SEATTLE — A new study on taxis says rude drivers and rude dispatchers are driving away customers. "What the study did to us as a taxi cab industry is you gotta do better. We know and we are fully prepared to do better," said Chris Van Dyk, of BYG Taxi Cooperative Association, that owns 153 yellow cabs in the city.
The study released Tuesday comes as city leaders look to regulate newer car services like Uber and rideshare services like Lyft and Sidecar. "Now you gotta figure out how do keep the flexibility and the choices people have available to them but everybody's operating in a system that provides maximum safety and a level playing field," said city council president Sally Clark.
The new study pointed out concerns about quality of taxi service, including poor and hostile dispatchers and cab drivers. Cab drivers say they want to improve but say the playing field in the industry needs to be regulated. Cab drivers have to go through a strict licensing process by the city. "We're saying let's clean up the regulation we will make the financial commitment so that one year from now they do another customer service study and we're going to be on top," said Van Dyk.
However, app driven services like Uber disagrees that its service isn't held to a high standard by the city. “We offer the safest transportation in the city," said Brooke Steger, general manager of Uber in Seattle. She isn't against the city looking into more regulations for other car services. "There's room for all of us to operate and I think the riders here embrace that technology," said Steger.
Despite the growth in consumer demand for newer technology-based car services, the study showed that out of the people surveyed, 56 percent said their last ride was in a taxi; 27 percent said their last trip was in a limousine, like an Uber or other limo service; 11 percent said their last trip was in a rideshare like Lyft or Sidecar; 6 percent said their last trip was in a for hire vehicle where you would call a dispatcher instead of hailing the car on the street.
The city has also said that rideshare services like Lyft or Sidecar are not only unregulated but illegal. The companies collect donations for rides, but the city said they are providing a service for a fee. "We need to take steps to change how we're enforcing. We need to enforce more and enforce the rules on what constitutes a rideshare and what is a for profit endeavor," said Clark.
City leaders say this study will help them take the next steps in creating policy for a more level playing field. They hope to roll out new rules for drivers by the end of the year
KIRO
