CABS! Transition the Burgh from an On-Call to a Hailing City (Pittsburgh: cars, drivers)

[AnneWest]

With gas prices forecast to go over $4/gal this summer, I'm not sure how many taxis will be cruising around the downtown area hoping to get flagged down. I think the cost of taking a taxi will then be proportionately higher, too.
It's a great idea, especially with the state of PAT, but I'm thinking the timing is unfortunate because of oil prices and the state of the Middle East.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by AnneWest

With gas prices forecast to go over $4/gal this summer, I'm not sure how many taxis will be cruising around the downtown area hoping to get flagged down. I think the cost of taking a taxi will then be proportionately higher, too.

They don't just drive around hoping to be picked up. But when they are returning from taking someone somewhere, they can be flagged down now. That hasn't been the case before.

[ML North]

Originally Posted by UKyank

I've personally never had trouble hailing a cab - I've experienced the opposite problem - calling for a cab & having it not show up because it just picked up another passenger en route who hailed it.

I will recommend an app (for the iPhone, not sure what other platforms) called 'Taxi Magic'; I've had a 100% success rate of booking a cab & having it show up promptly with it & has some cool features like showing you on a map where the dispatched cab is going.

This has been my experience too.

[ferraris]

Yes, calling for a cab is terrible in Pittsburgh. I've tried 3 times and only had one show up once. This is with visitors in town wanting to go out and about to see the city. It's a little embarrassing to just just be sitting around for 3 hours before finally giving up.

One time I even used the online reservation system, which made it worse because it periodically sent me updates like "Your cab is on it's way, estimated arrival 20 - 30 minutes." Yet no cab ever came.

Fortunately the one time a cab did show up, it had a good driver and I now have a reliable mode of transportation by calling his cell phone.

[mrgonk]

here's an idea. instead of 15, start with 150. put them all on carson street on friday and saturday nights. make enough money to hire 150 more.

[grapeh8]

I have been able to hail cabs quite frequently. When I lived in South Side most of the times they would refuse to send a cab and would tell me to just go to Carson St and flag one down.

I have also seen cab drivers refuse to take people to the suburbs.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by mrgonk

here's an idea. instead of 15, start with 150. put them all on carson street on friday and saturday nights. make enough money to hire 150 more.

The problem with your proposal is that Yellow Cab merely leases the taxis to the drivers.

Convincing that many drivers that there is enough money on the South Side is the difficult part.

When I was driving cabs, I liked driving at night away from heavy traffic if at all possible. You don't earn money unless there are passengers in the back and the wheels are turning.

When I went to the South Side during the old summer street spectacular (which is about every week nowadays), I answered radio calls and motored through the alleys and side streets, staying the heck off of Carson to the greatest extent possible.

I found it to always be more money picking up folks at their homes, places of work, bus stations, hospitals, or bars in less dense city areas.

[airwave09]

Driverless cars could make cabs (and busses) obsolete:

Google’s Driverless Car Invites Drivers to Sit Back and Enjoy the Ride | Gnarl'd

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by airwave09

Driverless cars could make cabs (and busses) obsolete:

Google’s Driverless Car Invites Drivers to Sit Back and Enjoy the Ride | Gnarl'd

Life is becoming more and more like the movie Demolition Man.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Life is becoming more and more like the movie Demolition Man.

Yeah, I don't like the driverless car idea. At best, its existence implies that I don't know what I'm doing behind the wheel, and at worst, its existence implies that I don't deserve to be in control of where I go.