taxi

Some Morgan Stanley customers willing to invest big money in Uber without seeing books, report says

by Greg Sandoval on February 5, 2016February 9, 2016 at 1:52 am 3 Comments

In what could be seen as either a vote of confidence or a foolish bet, a group of investors are “piling into a special fund” offered by investment bank Morgan… Read More

Seattle Yellow Cab reported inaccurate receipts to officials for airport trips, audit finds

by Taylor Soper on January 6, 2016January 6, 2016 at 2:24 pm 9 Comments

A Port of Seattle audit revealed that Seattle Yellow Cab reported “inaccurate and incomplete” receipts for trips originating from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for the past four years. Back in 2010, Puget… Read More

Customers complain as Uber prices surge near 10X on New Years Eve

by Taylor Soper on January 1, 2016January 1, 2016 at 3:04 pm 62 Comments

Uber prices neared 10 times the normal rate on New Years Eve and early this morning. “Surge pricing,” a controversial technique used by Uber and Lyft that increases the price of… Read More

Seattle Yellow Cab expects busier New Year’s Eve despite competition from Uber, Lyft

by Taylor Soper on December 31, 2015January 1, 2016 at 6:35 am1 Comment

As ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft implement “surge pricing” during what will surely be a busy New Year’s Eve on Thursday night, Seattle Yellow Cab hopes to attract customers… Read More

Lyft on pace to hire 80 for Seattle office in 2016; company names most popular destinations

by Taylor Soper on December 29, 2015December 29, 2015 at 2:03 am 3 Comments

Lyft is on track to hire up to 80 employees for its Seattle office in 2016. Todd Kelsay, general manager for Lyft’s Seattle office, told GeekWire that the ride-hailing company… Read More

Flywheel lets taxis replace old hardware with smartphone meter to compete with Uber, Lyft

by Taylor Soper on December 22, 2015December 22, 2015 at 9:14 am1 Comment

Taxis in California can now ditch their legacy metering hardware and use smartphone-based technology to calculate fares. Flywheel, the San Francisco-based company which develops an app to let taxi passengers hail… Read More

Inside Didi Kuaidi: How the Chinese tech giant plans to fend off Uber in its home country

by Taylor Soper on December 21, 2015December 21, 2015 at 3:05 pmComment

Uber operates in 68 countries, but none may be more important to the $62 billion company than China. Travis Kalanick, the 39-year-old CEO of the world’s most valuable private company, has made it… Read More

Seattle councilmember who created Uber union law: ‘We can be pro-innovation, but also pro-worker’

by Taylor Soper on December 17, 2015December 17, 2015 at 12:50 pm 18 Comments

The last time the Seattle City Council implemented a law that Uber didn’t like — a cap on the number of drivers who could work at any given time — the… Read More

Seattle mayor objects to Uber union legislation, declines to sign bill and asks for changes

by Taylor Soper on December 14, 2015December 15, 2015 at 2:24 pm 23 Comments

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray declined to sign a new law the City Council unanimously approved on Monday that will give Uber, Lyft, taxi, and other for-hire drivers the right to unionize. In a statement, the Seattle… Read More

Seattle gives Uber and Lyft drivers the right to unionize — first law of its kind in the nation

by Taylor Soper on December 14, 2015December 15, 2015 at 2:03 pm 40 Comments

The Seattle City Council today unanimously passed legislation that gives Uber, Lyft, taxi and other “for-hire” drivers the right to unionize — the first such law in the nation. The ordinance, which still needs… Read More

Seattle councilmembers to vote on law that would unionize Uber, Lyft drivers

by Taylor Soper on December 14, 2015December 14, 2015 at 1:15 pm 4 Comments

It’s a big day for Uber and Lyft drivers in Seattle — and those that think they should be protected by labor laws. The Seattle City Council will vote later… Read More

Uber, Lyft on verge of legal pick-ups at Seattle airport

by Taylor Soper on December 10, 2015December 10, 2015 at 10:33 pm 11 Comments

Uber and Lyft are not yet legally allowed to pick up riders at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, but that could change in early 2016. The Port of Seattle Commission met earlier… Read More

Testing uberHOP in Seattle: Uber’s new $5 carpool service feels like riding a private bus

by Taylor Soper on December 9, 2015December 10, 2015 at 12:24 pm 9 Comments

Will carpooling become cool? Will people no longer need to own a car? Will Uber replace public transit, or at least parts of it? These are all questions I have after trying out Uber… Read More

Uber policy advisor David Plouffe calls proposed Seattle ordinance to unionize drivers ‘puzzling’

by Taylor Soper on December 4, 2015December 4, 2015 at 10:59 am 9 Comments

David Plouffe thinks a proposed ordinance to help Uber drivers unionize is “puzzling,” and one that may cost the City of Seattle a lot of dough if approved by councilmembers… Read More

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick heckled by protestors on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

by Taylor Soper on September 11, 2015September 11, 2015 at 9:34 am 8 Comments

Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick was a guest on Stephen Colbert’s new Late Show this week and ran into a bit of drama as pro-taxi audience members heckled him during his interview. Business… Read More

