Value Cabs

Booked online four hours in advance, they still showed up late. driver texting in the car as I’m typing this, thankfully stopped at lights. First time I’ve used value, not impressed.

We were blown away at how informative and eye opening this experience was! Going to Belfast we knew we wanted to do the tour and anticipated an informative trip around the city. Every bit of it exceeded our expectations. Our driver, Michael Grant, was well informed when telling the history of the town. This is a must for anyone interested in learning more about Belfast!

best taxi company in northern ireland! reasonably priced, not long to wait and drivers are friendly and helpful

I suppose it really depends on which one you favour out of the two big names in taxis in the city — Fona Cab or Value Cabs.
I’ve always used the former and although I’ve been let down maybe a handful of times in general they are one of the most reliable and speedy companies out there.
I’ve had less success with Value. I remember waiting for 15mins for a cab to arrive (I gave them a reasonable amount of time to get there but I was in a serious rush) and when I gave them a call they checked where I was going to, that was fine and then they said… picking up from the John Hewitt? To which I replied no. (I was at home)
Things like that have let them down a little and I suppose you do get stuck with one or the other. They do a good job generally though but still wouldn’t be my preferred option for repeat business.

I most remember Value Cabs for that really annoying ad that used to be on the Radio, actually it is probably still on regional radio I just switched off to it after I had hear it 3,000 times.
It goes a little something like this:
«Value Cabs on 90 80 90 80, yes that’s right its Value Cabs on 90 80 90 80. That number again is Value Cabs on 90 80 90 80!»
You might read that and think that the ad wasn’t too bad and I was overreacting but imagine hearing that in the most annoying accent on you way to school every day at 7.30am. You tell me that wouldn’t grate on you.
Anyway this taxi company are pretty good but I would quite like to speak to the advertising time who came up with the jingle. They are cheap and will tend to have a stand off with Fona Cab for the cheapest fare, so if you say that their rivals did it for cheaper then they will probably knock a few pounds off.

I knew when I started writing for Unilocal that Value Cabs was going to be my first and possibly only one star review. Rip-​off merchants indeed, as Nick S says. ‘Value’ Cabs are the only company I will never ring or flag down, even when it’s 3am, tipping it down and I’ve been trying to get home for an hour. Seriously. They’re that bad. A mate of mine calls them No-​Value Cabs, and how right he is.
The meter seems to tick over faster with Value Cabs than any other taxi firm, although of course that could just be my perception. So let’s focus on hard facts, such as the time I was charged EIGHT QUID from the Limelight to Eglantine Avenue beside the Bot. When I said Here be’s me wha, the driver became very unpleasant and insisted on the fare and that he wasn’t Fon A Cab. The meter wasn’t even on so he’d clearly made the fare up. Alas, I only had a ten pound note, and this was in my younger, less assertive, days, so I was unable to throw a fiver at him and tell him to drive me to the cop shop if he didn’t like it.
Well, any firm can have a rogue driver, I hear Value Cabs justify. Clearly. So when I got in that night, still reeling from the sheer cheek and nastiness of the driver, I rang the depot, enquired about the cost of an average fare for a journey of about a mile, and asked to speak to the manager. I got a cheeky little millie on the switchboard who kept hanging up on me, even though I was only asking for the manager’s name — she had severe customer service skills shortage, but the taxi fare hadn’t been her fault so of course I wasn’t going to take it out on her. I was firm but polite throughout. No go.
So I wrote a detailed letter of complaint… and heard nothing. Again, it was in my younger and less assertive days so I didn’t know what else to do from there. Now, however, I’d ring the Consumer Council for advice (on 9076 2488), and not let it go.
I’ve heard so many stories similar to this, and about drivers deliberately taking long circuitous routes, and frankly I’d rather walk home in the rain than ever use No-​Value Cabs again.

I like Value Cabs. Quite often I need to get a taxi home to Bangor and it usually comes in at £17 which is decent enough, but what I like is that its always the same price. You’re not gonna get some wide-​boy trying to rip you off.
They’re professional, clean, friendly and reasonably priced. I think that is all you can really look for or expect from a taxi firm. The drivers I’ve had have been dead on enough and never talk all too much, which is what I hate the most about taxi drivers.
Definitely a solid enough taxi firm, not one I would have any problems in recommending to anyone.

Value Cabs is pretty much exactly the same as its main rival, FonaCab, the only really difference being the name (actually. I even think they charge the same rates), but I seem to have had more problems with them than FonaCab, so for that reason, they’re my second favourite of the big taxi firms.
These problems I’ve had haven’t been huge, just regular taxi problems — like not being able to get one on a Saturday for instance! — so not really worth boycotting them over.
My advice? Store the number — you’ll be glad you did!

Value Cabs is one of the ‘big two’ in terms of cab companies in Belfast. They operate in very much the same way their arch enemies Fona Cab, in that they use a system which gives drivers digital notifications whenever someone within a few miles of them rings their automated service (the auto-​mated service comes with land line calls). It’s probably the cheaper out between the two big cab companies, but I still prefer Fona Cab. I’ve no idea why, but everyone has their favourites!

Everyone has their favourites. Value are not mine. They seem like they don’t care. They don’t put the customers first which is a major disappointment. I once got a taxi to the Odyssey from my house and the driver chatted on his phone the whole way their. Not that I had anything particularly ingenius to say, but I didn’t have the opportunity to say it.
Plus they don’t ring you whenever they are outside. Disappointing

I think they are losing it. Not only are they the most expensive taxi firm that I’ve used in Belfast, and with all thier fancy equipment and GPRS’s and so forth — maybe they even have Sonic Screwdrivers a la ‘The Doctor’, they recently have been a bit of a let down. We called them recently to our flat to collect my somewhat ‘merry’ Mother and Father who had been up for dinner — we got the fancy notification text to say that they were outside — no sign. Called them.
Them: «He’s outside love.»
Me: «Erm, no he’s not.»
Them: «Aye he is so he is.»
Me: «No, he bloody isn’t.»
Them: «Right, ‘haul on we will get back to ya.»
Turned out they’d sent him to Victoria Square! Now, I won’t divulge details but this is NOWHERE near where I live and does NOT in ANY way sound like my address. The same thing happened last Saturday as my husband and I waited outside the Bengal Brasserie for a Value Cab — got the text. Looked outside. No taxi. Called them… same type of conversation ensued during which they had to dispatch a second taxi. Shame… they used to be good!

Value Cabs is the big boy in Belfast Taxis. The drivers will tell you ever exaggerating tales of how many drivers there are (about a million if you believe them) and how rich the owners are. Everyone in Belfast knows Value Cabs and their uniformed drivers who are all ‘undergoing training to be NI Tourist Board Hosts’ which is good news and to be fair an indication of how professional these guys are. They do a lot of corporate account work so if you’re in belfast on business you may well travel in a Value Cab.
I have never seen a single peice of dirt or rubbish in one of their cars but that might actually be the only downside — some of the cars are so clean you’re almost afraid to contaminate the atmosphere by breathing out. Some of these men (and the occassional woman) are seriously uptight about their cars. Who said obsessive? Harsh.
What really tickles me is that once you have called Value Cabs once, they have a system which retains your address so that the next time you call, you don’t even have to speak to anyone to order a cab.
I have never had a driver turn up late, even on New Years Eve. In fact, the drivers are usually early but will wait outside without tooting the horn, starting the meter or doing anything to raise the old stress levels. A top service from these guys.