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Two Vancouver women say their recent experiences with no-show taxis, which left them stranded late at night, highlight the need for more cabs and ride-hailing alternatives such as Uber and Lyft.

Rebecca Bollwitt left a concert at the University of B.C.’s Point Grey campus at 11 p.m. last Wednesday. She used the Black Top app to book a cab downtown; her booking was accepted, and a cab — she could track its real-time location on the app — was on its way.

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When the cab was a few blocks away, she got a call from the driver.

“He said ‘Are you alone? I’m picking you up, are you alone?’ ” said Bollwitt. She replied she was with her husband. Then the driver told her he has friends nearby. Could he pick them up, too?

Confused, Bollwitt asked: “Share our ride?” The driver said yes, and offered to take $5 off her bill. “So basically you want me to pay to drive your friends downtown,” she asked.

The driver then appeared to give in, saying he’d come get her. She tracked his location on the app and saw him pull up across the street to instead pick up a group of people.