The Verge - The battle over the future of the taxi

Hailo app begins offering taxi rides in New York City

2013-05-15T00:46:12Z

Hailo has become the second startup after Uber to offer taxi hailing through an app in New York City, the company announced today. The companies are both part of a year-long pilot program run by the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission that will determine the regulations surrounding the use of smartphone apps in the taxi industry. Such apps were technically illegal at this time last year, so the companies have had a long wait. Hailo even prematurely offered its service to some users before its participation in the pilot had been formally confirmed. The company is still calling the service a beta, but now anyone with an Android device or iPhone can use it.

New York City's taxi e-hail program grows as Hailo joins the fray

2013-05-01T14:59:06Z

Less than a week after Uber became the first participant in New York City's e-hail taxi program, it's already facing competition. Hailo's CEO Jay Bregman just confirmed on stage at TechCrunch's Disrupt event that NYC's Taxi and Limousine Commission has given his company the necessary go-ahead to join the pilot. Updates to the Hailo apps for iOS and Android will be released today, according to TechCrunch, enabling New Yorkers to request a yellow cab with their smartphone.

The quick approval suggests the commission isn't holding a grudge even after Hailo jumped the gun earlier this week, alerting NYC users of an invite-based e-hail beta app it was running without the city's blessing. TLC officials have said that other apps are also going...

Uber taxi-hailing service comes back to New York City

2013-05-01T01:13:06Z

Just a few days after Uber got the official go-ahead to operate under a New York City pilot program for taxi-hailing apps, the UberTAXI service has gone live. There are a few limitations at present, however. The app doesn't support automatic payments, so you'll have to remember to pay your driver the regular way, and Uber warns that cabs may be in short supply to begin with. You'll also have to explicitly request a taxi rather than a black car, and you won't be able to use UberTAXI to travel from airports because of regulatory pitfalls. Still, the service's NYC resurrection six months after it shut down is a major milestone in the long-running battle for taxi-hailing apps to gain official acceptance.

After long battle, Uber becomes first taxi app to get approved in New York City

2013-04-26T20:51:04Z

Looks like New York City isn't going to hold a grudge against Uber for attempting to launch its taxi-hailing service without permission last summer. The San Francisco startup just became the first company to be approved under New York's new pilot program, which will allow selected companies to offer smartphone apps that let customers hail a cab from their phones.

Uber wins in NYC lawsuit filed by limo lobby, clearing the way for city to test e-hail apps

2013-04-23T21:25:18Z

A court ruling in Manhattan today represents one more incremental step in the drawn-out battle between transit regulators, established interests, and companies that hope to change the way the taxi industry works. Technically, it was the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) that won today. But it's also a triumph for Uber, Hailo, and similar startups that hope to bring hail-by-smartphone taxi service despite fierce opposition from established members of the city's complex transit industry.

Uber will 'aggressively' pursue carpooling model, but only where lawmakers say it's okay

2013-04-12T17:12:06Z

Uber just announced it will "aggressively roll out" carpooling, or ridesharing, in the face of increasing competition from startups that offer it as an ultra-cheap transportation option. Uber started as a service for professional taxi and livery drivers, who use the app to find passengers in real time. By contrast, ridesharing essentially lets anyone be a taxi driver: just sign up with an app like Sidecar or Lyft, and anyone with a vehicle and car insurance can start picking up passengers for tips. This practice is potentially illegal across the US; Sidecar is involved in a lawsuit over its legality in Austin.

It seems that the relatively new concept of ridesharing has been nibbling into Uber's business. As a result, the company started...

Uber releases first Windows Phone and BlackBerry 7 apps, redesigns Android offering

2013-03-25T17:36:28Z

Windows Phone users now have a native app to reserve cabs and black cars using Uber. The new app, released today for Windows Phone 7.8 and Windows Phone 8, allows users in cities where Uber operates to track nearby cars available for hire, set a pickup, and pay using a credit card, just like the Android and iPhone apps that have been out for quite some time. Before today, Windows Phone users had to use a mobile website to take advantage of Uber's services. Beyond Windows Phone, the company also released its first BlackBerry app earlier this month (though it doesn't support BlackBerry 10), and it gave its Android app a complete overhaul last week that brings it up to snuff with Uber's iPhone app.

After suing Austin for the right to operate, SideCar expands ride-sharing to Brooklyn, Boston, and Chicago

2013-03-15T17:22:05Z

To launch a taxi or ride-sharing app is to live in constant legal peril. Uber, one of the forerunners in the taxi app business, is slogging through lawsuits in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and other cities — most recently, Boston Cab Dispatch filed suit and accused Uber of "running roughshod through the city of Boston." While the taxi lobby has been vocal in opposing its new competitor, ride-sharing services like SideCar face different challenges. Unlike Uber, SideCar doesn't rely on licensed cabs, instead letting drivers with extra seats pick up passengers and receive donations in return. Because of this, it's argued that it isn't subject to taxi regulations: "It's not a transportation company, it's a communications platform,"...