FREENOW - Taxi and more Reviews

by Intl Undatisfied Trvlr

I downloaded FREENOW in Dublin. I then immediately deactivated and deleted it. I had attempted to use it at the airport and selected the pickup pin location that was closest to my arrival terminal. The apps pin location must have been bad because the driver was unable to find the identified spot on FREENOW — the pin location was right next to the official airport taxi stand near the local transportation buses. After failing to find the spot the driver asks me to find him — this was after I initiated contact with him because FREENOW said he had arrived but his car, as shown on the map, was no where near the pin location. That is when I requested he cancel the ride. It is also when I got in a taxi at the normal taxi stand and deleted FREENOW . Needless to say, first impressions matter and would not recommend FREENOW and I will not be redowloading it.

by Ianmalone

It worked as expected one out of four times we tried using it in Rome. Twice it said a taxi was two minutes away but then when you try hailing one, it takes 5+ minutes while it is trying to hail one and then it times out and no taxi after all. Very frustrating. One time I set a booking for later in the day at 7pm for a 8:30 pickup. It said it would notify me when a driver has accepted the booking, which I expected to happen soon after setting it, but nothing happened. Then a few minutes before 8:30 it said the driver was on its way (while we were trying to hail a cab “the old fashioned way” because we assumed FREENOW wouldn’t work). Overall service is quite poor in Rome. Perhaps it’s better in other cities?

by Ppcuerdas

First time I am writing a review for anything but I think someone who is planning to use FREENOW should read this. I was with my family in Barcelona, near Las Rambla, and someone recommended I booked a taxi through FREENOW to go to the airport. I scheduled 2 days in advance a taxi to pick us up at 4am. Later confirmed a day before that the taxi would be there at exactly that time as the neighborhood wasn’t the safest. Barcelona in particular has not been the safest place to be lately. At 4am I found myself in the middle of the dark streets outside my AirBNB with 2 children and my wife waiting for this taxi that never showed up. When I entered my booking on the apps it said that there were no taxis available around the area. In other words, “we know you made this reservation, but, too bad, we can’t help you.” It was sincerely frustrating as they don’t allow Uber in Barcelona. I had to literally walk in the middle of a night to a hotel nearby and ask the very kind gentleman to book me a regular taxi. To this day I feel incredibly grateful to him. Please DO NOT USE FREENOW TO SCHEDULE A TRIP IN ADVANCE. They are absolutely unreliable.

by Endless_Lyn

FREENOW is useless. You’re better off just negotiating directly with the cab drivers that way you can ensure a a decent price and you guys can understand each other upfront. The original price that I mapped out on FREENOW , quoted me between 14-16 euros and when I arrived at my destination the driver charged me double at 35 euros!! I couldn’t even understand what the driver was saying when I asked him why the price had increased. I thought FREENOW would be kind of like Uber where the price is set but it is not it’s just a way to dispatch a cab and get unknowing tourist. And the customer service was no help when I tried to contact them. This was my first and last time using FREENOW !! What is the point of FREENOW if the quotes are irrelevant and the drivers can just charge you whatever they feel! My advice get an Uber or if they don’t operate there like in Italy negotiate directly with the cab driver because they are everywhere.

by Icaari26

HORRIBLE SETVICE.

I used FREENOW to find a ride from my Airbnb in Rome to the airport.

FREENOW, prior to booking, it gives you an estimated cost for the trip, just like Uber, but I ended up paying 20 euros more than the estimated cost. At first, I was okay with the price, but when I paid I realized that the driver had added an additional 5 euros for God knows what. I didn't want to argue with him, but instead I decide to contact customer service so I emailed them. They told me that “per their local taxi regulation, supplements could be applied on top of the metered fare for luggage and for extra passengers, from the fifth passenger onwards.” And I understand that, but I booked a car for 5 people only 4 made it, and each of us had 1 luggage avg. less than 50lbs. So I don’t understand where this charge came from, I felt scammed. It would be nice if they disclosed this “supplemental charge” before hand and their estimated rates weren’t so off. For now I wouldn’t recommend using FREENOW to anyone- I wish I would’ve used my preferred option, Uber. They are more reliable and I can always count that their estimated prices are always on point. Also, if your Airbnb or hotel offers a shuttle option take it, quite frankly, ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN FREENOW AND THE TAXI DRIVERS.

