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A driver for Uber/Lyft needs a TLC license to drive for those companies. TLC should have seen an issue with giving out all those licenses for Uber/Lyft/Via/Juno, etc. It's too many cars (yellow cabs, green cabs, livery cars, etc). TLC was just happy collecting their money and not really regulating the taxi/livery cab industry.
Why would the city care to protect yellow cab services? Uber/Lyft/Via/Juno have made getting around the city a lot more convenient for residents AND for tourists. So there's no reason for the city to care about Yellow Cabs being wiped out when the city is making more money thanks to more convenient transportation options.
You don't even have to worry about rideshare drivers being robbed or stiffed since the companies have the passenger information.
Why would the city care to protect yellow cab services? Uber/Lyft/Via/Juno have made getting around the city a lot more convenient for residents AND for tourists. So there's no reason for the city to care about Yellow Cabs being wiped out when the city is making more money thanks to more convenient transportation options.
You don't even have to worry about rideshare drivers being robbed or stiffed since the companies have the passenger information.
TLC and the City should care. TLC requires the purchase of a medallion to drive a yellow cab so either they remove that requirement and follow a similar format of an Uber/Lyft or they need to create a similar requirement for ride-sharing companies. The city is considering a congestion tax due to the amount of cars on streets. This can be better managed if they put a cap on the amount of TLC licenses are given out.
There are uber/lyft/livery cabs that hail riders from the streets. There is also the background check that is somewhat faulty at Uber/Lyft/Yellow cabs.
Why would the city care to protect yellow cab services? Uber/Lyft/Via/Juno have made getting around the city a lot more convenient for residents AND for tourists. So there's no reason for the city to care about Yellow Cabs being wiped out when the city is making more money thanks to more convenient transportation options.
You don't even have to worry about rideshare drivers being robbed or stiffed since the companies have the passenger information.
The city might care because cab licenses and territory were usually given out in a patronage system and money gets kicked back to the city either above board or below it but really as you say it is hard to see any real down side to better service and cheaper prices.
Fully Automated cars are not coming very soon to NYC. IMO, we are looking at 50 years down the road for fully automated cars. Automated cars will have a driver behind the wheel as a back-up. Companies like Uber/Lyft would partner with a car company. The driver will serve as a concierge / back up driver. The regulation for something like this has to be created. TLC + DMV will have to create protocols for a automated car with a human back-up. The automated car will have to pass a DMV road test. Also, what will be a DMV road test for an automated car. A lot of regulation has to be created and it doesn't look like anyone is doing it.
An AI will not be able to handle driving in NYC.
I think you're very wrong on this. It might take a while for majority of cabs to be automated but fully automated cabs will easily be here within 5 years.
Not all technologies are created equal. Google has been working at this the longest and founded the company Waymo. They have a track record of needing safety driver intervention every 5300 miles. Uber thought they would bypass everyone and poached a couple people from Waymo, and they are failing miserably with intervention required every 13 miles. One of their cars killed a woman who darted into traffic in Arizona last week, and Waymo came out and said that their car would have stopped on a dime because they have extensive computer training with sudden obstacles of all sizes. Even Tesla's automated car killed someone last year.
So the cream will rise to the top, and most likely Waymo will be ready to sell their technology to the mass market very shortly. The first uses will be long haul trucking and car servicing. Then old people will use it in their own car to get around long after they lose their driver's license and eventually commuters will flip on the autopilot as they commute to manhattan so they can work on their laptops and not have to worry driving
Will give you one reason why self driving vehicles aren't coming to NYC or even NYS; liability.
New York City is one of the most sue happy places on earth, and first time a driverless vehicle does what has already happened (run over someone), owner or owners will be looking at legal action with likely a huge payout.
Suppose things can be gotten around by setting up a complicated corporate/LLC framework, but still.
No, cannot see any sane politician allowing driverless vehicles loose on the congested and chaotic streets of NYC, especially Manhattan. As things stand things are bad enough, especially with pedestrians who feel it is their God given right to meander out into streets at all points and or against traffic lights.
