This chart bodes very badly for the taxi industry in its battle against Uber

[mahatmakanejeeves]

This chart bodes very badly for the taxi industry in its battle against Uber

Wonkblog

By Emily Badger September 17

Despite the increasingly bitter PR war between the taxi industry and its startup foes such as Uber and Lyft, one fundamental question about the relationship between the two remains hazy: Are these new app-based transportation services creating new demand among consumers who never took taxis anyway, or are they straight-up stealing traditional taxi business?
....

So far, there's mostly been only anecdotal data available to answer this question. This week, however, the Taxis and Accessible Services Division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency pulled out some pretty dramatic numbers: The office, which manages regulation of the local taxi industry, reported that taxi trips taken in the city have fallen by 65 percent in the last year and a half (hat tip to the San Francisco Chronicle).

At a meeting Tuesday of the SFMTA board of directors, officials presented this slide in a report on the status of the taxi industry, suggesting that the rise of services like Uber and Lyft (known as "transportation network companies" in California) is pretty much devastating it:

SFMTA Taxis and Accessible Services Division presentation

[hollysmom]

1. I didn't know it was out there

Last time I took a cab to the airport, it cost twice as much and the other time, I was snowed in, I tried to get picked up at the doctors and I had to call 4 times and stand in the cold for over an hour - apparently the they will be there in 1 minutes was a lie. When I called the last time they said I was not even in the system, this after an hour! And there is only one cab company, servicing the area.

[Warpy]

3. Cab rides to the airport are still a bargain

when you consider how much the parking lots rip you off.

There will always be a need for cabs, if only for tourists who can't read maps and only know names of hotels, shopping areas and concert venues. Cabs will also be necessary in cities like my own, large sprawling areas.

[Fuddnik]

2. I'll give you a birds eye view. I drove for Uber in Tampa for a couple of months.

They're going to run out of suckers to drive for them soon.

They cut their fares twice this summer. Translation, they cut their employees wages unilaterally.

They're the worst of the fucked up corporate, top-down mentality. totally unresponsive to drivers complaints and suggestions.

They increased the drivers work load and expenses, but you have to make more trips for the same money.

Drivers are going on strike, and organizing with the Teamsters nationwide.

Check out this link for more info.

http://saint-petersburg-florida-taxi.blogspot.com/