2 Taxi Medallions Sell for $1 Million Each

Re:2 Taxi Medallions Sell for $1 Million Each by pacemkr on Thursday October 20, 2011 @05:43PM (#3137216)

Why do I need an app for this? I swear some of these apps are solving problems that simply don't exist.

I speed dial Eastland Car Service in Brooklyn and call it a night (excuse the pun.)

  *Ring*
  "Eastland."
  "Can I have a car to the Moon please?"
  "5 minutes."
  Click.

3 minutes later it's waiting for you.

Edit: Funny story, once I was picked up by a brand new Porsche Cayenne. Pretty good for an $8 cab.

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Re:2 Taxi Medallions Sell for $1 Million Each by blhack on Thursday October 20, 2011 @05:55PM (#3137266)

>Why do I need an app for this?

You don't, but it makes the entire stack easier for everybody involved.

I don't live in a NYC, I live in Phoenix, but we have our own problems that necessitate taxicabs (urban sprawl, meaning if I going to beers-with-friends, I'm paying for a cab).

Sitting in the bar and pressing a button on my phone to hail a cab would be awesome.

The management software on the backend finds the closest 5 available drivers, lets them bid on me, and whichever one bids the lowest takes me home.

Honestly, you could take it a step further and do AirBNB for car services. Give me the ability to rate drivers and their cars, and then let drivers bid on me where I get to choose which one takes me home.

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Re:2 Taxi Medallions Sell for $1 Million Each by pacemkr on Thursday October 20, 2011 @06:11PM (#3137336)

I've spoken to Eastland drivers -- I've been riding with them for years -- and thats exactly what they do, minus the complexity. They announce an address over radio and the closest driver takes it. I don't remember how they enforce this policy in the company (sorry), but they do and it works.

As a customer, I don't have to muck about in some app, especially while buzzed, to get a car. I call and get a real person and am done in 5 seconds. No app can do that.

Admittedly, it works because they have a lot of drivers. I can see how this becomes a problem when you have many smaller companies and you need to hail the closest. Thanks for the perspective.

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Re:2 Taxi Medallions Sell for $1 Million Each by modeless on Thursday October 20, 2011 @07:34PM (#3137627)

Speak for yourself; I find it far faster and easier to open an app and press a button than call a phone number and try to verbally explain my location to some guy with a thick accent. When you add in the fact that Uber also takes care of payment and tip, which is another hassle at the end of the trip, it's a far better experience.

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