Loyal "Taxis and the Law" blog reader has an excellent piece in the Guardian on the danger and folly of taxi hailing apps. Here is the link, with some highlights below.
Well done, Eugene!
"Let me put it this away: anyone can be both a data input clerk and a taxi driver. If I have a data input job during the week and I also drive a taxi on weekends, this wouldn't concern the public. Were I to combine the two occupations and do them simultaneously, it should be a matter of serious concern. If 14,000 drivers (or more at peak times) are being encouraged to do this with the approval of the municipal authorities, it is an even greater concern. Yet this is exactly what is happening in New York City, and the local media and mayoral candidates have little to say about it and likely are oblivious to it."
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"At those times taxis and livery cars are really scarce (such as when it's raining or at shift change time) Hailo is still useless. Why would a taxi driver pass up people waiving and whistling and shouting to him in order to answer a Hailo call? The only reason to ignore potential customers and answer Hailo is if a driver is trying to impress the Hailo management.
Hailo instituted a point system for drivers – complete with little badges of bronze, silver and golden colors and other "recognition". But let's be honest, drivers do this for money, not badges."
Hmmm ... the writer pretends concern about drivers being "forced" by Hailo to talk on the phone while driving? During the past 10 years how many drivers have I had who were NOT talking on the phone the entire time I was in the cab?
ReplyDeleteAs for the difficulty of reading maps to successfully locate Hailo pickups, does a guy who has driven a cab for 23 years really have any question in his mind about the geography of West 47th Street? Or Queens Boulevard?