13CABS takes on Uber with new ads featuring ‘good serge’

Australian taxi company 13CABS has launched a series of commercials slamming Uber’s surge pricing.

Featured in the six advertisements is a heavy accented 13CABS driver referred to as ‘the good Serge’.

‘The good Serge’ warns viewers of the perils of surcharging, a tactic used by ride-share companies when the demand for services increases – typically seen during rush hour or over the weekend.

‘At 13CABS the only Serge you get is Serge driver. And trust me this is serge you want,’ he says to the camera in the first of the six ads, according to AdNews.

Surcharging is a tactic used by ride-share companies when the demand for services increases – typically seen during rush hour or over the weekend (stock image)

Serge claims he knows the roads ‘like the back of his hand’ and that with 13Cabs ‘two times Serge means me, Serge, and my cousin, Serge’.

The advertising campaign was created by Thinkerbell, which was founded in June by Adam Ferrier, Jim Ingram and Ben Couzen.

‘Surge pricing is a hot issue at the moment. When the trains in Melbourne went down a few weeks back, a certain ride-sharing company surged their prices by 3.6x!’ Mr Ingram said.

‘We want everyone to know that with 13CABS, there’s no surge pricing, just Serge driving.’

‘On that note, 13CABS actually has a lot of Drivers named Serge – so the campaign not only communicates a timely message, but also gets the message out in a fun way. Special mention to Cousin Serge for his acting debut.’ 

Featured in the advertisements is a heavy accented 13CABS driver referred to as ‘the good Serge’

Serge claims he knows the roads ‘like the back of his hand’ and that with 13Cabs ‘two times Serge means me, Serge, and my cousin, Serge’ (stock image)