What is up with taxi service in this town? (York: area, place)

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Jeez, and I thought I was a white person! Word up, homey!

At least I've taken a jitney. I'm sure most suburban women haven't done that.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Hopes

So the owner of the phone number doesn't even man the phone or sit in the office, but just collects his cut for owning the number? That's like owning a Laundromat without the overhead and large initial investment. Thanks for explaining.

The owner still has to be around. As boss, he's responsible for enforcing the rules, and keeping order in the station.

[ElijahAstin]

As someone who grew up going down to the Atlantic City Area every summer, I didn't realize jitney meant anything other than "mini bus" until fairly recently (though apparently the AC jitneys themselves, began as privately run cars during a trolley strike).

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

As someone who grew up going down to the Atlantic City Area every summer, I didn't realize jitney meant anything other than "mini bus" until fairly recently (though apparently the AC jitneys themselves, began as privately run cars during a trolley strike).

Apparently, the term jitney, was slang for a nickel in the very early 1900's. During this time, privately owned cars began running the trolley routes, picking up passengers for the fare of a nickel. This became fairly widespread until the authorities clamped down on it. Many riders were simply attracted to the idea of being able to get a ride in a car, during a time when cars were a very new thing. The current form of jitneys was brought to Pittsburgh from St. Louis by the late Silas Knox in the 1940's. Knox was an entrepreneur who owned several businesses on the Hill, including Owl Cab. He was murdered in his store during a robbery in 1987.

[greg42]

I don't know which cab thread to bump. Might as well be this one, since it was the most recent.

Some updating from Yellow Cab surprisingly enough: Yellow Cab lets fares pay with plastic from back seat - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Rolling out a console in the cab that allows for easy credit card payment while sitting in the back and wifi in the cab. (Also will show ads, ah well.)

Perhaps more importantly: "Customers can order cabs by text message or on Twitter, and Yellow Cab soon will roll out zTrip, an app that allows riders to hail cabs with their smartphones. It gives the dispatcher the user's precise location and lets the customer track the cab as it makes its way toward him." That sounds pretty slick.

And: "Campaigns with the slogans "Hail, yes" and "What the hail" are planned, and drivers will be encouraged to move around the city more, he said." The article has the PTG guy admitting that the cabs tend to congregate in certain spots.

They're talking a good game anyway. Will be interesting to see if it really improves anything.

[quaymorris]

They need to show up in the first place lol. I've tried using cab service 5 times in this city, Yellow Cab 4x and Classy Cab 1x. I've only had the cab show up one time. I even schedule the day before and I've still been stranded. The cab service here is god-awful.

[Blackbeauty212]

The hard part to enhancing cab-service is breaking a long long time tradition in the Burgh. People don't Hail cabs because they're just not used to doing it this way in the Burgh, people goes to the Hotels for cabs when Downtown. Cabs don't drive around burning gas, because no-one hails cabs.

So how do you turn the Burgh in to a "Hail-a-Cab" town? It's going to take some serious marketing, plus there needs to be more ample supply of cabs out and about. No sense in trying to turn Pittsburgh into a Hail-a-Cab town if you're only going to see a cab once every 15 mins at most. They need to get that 300 figure up to around 500-700 cabs for good ample coverage.

[BarqCider]

wow, and i thought DC cabbies were bad, but i guess pgh takes the cake for that. Just rolling out CC payments? really...

i think the town needs to give out more licenses for upcoming taxi companies who will serve the city/areas better. do what taxis in dc do: bullet proof glasses if crimes a fear factor.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by BarqCider

wow, and i thought DC cabbies were bad, but i guess pgh takes the cake for that. Just rolling out CC payments? really...

To be fair, they're not just now rolling out CC payments. They're rolling out a terminal that allows you to pay without giving up your card to the driver. For whatever difference that's worth. Mainly that gadget will provide wifi and might pay for itself with the ad display.

Originally Posted by BarqCider

i think the town needs to give out more licenses for upcoming taxi companies who will serve the city/areas better.

It does, but of course the subject of today's article, Pittsburgh Transportation (parent of Yellow Cab), fights with everything they've got against any new service. That's the biggest reason it's so mediocre. Plus there's a whole thing in the licensing (which oddly I think is at the state level) about establishing need; this is where the large incumbent like Yellow has a ridiculous advantage.

Like I said, they talk a good game in the article. Remains to be seen whether they can deliver it. Given the track record, it seems doubtful.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

It's going to take some serious marketing, plus there needs to be more ample supply of cabs out and about. No sense in trying to turn Pittsburgh into a Hail-a-Cab town if you're only going to see a cab once every 15 mins at most. They need to get that 300 figure up to around 500-700 cabs for good ample coverage.

I'm sure the Yellow Cab Company wishes it was able to lease twice as many taxis- but getting new drivers out there is a problem if there isn't the business to justify it.

If they did as you suggested and put that many more cabs out there, how long would drivers stick with it if they aren't making any money?