Proposed laws would allow Uber, Lyft pickups at Seattle airport and eliminate taxi exclusivity

by Taylor Soper on September 8, 2015September 8, 2015 at 1:23 pm 7 Comments

Uber and Lyft are moving closer to being able to legally pick up passengers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The Port of Seattle Commission will meet today to discuss the latest updates to… Read More

Legislation introduced by Seattle councilmember would let Uber, taxi drivers unionize

by Taylor Soper on August 31, 2015September 1, 2015 at 9:52 am 4 Comments

Mike O’Brien is taking action to give Uber and Lyft drivers more rights. Next week, the Seattle councilmember will introduce legislation that offers Uber, Lyft, taxi and other “for-hire” drivers the… Read More

uberX now doing pickups at Seattle airport with mystery for-hire partner

by Taylor Soper on August 12, 2015August 12, 2015 at 5:09 pm 3 Comments

You can now hail an uberX at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport … kind of. Prior to today, Uber created a geo-fence around Seattle’s airport on its app to prevent uberX passengers from hailing rides… Read More

Uber leaders arrested in Paris for operating illegal taxi company

by Taylor Soper on June 29, 2015June 29, 2015 at 8:35 am 3 Comments

Two Uber managers were taken into custody today in France for allegedly operating an illegal taxi business. Prosecutors told BBC that the Uber employees are being questioned for “illicit activity.” TechCrunch reported… Read More

The Uber effect: Seattle taxi industry revenue dipped 28% in past 2 years

by Taylor Soper on June 11, 2015December 31, 2015 at 3:29 pm 40 Comments

The numbers don’t lie: Uber and Lyft are causing taxi companies in Seattle to make less money. Total fare revenue for the Seattle taxicab industry fell to $72 million in 2013-14,… Read More

Port of Seattle open to Uber, Lyft doing airport pickups but needs time to establish new regulations

by Taylor Soper on May 26, 2015May 27, 2015 at 8:54 am 2 Comments

The Port of Seattle wants to let companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar pick up passengers at the airport, but its leadership needs a bit more time to develop new regulations. The… Read More

Uber, Lyft may soon be allowed to pick up passengers at Seattle airport

by Taylor Soper on May 26, 2015May 26, 2015 at 4:28 pm 6 Comments

Smartphone owners needing a ride from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport may soon have a few more transportation options. The Port of Seattle has been in negotiations with Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar — also known as… Read More

Flywheel taxi app enters Portland, lets people pay for ride with phone after hailing cab

by Taylor Soper on April 30, 2015May 26, 2015 at 2:12 pm1 Comment

Portland peeps have another new option to get around town that isn’t called Uber or Lyft. Flywheel, which develops a hailing app for taxi drivers, today launched in the Rose City.… Read More

Portland proposes law that lifts fare restrictions for taxis, legalizes Uber and Lyft

by Taylor Soper on April 17, 2015April 17, 2015 at 3:52 pm 3 Comments

Over the past year, Portland Commissioner Steve Novick has maintained that he wants taxis and companies like Uber competing on a level playing field. His newly-proposed rules made public today certainly reflect that.… Read More

Taxi companies adopt new apps to keep up with Uber, Lyft in Seattle

by Taylor Soper on March 9, 2015March 9, 2015 at 3:51 pm 13 Comments

For those in Seattle that like hailing a ride with their smartphone, but don’t necessarily want to use Uber, Lyft, or Sidecar — or deal with surge pricing — there… Read More

Flywheel partners with taxi company to create ‘FlywheelTaxi,’ reaches deal with SFO

by Taylor Soper on February 18, 2015February 18, 2015 at 2:35 pmComment

Those who take taxis in San Francisco should expect to see more Flywheel branding. Flywheel, which develops a hailing app for taxi drivers, today announced that it has partnered with San… Read More

Washington senator introduces state-wide legislation for Uber, Lyft

by Taylor Soper on January 22, 2015January 22, 2015 at 2:04 pm 17 Comments

Following states like California and Colorado, Sen. Cyrus Habib (D-Kirkland) today introduced legislation that would allow on-demand transit companies like Uber and Lyft to operate legally in Washington. SB 5550 would… Read More

Seattle’s largest taxi fleet fights back against Uber, Lyft with its own hailing app

by Taylor Soper on December 23, 2014December 23, 2014 at 6:35 pm 31 Comments

Better late than never. In an attempt to keep up with the likes of Uber and Lyft, Seattle’s largest taxi fleet has released its own mobile app that allows customers… Read More

Flywheel raises $12M for taxi-hailing app; new CEO says company can grow bigger than Uber

by Taylor Soper on November 20, 2014November 20, 2014 at 8:53 amComment

Flywheel has a new executive team, a fresh round of funding, and serious ambitions to scale bigger than competitors like Uber. The San Francisco-based company, which develops a hailing app for… Read More

Amazon explores use of taxis for speedy package delivery

by Tricia Duryee on November 5, 2014November 9, 2014 at 9:14 amComment

Amazon has partnered with the taxi-hailing app Flywheel to test package delivery in some markets. Amazon conducted tests this fall in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and is now considering broader use… Read More