People who go into rideshare apps in Boston can now call a licensed taxi instead.
Taxi drivers are seeing the new option as a major boost. But rideshare drivers are more mixed — some optimistic, some concerned.
“A lot of drivers see it as additional competition, especially delivery drivers,” said Gayrat Akhmaedov, a part-time Lyft driver who also owns a livery company, Boston Driver. “There are also other drivers that see it as a way to kind of improve vehicle availability during peak times and on large demands — large events like World Cup [traffic].”
Under the one-year pilot program announced by Mayor Michelle Wu Tuesday, customers who get a taxi through Uber or Lyft will still lock in the fare upfront on their phone instead of the typical taxi fare structure.
City officials said the goal of the pilot is to give Boston passengers more options, and to allow Boston’s licensed taxis to participate directly in meeting the demand for trips generated through Uber and Lyft.
“This pilot will help Boston’s taxi industry participate fully in meeting demand, improve earnings for drivers, reduce wait times and improve the experience of drivers and the riding public,” Wu said in a press release.
Boston Taxi Network Board Member Balwinder Gill, who has been a Greater Boston taxi driver for 25 years, said taxi ridership has decreased over the last few years. He hopes this program can help drivers bring in an extra $50 to $60 per day.
Gill adds that the same type of program is currently operating in other major cities, like New York City, Washington D.C. and San Francisco.
“They are doing very well with this referral program. They have done seven million jobs last year, that data shows,” he said. “This will definitely help the taxi industry.”
Akhmaedov said some rideshare drivers think this program could improve vehicle availability, especially during major events like the FIFA World Cup matches in Foxborough.
“Especially during that peak demand and those people need to go to the hotel, they also need to go to the airport and everything is time-sensitive,” he said. “So we do also see it as a benefit to kind of release tension of that large event presence.”
Chris Plunkett, managing director for ARRO — the in-vehicle technology company provider that will bring Uber referrals to taxis — said this program in other cities has actually brought more drivers back to taxis.
“They’re able to make more money because of the additional Uber volume and other TNC [Transportation Network Company] volume, which then really starts bringing the taxi industry back up in as far as the amount of taxis on the street, which obviously helps the riding public as well,” he said.
Plunkett isn’t concerned at the prospect of increased competition between rideshare and taxi drivers.
“Uber and Lyft obviously have enough demand that goes beyond their normal driver pool,” he said. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t be looking to do programs like this.”
But it might pose an issue for livery drivers, Akhmaedov said: They professionally transport riders in limousines, black cars and shuttles.
“With taxis being part of the Uber and Lyft platform, that will cut right in the middle between rideshare and livery service,” he said. “It’s more of a threat to livery drivers because the rides cost more and customers obviously want to go with the cheaper options.”
Over the course of the pilot, the city and ridehailing platforms will keep track of passenger feedback and demand for taxis.
Boston Police run the Hackney Carriage Unit, which regulates the city’s taxis. Police could identify special events during the pilot to exclude from the rideshare hailing service.
