Garry, from VIP Cabs Australia, picks up National President of the Vietnam Swans, Phil Johns, at Melbourne Airport last Monday. And 10 per cent of the fare goes to the Swannies!

As you will be aware, VIP Cabs in Australia is a sponsor of the Vietnam Swans. With VIP Cabs, whenever a customer mentions the Swannies at the time of booking, 10 per cent of the fare is given to the Vietnam Swans.

Last week, Swannies’ National President, Phil Johns, tried the service with a return trip to Melbourne Airport.

Last Friday I flew to Tasmania for a meeting with the President of the Vietnam Veterans Association. As I needed to get to Melbourne Airport, I had the perfect excuse to test the services of Club Sponsor, VIP Cabs Australia.

A couple of days before my flight, I emailed CEO, Chris Doullis with my flight details. I nominated the pick up time for my outbound journey. Chris assured me that on the return trip, VIP would be waiting for me – irrespective of whether the plane was early or late.

Also, the set fee for each trip would be $65 plus GST from Kew. Normal taxis cost approximately $70 so that was competitive. No need to worry about tolls or any fees at the airport. No need to stress watching a meter tick over from start to finish of the taxi ride.

At the nominated time on Friday morning, an unmarked silver Toyota Camry pulled up outside my apartment. It was Lisa from VIP Cabs ready to whisk me away. Lisa was cheery and her car was spotless. The dashboard wasn’t cluttered with the normal taxi “stuff” and there was no security screen protecting the driver. It seemed like I was being taken to the airport by a friend.

On the way, Lisa told me that on my return trip on Monday, VIP Cabs would be waiting for me. When I landed, there would be an SMS message from the VIP driver who would be waiting for me at the coffee shop located between the baggage carousels in the arrivals hall.

Garry drives Phil Johns home from the airport in a VIP Cabs Holden Statesman. Clean, uncluttered, safe and very comfortable.

We arrived at the airport. Lisa swiped my credit card, thanked me and wished me a pleasant flight. Too easy, I thought.

Four days later, as I was flying back into Melbourne, I wondered, somewhat suspiciously, just how seamless my pick up would be. I disembarked from the plane,  turned on my phone and, sure enough, there was a message from my new driver, Garry. Encouraging start.

Then Garry called to confirm that we would meet at the coffee shop. But just how easily would we find each other? And how long would it take to get to his car? Would it be easier to just go to the taxi rank??

I didn’t have check in baggage to collect so I went immediately to the nominated meeting place. Within 60 seconds, Garry appeared. So far so good.

But how far away is his car? As it turned out, just a two minute walk away.

This time, the car was an unmarked Holden Statesman. So, with no taxi queue to join, we hopped into the Statesman and drove away.

Again, the car was spotless and uncluttered without taxi “stuff” and security screens. The drive was easy, comfortable and safe. I mentioned to Garry that I enjoyed being in a car that didn’t feel and look like a taxi. Unlike some taxi rides, it also felt very safe and relaxed. Garry replied that he enjoyed working for VIP Cabs because of the quality of the clients – most whom have accounts with VIP Cabs. For the drivers, they feel far safer because they already know who their clients are before they get into the car.

Any situation where both the client and the taxi driver feel safer is a real “nguyen-nguyen” situation.

We arrived at Kew. Garry swiped my credit card. $65 plus GST. No extra fees. No tricks. Just good, professional, reliable, honest service.

Having done one round trip with VIP Cabs, I now understand their process which will make my next trip super simple. Definitely, I will be using VIP Cabs next time.

How to book a VIP Cab in any Australian Capital City

• Contact Chris Doullis on chrisdoulis@vipcabs.com.au or by phoning +61 (0) 420 311 494
• Provide him with flight details and pick up details
• Mention the Swannies at the time of booking for a 10 per cent rebate to go to the Club

And that’s it. Very simple.

Next time you need to organise a cab, organise a VIP Cab. You’ll be glad you did. And then, on top of that, 10 per cent goes to the Swannies.