by ArodCA

My review is slightly biased because my first time and probably only time using FREENOW was in Rome. The drivers have bad customer service. To top it off FREENOW will give you an estimate (just like uber) of how much your ride should cost and it was ALWAYS wrong. The drivers start the and run the meter way before they pick you or or start you at an 8-10$ base so be prepared to pay over their estimate. I understand that is how taxis work but in that case get yourself an Uber X and pay the same or less for a nicer car! The second time using FREENOW the drivers were grouped up waiting outside a metro stop saying it had to be a minimum of 20$ base! Yes, 20$! Meanwhile I caught an uber x and paid 16$ to my hotel. Be very careful while using FREENOW because you will be scammed. Take a regular cab or Uber. I hope this isn’t happening everywhere but it was in Rome.

by Cynthia_973

I’ve been using FREENOW for several years now, and with every update FREENOW gets worse and worse. After ordering a cab, all of the details disappear from the screen because FREENOW defaults to the order page (why? how many people make multiple bookings at a time?!), such that it is also hard to find the taxi details once it arrives and one needs to distinguish from other taxis, location finding doesn’t work, I can’t add details anymore to a tricky address such that the driver can’t find it.. if a driver cancels a prebooking then your prebooking is gone and you have to manually restart the process (in times of high demand then it is next to impossible to get a new taxi!).. after making a prebooking it’s not possible to change any of the details.. mytaxi, what is up with your product team?!?

by Threxx

FREENOW is either intentionally deceptive or broken. I’m Italy if we were quoted a 10 euro estimate for a ride across town, it would routinely end up being 15 or 16 euros.
This may in part be due to Italian taxis starting their meter when they start driving to come pick you up... which FREENOW should still be able to calculate since it knows exactly where the cab is when you hail it.
FREENOW could be improved a LOT if local taxi fare calculations were explained within FREENOW . I thought maybe our driver was ripping us off by starting the meter at 6 euros when we first got in, and also the rate per km went up a couple times as we drove. I googled Italian taxi fares in the cab and ended up reading this was normal for this area... but why couldn’t FREENOW explain this for me? Seems like an obvious opportunity for them.

by Skcpcit

I was in UK for business trip and booked my taxi via this app at arrival. I wasn’t too much concerned by ordering by this app before I experienced 2 forced cancellation in UK. Already user of this app in France, I feel ok for its service. But by arriving in UK, I tried to book taxi, for two times… all failed… For the first time, the driver seems to stop somewhere nearby and waited for me to cancel the trip. I had to do so as I need to travel directly to my office that morning. And I re-booked another trip with them, this time the driver seems to come to pick me up, but after several exhausting conversation by calls, the driver couldn’t make it to come the the location I was, which is the exit of the saint pancras international station. Long waiting after about 3 quarters, I was so very much disappointed and suffered by this experience. After my business trip in UK, I contacted the customer service for these 2 forced cancellations that charged me 12 pounds, I got a 6-pound voucher valid during one month in UK, which doesn’t serve anything for me, as I only stayed in London for a week for business reason and complaints raised after this stay. Anyway, even though I were still there, don’t have any more confidence with free mnow drivers… So… wish you luck and be careful when you book in Uk…

by Spoc4r

I’m really disappointed with FREENOW. Im just giving 2 stars thanks to one of your drivers who at least gave me a reasonable price after my trip. Don’t use FREENOW at least in rome because most of the drivers gonna take money from you. FREENOW shows you an estimate of 8 - 12 euros, but guess what when i went into the car (as my second time using FREENOW ) i realized that the fare was set up already on 10 euros ( they have the mirror when it shows the kilometer and the “price” that u gonna pay) and i was not even in the car. I didnt mind it first but when i finish my trip it came out with 32 euros!!!! FOR A 10 min RIDE!!!! THAT IS RIDICULOUS!!!! Good thing that they didn’t dare to ask for tip. when i asked why so expensive they said that once they accept the ride the amount starts to count even if im not in the car and i was like what the.... im gonna contact to costumer service because this can’t be. Those drivers are scaming way too much.

by Simplyin

FREENOW did work (myTaxi) when we used it from BCN to the cruise docks but the fare was over €10 more than if you were to just go to the taxi queue. We tried to use it again to get from our hotel to our cruise ship. Couldn’t even get a cab! We just had the bellhop call us one. Tried this in Mallorca but finally just hailed a cab. We didn’t even try using FREENOW going from our ship to the airport and just walk to the taxi station... Perhaps this experience was just a first time user rookie fail???

