I'm disappointed that there’s still no new owner for Erie Yellow Cab, which
closed its doors in June.
A number of people greeted the closing with such deep thoughts as “Taxis are obsolete,” “time to move on,” and “Stop living in the past.”
A couple things about that. First of all, our landfills are overflowing with perfectly good things that were discarded because they were not new anymore. If we need to move on from anything, it is this idea that not-new should be thrown away.
But the second thing is that many people still either prefer taxis or for some reason or other can’t do app-based ride-hailing.Unlike city bus companies, taxi companies are businesses that don’t rely on tax dollars, therefore, if some prefer that service, why do you care that some people prefer good old simple 20th century cabs?
I needed to use ride-hailing earlier this year, when a health problem laid me low. I considered my options, and although curious about Uber and Lyft, I decided to use cabs. I just was in no shape or mood to fuss around with the app-based services. With the cab I just made a phone call, gave them my first name and phone number, driver called when he arrived, and I paid and tipped in cash when we arrived at the destination.
I can understand the appeal of Uber and Lyft, but there are reasonable concerns as well. Not long after the company’s cab closure there was a report of a local woman who may have been scammed by an Uber driver, or someone posing as such. There have been news accounts of
scams,
data breaches,
fake drivers,
fare disputes, and
attacks. No wonder that some do not trust the service. In addition:
- Some people don’t like to use apps or simply don’t understand them.
- Not everyone owns a smart phone.
- Some of the more economical smart phones, especially pay-as-you-go services like Tracfone, have very limited storage, and apps eat up storage.
- Not everyone uses plastic, or the plastic preferred by the app-based company.
- Some people prefer to keep plastic use to the bare minimum.
Now, I am well aware that there were very real complaints about the cab company’s customer service. I had a bad experience with a smartass dispatcher. I’ve heard similar complaints. But that was a deficiency on the owner and management, and is not a problem with cab service per se. Management that valued customers would not allow such behavior.
Variety and choice of transportation modes is a desirable goal. Hopefully some enterprising person will see that the old school taxi service still is an important niche.
Sad to see the way Yellow Cab suddenly closed. Drivers and passengers deserved better than the treatment they received.
