is a well-known intersection, since the driver obviously couldn't seem to find my street (which isn't difficult to find!!). The dispatcher said that was a good idea, so I moved to the intersection and waited there. 6:40 arrived. Still no taxi. At this point, I decided to try and flag down a taxi on my own, since I was panicked about missing my flight. As I walked to the corner, I happened to see a Hello Taxi cab sitting in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot, 1 minute from my house. I'm not sure whether this person was supposed to be my original taxi driver. He claimed that he was not the person assigned to pick me up, but said that he'd heard the entire discussion over the cab radio. He said he'd been sitting in the parking lot for the past 30 minutes. (WHEN HE HEARD THAT THE OTHER DRIVER WASN'T AT MY HOUSE, WHY DIDN'T HE RADIO IN AND OFFER TO PICK ME UP INSTEAD - SINCE HE WAS 1 MINUTE AWAY??) Out of desperation to get to the airport, I asked this driver to take me there instead, which he did - 40 minutes after my requested pick-up time. Many months earlier, they'd also arrived 40 minutes late for a requested pick-up, so I guess I should have known better. If you need a cab, find another company! I'll NEVER use Hello Taxi again. read more

HORRIBLE SERVICE!! The company stood me up and then I proceeded to call 5 times over and hour to find out when they were going to pick me up. The dispatcher said he would find out the status of the cab and call me back twice, he never did. And the other 3 times he hung up on me. If you want to waste your time waiting for a can that will never show up and being lied to by an incredibly rude dispatcher, then this is the cab company for you. If you want to get to where you're going, DO NOT USE HELLO TAXI!! read more

I used to use Hello Taxi all the time but over the past few months, the service has decreased exponentially. Three times I have called for a cab ... I'm told it would be 5-10 mins, no one shows up, I call, the dispatcher either "can't find" the driver or finds out he picked up someone else. 25-30 mins later, I'm treking down Beacon with luggage trying to find another cab. Every time I've basically been given an, "I don't know what to tell you." I really thought the first two times were a fluke but after it happened again this morning, I realize this is just how they run their business now. Very disappointing. Don't ever use Hello if you are in a hurry or value your time. read more

We called at 8:05 and asked for a cab to be sent to the house in 15 minutes. They said no problem, and we thought everything was fine. At 8:30, the driver had still not arrived. At 8:37, the person who gave their phone number got a call, which she tried to answer, but it didn't work. She figured that it was the cab driver, so she sent down the people who were catching the cab. They went out, saw no cab, came back and asked her to call back at 8:38 and we were informed by the dispatch that the driver had decided not to wait when he didn't get an answer or see the customers downstairs, so we could wait an additional 20 minutes for a taxi if we were so inclined. We were not. Epic, epic fail. read more

Absolutely the worst!! Hailed cab #129 in Coolidge Corner to go to Logan with 2 colleagues. Cab driver was belligerent; refused to go the (shorter) route requested. Told us the cab couldn't go over 30 mph. Pumped the brakes all through the ride for no reason. Spoke gibberish to the point that we were worried he was on something. When we got to Logan, he refused to pull up to the curb, instead stopping the car in the middle of the roadway. To top off our experience, he would not take our credit card for payment although he had the standard card reader installed. He threatened to call the cops if we did not give him cash. When we said we weren't going to pay, the card reader suddenly worked. Horrible driver - will never use Hello Taxi again. read more

One of their taxes hit me and now the company will not respond with information regarding their insurance.