Taxi turf war at San Diego airport as cabbies struggle for survival ...

[left-of-center2012]

Taxi turf war at airport as cabbies struggle for survival in the age of Lyft and Uber

... San Diego, where the number of taxis has dropped 30 percent in the past two years amid the rapid rise of cheaper, app-based ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft.

“This used to be a job that paid enough for you to raise a family, put your kids through college and pay the mortgage,” said Kenneth Nelson, manager of Taxicab Administration for the Metropolitan Transit System. “It isn’t like that any more.”

From June of 2016 through June of this year, almost 300 holders of taxi medallions (in San Diego) — required to legally operate a cab here — relinquished their permits to MTS, Nelson said. Certify, an online travel-expense management company, point to a key reason riders have veered away from taxis: money. The average trip cost $19.62 with Lyft, $24.22 with Uber, and $33.70 for a taxi.

Taxi workers admit they’ve sometimes been their own worst enemies. They’ve been slow to adapt to consumer preferences. They’ve gotten mad at riders who only want to travel short distances. They’ve regularly pointed fingers at each other ... “It’s like we’re having a Civil War among ourselves while fighting World War II against Uber and Lyft,” said Adrian Kwiatkowski, executive director of the Transportation Alliance Group, which includes taxi operators.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/economy/sd-me-taxis-future-20180712-story.html#nt=oft12aH-2gp2

[Jake Stern]

1. Fourteen dollar difference in fare may not be much for some

but for someone like me who is already pinching his pennies so tight they're paper thin, it's a big deal.

[left-of-center2012]

3. I agree

I'm 72, disabled, and on Social Security.

It costs me $14 to come home from my supermarket in a cab,
and $5.99 in an Uber or Lyft.

I've waited up to 90 minutes for a cab,
while Uber/Lyft arrives in about 5 minutes.

Which do you think I use?

[msongs]

2. slave wages undercut price fixing every time nt