TLC and the City should care. TLC requires the purchase of a medallion to drive a yellow cab so either they remove that requirement and follow a similar format of an Uber/Lyft or they need to create a similar requirement for ride-sharing companies. The city is considering a congestion tax due to the amount of cars on streets. This can be better managed if they put a cap on the amount of TLC licenses are given out.
There are uber/lyft/livery cabs that hail riders from the streets. There is also the background check that is somewhat faulty at Uber/Lyft/Yellow cabs.
The city doesn't care about the number of cars on the streets. The congestion tax is simply a way to collect more taxes. That has to be approved by Albany, and politicians in Albany are not driving in NYC streets and could care less about the traffic.
The city makes much of it's money in tourism. Ride sharing services are much more convenient than yellow cabs and they are global. Out of towners come to whatever major city expecting to use their ridesharing apps. And the city will happily oblige them. In the major scheme of things NYC would not care if the last yellow cab went out of business.
Will give you one reason why self driving vehicles aren't coming to NYC or even NYS; liability.
New York City is one of the most sue happy places on earth, and first time a driverless vehicle does what has already happened (run over someone), owner or owners will be looking at legal action with likely a huge payout.
Suppose things can be gotten around by setting up a complicated corporate/LLC framework, but still.
No, cannot see any sane politician allowing driverless vehicles loose on the congested and chaotic streets of NYC, especially Manhattan. As things stand things are bad enough, especially with pedestrians who feel it is their God given right to meander out into streets at all points and or against traffic lights.
Too much money to be made to be scared of paying out an insurance claim. They'll figure it out.
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
The city might care because cab licenses and territory were usually given out in a patronage system and money gets kicked back to the city either above board or below it but really as you say it is hard to see any real down side to better service and cheaper prices.
Uber and Lyft at this point are huge companies with resources (money) and lawyers far greater than any crappy yellow cab company.
I think you're very wrong on this. It might take a while for majority of cabs to be automated but fully automated cabs will easily be here within 5 years.
Not all technologies are created equal. Google has been working at this the longest and founded the company Waymo. They have a track record of needing safety driver intervention every 5300 miles. Uber thought they would bypass everyone and poached a couple people from Waymo, and they are failing miserably with intervention required every 13 miles. One of their cars killed a woman who darted into traffic in Arizona last week, and Waymo came out and said that their car would have stopped on a dime because they have extensive computer training with sudden obstacles of all sizes. Even Tesla's automated car killed someone last year.
So the cream will rise to the top, and most likely Waymo will be ready to sell their technology to the mass market very shortly. The first uses will be long haul trucking and car servicing. Then old people will use it in their own car to get around long after they lose their driver's license and eventually commuters will flip on the autopilot as they commute to manhattan so they can work on their laptops and not have to worry driving
I highly doubt fully automated cabs (no human behind the wheel as back-up) will be here in 5 year. There is so much regulation that has to be created that is not even funny. Would a fully automated cab/car take directions for a traffic cop diverting traffic? Fully Automated cars sounds like a great idea but it will require a lot of infrastructure improvement. Traffic lights that sends signals to the car, maybe sensors of the roads that allows cars to communicate with one another. (hey, i need to make a right or i am going to slow down in .05 miles to exit, etc), a way for police officers+traffic cops to communicate with the cars, etc.
The city doesn't care about the number of cars on the streets. The congestion tax is simply a way to collect more taxes. That has to be approved by Albany, and politicians in Albany are not driving in NYC streets and could care less about the traffic.
The city makes much of it's money in tourism. Ride sharing services are much more convenient than yellow cabs and they are global. Out of towners come to whatever major city expecting to use their ridesharing apps. And the city will happily oblige them. In the major scheme of things NYC would not care if the last yellow cab went out of business.
Yellow cabs are also convenient for tourist and residents since you can just hail them on the streets. You also have metered cabs (yellow cabs) in every major city.
If that is the case then the TLC needs to remove the medallion requirement for Yellow Cabs. Let them fight a fair fight with Uber.
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