Will cabs go along for the ride?

Pros and cons discussed about software that could prevent long-hauling

Richard N. Velotta

Richard N. Velotta

Several months ago, Frias Transportation Infrastructure, a subsidiary of Frias Transportation, operators of five taxi companies in Southern Nevada, unveiled RideIntegrity, a software program that can put a big dent in the practice of long-hauling.

The Nevada Taxicab Authority discussed the pros (curtailing long-hauling) and the cons (cost) and eventually agreed to a pilot program expected to begin this year.

Cab drivers often are criticized for taking passengers to the Strip by way of McCarran International Airport’s runway tunnel, which adds $5 to $10 to the cost.

The RideIntegrity software, which uses GPS technology, tracks a cab’s route in real time and preserves it in a database.

Frias CEO Mark James told me RideIntegrity is ready to roll in San Francisco, so I contacted the administrator of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to see how successful it has been there.

It hasn’t been. Yet.

In March, the agency approved legislation authorizing the system to be installed in San Francisco’s 1,900 cabs. Now, it’s a matter of the board agreeing whether to spend the money for the system.

Christiane Hayashi, deputy director of taxis and accessible services for the agency, said the board will meet Oct. 15 to consider whether to fund the project for $5.8 million over five years. James hasn’t publicly put a price tag on RideIntegrity here.

San Francisco isn’t expected to use RideIntegrity to stop long-hauling. Instead, the agency wants to monitor how fast cabs drive, particularly in locations with high pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Hayashi said the agency also would be able to monitor and regulate how long a driver operates a cab and whether vehicles are being subleased.

“It’s regulator candy,” Hayashi said of RideIntegrity. She’s an advocate for the system because she said it would enable regulators to accumulate data rather than rely on cab companies to provide it.

That certainly would have appeal in Las Vegas, where regulators routinely are accused of looking the other way while cab companies do what they want.

But cost is a factor.

Nevada Taxicab Authority Administrator Charles Harvey has had a hard time convincing his bosses that the agency needs to upgrade vehicles and computer systems and add personnel. Maybe Frias will be magnanimous and offer RideIntegrity at a discount.

The Taxicab Authority will also need help because a new wave of regulatory headaches appears to be headed this way from San Francisco.

Hayashi and her agency have been dealing with ridesharing companies that connect drivers with riders via smartphone app, bypassing taxis altogether.

It’s an interesting concept regulators need to be ready for.

Tags: Opinion , Business
Real Estate

Share