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Why would they be operating a cab service? There are two things that separate cab service and black car service. 1) black car service drivers are not allowed to
by sp4rki 16y ago
Why would they be operating a cab service? There are two things that separate cab service and black car service. 1) black car service drivers are not allowed to pick up passengers by street hail or any other method that is not dispatch by base station, and is booked on a private hire basis. 2) black car service is basically a private transportation in which a limo license has been granted, is suited by it's luxurious demeanor as a vehicle appropriate for ceremonies and uses of luxury or prestige.
The cars that UberCab dispatches are in appearance and in license compliant with black car services and are hired on-demand on a prearrangement basis through a phone application. In addition, a customer must register for the service and provide a credit card to use the service.
This are not random people calling a cab station, this are specific customers arranging for private transportation they could do by phone, but do so using an application instead.
- msbarnett 16y ago> Why would they be operating a cab service? Because, per San Francisco city bylaws, cab services, and only cab services, can pick up people immediately. Limo Services must arrange pick-ups at least one hour in advance.
- othermaciej 16y agoIs there a citation for the law requiring arrangements at least an hour in advance? The original article didn't claim such a law exists in San Francisco, just that it was common in many states. So I wonder where you got the specific information about SF laws.
- tzs 16y agoThe CPUC says that limousine service must be pre-arranged, unlike taxi service. I didn't see a definition of "pre-arranged", but UberCab doesn't sound pre-arranged to me. You use it when you want transportation now, not when you know that you have an upcoming need for transportation at some definite future time that you wish to ensure is covered. Yes, you have to sign up for the service first and get the phone app, but I don't see that this makes a difference. What's pre-arranged there is the ability to use the service. When I turn on my TV, go to the "On Demand" section, pick a movie, and watch it, I doubt anyone would say I'm watching a pre-arranged movie, even though I had to previously subscribe to the cable service in order to do so. Seems to me that's essentially the same as what UberCab is doing.
- sp4rki 16y agoI've used limo services a lot (they're really just a bit more expensive than using a cab really), and I tend to forget to arrange it before I jump on the plane. It has never been a problem to call a few limo services to ask if they have available limos to my destination and I've always gotten them promptly. In comparison, if you do pay per view for example, and the event/show is due in 5 minutes, is it not prearranged? Let's use your example. On demand would be you stopping a taxi by waving like a madman on the street. That's immediate. UberCab is like me calling a Limo service (which is my example above) asking for a limo to pick me up at the airport and the limo arriving in 10 minutes. Hell I once called from the airport and a flight a different customer was in was delayed by 3 hours, so they gave me his limo sedan. I literally had on demand service, since I didn't have to wait for the limo to get there. I've done this in multiple states and it has never been a problem.