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By Kelly Faircloth 1/14 1:03pm

Ride or Die

Call a cab. (Photo: Uber)

Regulators Pacified, Uber Debuts Taxi Service in Washington, D.C.

Guess that pivot toward friendlier relations with local regulators is working out: Today UberTAXI launches in Washington, D.C, which means hotshot lobbyists and stranded Congressional aides alike can now request and pay for a taxi from within the Uber app. It works essentially the same as the status quo black car service–it’s just another option.

Or, as Uber rather more grandiosely put it on the company blog: “There’s nothing more American than the freedom to choose—so it’s fitting that Uber is bringing our nation’s capital yet another choice when it comes to getting a reliable ride.” Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 12/18/12 12:15pm

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Cab Fight! New York City Vendor Sued for Breach of Taxi Technology Agreement

With all the excitement over last week’s decision to test out taxi apps in New York City, another technological step forward got overlooked. During a meeting at its Beaver Street headquarters last Thursday, the Taxi and Limousine Commission also unanimously voted in favor of new rules for those credit card swipers and “entertainment systems” (scare quotes necessary) in back of your cab, referred to as T-PEP. Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 12/14/12 10:40am

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Mayor Bloomberg on Taxi Apps: ‘There Is a Group of Cab Owners That Are Opposed to Anything’

This morning, on his weekly Friday radio show with John Gambling, Mayor Bloomberg discussed the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s vote in favor of a year-long pilot program to test out e-hailing apps, which let riders flag down a cab with their smartphone.

As we noted yesterday, the pilot was a last-minute compromise when it seemed like lobbying from black car and livery car incumbents would prohibit the passage of permanent rules to open up the taxi market to any app with a license. (Black cars and liveries worry that the ability to “pre-arrange” taxi rides with an an app will hurt their business.)   Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 12/13/12 3:30pm

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After Fears That TLC Would Kill Taxi Apps, E-Hailing Gets a Pilot Program

In a packed meeting at the Taxi and Limousine Commission headquarters this morning, commissioners voted 7-0 in favor of adopting a year-long pilot program to test out e-hailing apps that let riders flag down yellow cabs from their smartphone. The pilot won’t commence until February. After reviewing data from the test run, the TLC will assess whether to make it permanent. The more limited pilot program is an abrupt change from an earlier proposal by TLC chairman David Yassky: to vote on e-hailing rules that would have opened New York’s taxi market up to any app that met guidelines and secured a license. Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 12/12/12 5:18pm

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Q&A With TLC Chairman David Yassky About Tomorrow’s Big Vote on Smartphone Apps for Taxis

Tomorrow morning, New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission will hold a momentous vote at its headquarters on 33 Beaver Street concerning two sets of proposed rules–one of which could radically alter the taxi hailing experience for New Yorkers.

That highly contested proposal calls for changing e-hailing rules that have traditionally given yellow cabs province over street hails, where black cars and livery cabs focus on prearranged rides. If passed, those e-hail rules would open up New York’s massive, much-coveted market for yellow cabs to any request-a-ride app that meets guidelines and secures a license.

So rather than having to hail a taxi on the street, these apps will let you flag down and pay for a taxi with a few taps of your smartphone. Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 12/05/12 9:45am

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(Photo: Wikimedia)

All Grown Up: Uber Actually Sits Down With D.C. Regulators, Gets a Deal

After a series of tussles with regulators across the country, yesterday something went right for Uber. Washington, D.C.–a city where regulators have long been skeptical of the service–has passed a bill that essentially allows the service to continue operating legally. And just a couple days after the appearance of a New York Times article about the company’s many Read More

By Jessica Roy 11/30/12 1:21pm

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(Photo: Yellow Cab NYC)

Off Duty Light Goes Off: Taxi Light System to No Longer Confuse Tourists

It’s a secret point of pride for experienced New Yorkers that we know how to properly parse the mystifying taxi light system. It gives us a leg up over tourists, who spend so much time trying to differentiate between the Available and Off Duty lights that by the time they realize the cab is free, a local has already settled into the backseat.

But now, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Taxi & Limousine Commission has voted to revamp the baffling system: during scheduled taxi inspections between January and April, all taxis will be outfitted so that their signs only display one light when they’re available. When they’re taken or off-duty, the sign will be dark. Read More

By Jessica Roy 11/05/12 10:17am

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(Photo: Uber Blog)

Uber Offers New Customers a Free Ride to Polling Places on Election Day

San Francisco-based Uber, which allows users to hail a black car using their smartphone, has teamed up with Rock the Vote for an Election Day partnership that aims to entice new Uber customers to cast their ballots for our next President.

“On November 6th, we all have some big decisions to make as we decide on the next President of the United States,” reads a recent post to Uber’s blog. “One decision you shouldn’t have to make is how you’ll get to the polls.” Now you really have no excuse for not voting. Read More

By Jessica Roy 11/01/12 9:51am

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(Photo: Uber Blog)

Uber Reverts Back to Surge Pricing in New York After One Day

With most subway lines suspended or running on limited service, getting around New York has been nothing short of nightmarish. Yesterday, amid cries of price gouging, San Francisco-based Uber (which allows users to hail a black car from their phone) decided to postpone “surge pricing” in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The company decided to turn off surge pricing for customers, but to still pay drivers surge pricing in order to incentivize them to get out there and provide rides to stranded New Yorkers.

Now, in an email sent out to Uber NYC users, the company claims that just one day of this pricing structure has resulted in a $100,000 loss to the company, “something we can’t continue indefinitely without breaking the bank.”

According to Crunchbase, the company has raised $49.5 million in venture funding. Read More