Gave FREENOW a chance but perhaps it’s just faster, easier, and cheaper waiting in line at the taxi station when you’re in high traffic areas like airports, hotels, and ports of call or just hailing a cab or taking the bus or metro around the city!!! May try it again on our next Europe trip but highly unlikely and only as a last resort...

by Missing Background Mode

Tried to use FREENOW several times during recent trip to Rome. (We had a large group with limited mobility and so had to take taxis a lot.) Many times My Taxi (now Free Now) could not find a car while ItTaxi would find one almost instantly in the same location.

The drivers we did have were all great except for our last which is the reason for the 2 stars. He deliberately scammed us with a fare inflating route taking us on the “scenic” route of Rome when we were trying to get to Termini on our last day.

We kept asking him to take us directly to Termini and he just agreed but continued to drive past the Vatican (which was 15+ minutes out of the way itself), the Pantheon, Forum/Colleseum, etc. A 20 minute trip turned into an hour a €58!!!!! We were trying to catch a train and didn’t have time to argue with him at drop off. He also dropped us off on on a side street instead of out front.

I contacted Free Now support about the fare. But their only response was that “the fare is consistent with the route” even though I explained the issue. FREENOW also blocked me from reviewing the ride until after the 48hour window closed. Beware.

by Mimiinwonderland

I am updating my review. There was a mistake made but it’s been taken care of. I love the way it’s run in Germany. Used it way too much running late to work but it was worth it. In Paris I took it a few times. It’s a private car, not a cab like Germany. So I wasn’t expecting that. I had a really crazy driver yelling at police to move out of the way and cutting cars off and creating a huge block in traffic ended up with a lot of honking. When we arrived to my destination I said it is right here. He said no it’s not. So I started to yell and he let me out. The biggest problem with FREENOW in Germany and Paris is the same. It will find you a driver but then the car just sits there. Or will go in circles or go the wrong way. Idk if it’s a technical problem with their gps system because it can get infuriating watching your cab on the map.
In germany it gets 4 1/2 stars because of the car not moving or going the wrong way.
In Paris it gets 2 stars.

by Nyandsyd

The receipts in the this app app do not reflect a true breakdown of charges made by the driver. Be careful for overcharging!! I took a taxi from Dublin Airport to my home taking only streets. When I got home, I looked in FREENOW where you then see the charges and rate the driver. I noticed a toll charge of €1.50 plus tip that I added. There was no toll taken. I contacted this app and turns out the driver charged me the €1.50 parking charge to exit the parking lot where he picked me up! You also can’t see this charge on the receipt that this app gives you or when looking back on previous trips in FREENOW . You can only see it that one time when you rate the driver. This is downright sneaky and fraudulent!!!!

by Booyakashazzzzz

While FREENOW works fine, I’ve found over the last 1 year+ of using FREENOW that many metered fare taxi drivers cheat, by inputting a higher fare after you’ve left the cab. There’s no way to contest or change the fare (or even your tip option) after the driver inputs the amount and so basically, the driver always gets the last word. I definitely don’t want to tip if the driver already ripped me off!

It would be great if you had a function where both driver and passenger had to agree/input the amount owed or stated on the meter and only if the amounts corresponded would the total sum automatically be paid, or at least give me the option to change my tip to zero if I’ve been stiffed!

by Scarbez

[Edited] Better to pay with FREENOW . For some reason I have been charged twice when paying with card (card and app charges). Not sure whether the driver cannot let FREENOW know that a card payment was already submitted or they choose not to. If the former, that should get fixed. If the later, should get addressed, too...

The service overall is convenient. Works with local taxi services so you can get picked up very soon in places where taxis are on the move constantly.

Update: I contacted this app regarding the issue, providing proof of duplicate charges. The charges were reviewed and reversed fast 👍

by Seriously Annoyed...

Really like FREENOW . Easy to use, good tracking on driver so we know where they are and when they’re likely to arrive.

