FAQ / NOTES / BLOG

Customers compliment us all the time about our company name, Gentleman Taxi and want to know how we came up with it. When the owner was still working and learning about the taxi business, he would always hear his customers talking about what they didn't like concerning taxis. The most often heard complaints were cabs showing up late for a reserved ride or many times not at all. Tom also heard a lot about drivers purposely taking folks the long route to get higher fares. Tom decided  he could do a better job than the companies he had worked under were doing. In 2003 he took the chance to break out on his own knowing a company ran by him would not have his riders having these same issues. Tom thought about what qualities a cab driver should have and who they most might most resemble. Taxi drivers are the first person in many cases that someone meets when visiting an unfamiliar city. Years later, we started being called the ambassadors for the city as we are the first glimpse of what Richmond represents. Tom, the owner who now has more than 30 plus years experience and might be your driver for your trip still today wants that experience to be the one you'll remember and perhaps just say "Wow!" Tom wants you to be met by someone who is proud of their city and will do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable and right at home here. Tom wants your ride to be everything right the first time and wants you coming back again for pleasure and business. Gentleman was the word that best describes that as someone you would meet and would like to meet again and who could be helpful in giving you the information about the city you needed. What's the population? Where's a great hotel for what I can afford? Where is a good hole in the wall restaurant? From there Gentleman Taxi was named and still today many repeat customers from near and far still ask for us every time for their transportation needs. We just recently received an upcoming reservation for a group that rode with us over five years ago for a wedding in Richmond. They said we were the first company they thought of when they realized they would be in Richmond again needing transportation. They went to say the reason was because the name stood out to match their experience. Wow! This is the question we get asked the most, but below is more FAQ and always feel free to contact us with anything you would like to know.

Tipping is common in American customs for your cab driver. Tips help with the day to day expenses like food and drinks for being on the road for several hours at a time. Drivers themselves are the core of the company as we are all independent drivers working together under one company name representing us. No one pays us an hourly wage as we are able to support our livelihood and families only by the fruits of our efforts. Your generosity helps make this possible with your tipping. The company as a whole greatly reduces our regular rates and gives the largest discounts possible to encourage you to ride with us over our competitors without giving up any of the value you receive. How much to tip and if you tip is up to you, but we hope you will take a few of the dollars we saved you and give to your driver who helped make your savings possible by taking you for a lesser price. Tip accordingly to show your appreciation for the service you received and how it helped you has always been a good rule of thumb rather than a certain percentage. 

This can be a little tricky to answer, so I'm sharing an article I have read from the internet to allow some insight to the issue. Please go to or type in your browser http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/carrying-luggage-a-cabbys-job  

Almost 80% responded "No" to the polling question in the article that it is not the cab driver's responsibility to load your luggage. Since drivers are independent workers, they do not get insurance coverage if they get hurt lifting your bags. There are some folks who pack their bags to the maximum weight allowed by the airline and some who don't mind paying the airline extra if they go over. Currently, this author needs surgery for two hernia repairs for this reason. Keeping this in mind you should bring your bags to the luggage area inside the vehicle which the driver will have open and ready for you as long as you feel you are an able bodied person and can do so. If this is beyond your capability because of being a senior or a disability, please let us know and we will make sure to send a driver who can accommodate your needs. On the other end at the airports, there are sky caps whose job is to help get your bags to the counter who work in part for tips. Drivers are not allowed to leave their vehicles unattended to take your bags to the airline counter and are subject to being ticketed by the police if doing so. Recently we had an able bodied customer from Williamsburg who we brought to the Richmond airport. She became agitated when her husband brought out her small bag to the vehicle and she asked us if that was not part of the service she was paying for. We replied that going up to a person's walkway to the door was not a general practice unless requested or we could see that there was a need for help. We were not sure if she realized she was getting a shuttle service as she may have not been the one to make the reservation and may have been expecting limo service which we are not. We are always happy to help when needed, but please don't assume what our responsibilities are. Please be responsible for your luggage as you know best what might be breakable and help protect your driver from injury as it is the same driver who will need to be able to safely drive you to your destination. Please don't be bashful about asking for help and let us know in advance to help serve you better.

No, not at all! In this day and time we shouldn't need to address this question, but we still interact with people who think of disabled persons as not being able to work and carry on meaningful lives. We all have disabilities in one way or another if you really take the time to think about it. Just some are more visible than others. We are thankful for the things we have and are able to offer and to help one another. Any driver we send to offer you our service is capable and possesses the knowledge needed to carry out his duties in interacting with you.

   We do offer return trips back to Richmond and many other towns in the same manner with our direct door to door service. Many times, the airlines ETA's do not always run as planned and can be delayed for hours at times. Also, the time needed to go through Customs can be longer at times depending on how many planes are arriving near the same time, staffing and TSA status of the individual flyer such as Global Entry. We do offer our direct door to door service from any airport which eliminates these worries as we are glad to offer our services around your schedule whenever you arrive. There may be a slightly higher charge on a return trip because of the additional time involved at the airport waiting.  Currently, the charge mainly applies for trips returning to Dulles Airport and we are only charging $15 additional regardless of the time involved for flight delays or delays in Customs. We will advise you if this fee will apply to your return trip. You are responsible and liablefor payment to the company of the entire rate for your return if you fail to notify us of a change in your return and the driver is waiting for you at the airport or has all ready left Richmond to  go pick you up. We do not offer transportation picking up at Dulles or Reagan that needs to go anywhere in the DC Metro area.

We have tried to think of most things you might ask, but if you didn't find the answer on our website, please contact us. I'm sure we will be adding more here as time goes on and inquiring minds have more questions and we will provide more answers. Thank you for taking the time to visit us. I hope you will be making us your first choice for long distance service and also remember we provide local service as well in the Richmond region. SEE YOU REAL SOON!