One thing that would be helpful is if we could tip the driver / decide on the tip amount AFTER the ride’s over. If I forget to update the tip amount during the ride, or if I would prefer to select my tip amount only once I reach my destination (in case something goes particularly well or poorly), it’d be handy to be able to tip after.

by Mattsf4269

I used this quite a bit while in Madrid and Barcelona this past couple of weeks. If you're reading the recent slate of 1-star reviews and feeling anxious like I was, know that you can trust FREENOW, and seemingly most of the drivers within it. We didn’t get ripped off, forgotten about, or have any issues. Our drivers were prompt to us, prompt to drop us off, and either beat or matched the estimates provided by FREENOW.

All in all, I was extremely thankful to have FREENOW. Would definitely recommend.

by DrumMachine385

I have been using MyTaxi since early January while studying abroad outside of Madrid and have been very happy with it. I am almost always able to get a ride on-demand, and the taxi drivers who have picked me up have been very cordial and professional. Yes, the taxi drivers usually turn the meter on when you request a ride, not when they actually pick you up, and yes, the cost-estimates are sometimes inaccurate, but this is a taxi-hailing service, not a ride-share service. If you expect FREENOW to function exactly as does Uber or Lyft, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. If you want a reliable, easy-to-use taxi-hailing service, FREENOW is perfectly fine.

by DaveofBellinghamWA

We use FREENOW in Naples and in Rome in 2019. We were pleased with this service, but I always sat in the front with Google maps open to verify the driver was on a good route. I always made sure the drive started the meter once we got in, and before the driver started it it was at zero. Remember, the Italian philosophy is that if you allow yourself to be ripped off, it’s your own fault. One you understand this you will have a better experience. We plan on returning to Rome in October and will use the service again. One note. If you are planning to go to an airport in the middle of the night, do a Google search for good rated shuttle services. Pay the extra bucks!

by David From Seattle USA

I order A trip to a restaurant was quoted between €9-€13. The taxi driver which accept the order took us to another route. While we were insisting to go to the destination he kept saying "1 minute" eventually he return us to the right place.

Not yet, the most fun part is now, he entered on his phone app €25 and make us go to our phone an accept the request. We were freaking out. We thought we only pay the amount posted before we accept the ride.

The driver getting aggressive and make loud commen in Italian. We disagreed to pay that amount. After 15 mins back and forth he reduced it to €15.

We had no choice but accept the request. Luckily we used an American Express credit card. The card issuer agreed with my case and refund the trip amount back.

If you wanted a smooth trip, go ahead a book an Uber ride. Eventhough Uber only offer Premium/Luxury ride in Rome Italy, it will be much worth the time and experience.

NEVER DOWNLOAD FREENOW unless YOU CAN SPEAK THE LOCAL LANGUAGE.

Big Thanks to AMEX team for their understanding the frustration of their member especially when we are in a country dont speak their language.

by Freenowisterrible

First time I am writing a review for anything but I think someone who is planning to use FREENOW should read this. I was with my family in Barcelona, near Las Rambla, and someone recommended I booked a taxi through FREENOW to go to the airport. I scheduled 2 days in advance a taxi to pick us up at 4am. Later confirmed a day before that the taxi would be there at exactly that time as the neighborhood wasn’t the safest. Barcelona in particular has not been the safest place to be lately. At 4am I found myself in the middle of the dark streets outside my AirBNB with 2 children and my wife waiting for this taxi that never showed up. When I entered my booking on the apps it said that there were no taxis available around the area. In other words, “we know you made this reservation, but, too bad, we can’t help you.” It was sincerely frustrating as they don’t allow Uber in Barcelona. I had to literally walk in the middle of a night to a hotel nearby and ask the very kind gentleman to book me a regular taxi. To this day I feel incredibly grateful to him. Please DO NOT USE FREENOW TO SCHEDULE A TRIP IN ADVANCE. They are absolutely unreliable.

by LDfamily

I used FREENOW in both Berlin and Vienna and I was thrilled with the ease of use for licensed taxis. The only caveat is that I was traveling as a family of four with six pieces of luggage. In Berlin, I asked for a vehicle for five people and got a large enough van. In Vienna I ordered a five person vehicle for an early morning trip and a sedan was waiting for me at the requested time. I cancelled that driver (he was upset, but so was I) and didn’t get a van until I listed SEVEN passengers. I’m still trying to imagine six people in a Prius Plus and failing.