'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick told D.C. Council members Monday that legislation and proposed regulations to oversee the burgeoningsedan-for-hire industry in the District are chock full of "gray areas" and impediments that could harm his business and the customers who rely on it.
A technology firm on the losing end of a contract to install "smart meters" in the District's taxicabs filed a complaint Wednesday in D.C. Superior Court to stop the city from installing its competitor's machines.
Washington, D.C., is forging ahead Wednesday with plans to install "smart meters" in about 6,500 taxicabs that offer pay-by-credit-card readers and other amenities, despite a mystifying dispute initiated by D.C. Council member Marion Barry over how to pay for it all.
The District has selected Verifone Systems to install credit card readers, GPS tracking and news programming in the city's taxicabs as part of promised reforms to make the system as rider-friendly as those in cities like New York, officials said Thursday.
On Dec. 15, San Francisco startup Uber brought its "personal driver" service to Washington. The selling proposition: Any time you want a car ride, just pull out your smartphone and tap the Uber app, and a luxury car will respond within minutes. You can even watch your phone map as the car gets closer.
The new class of regulations would mandate transparent fares from drivers who are "authorized, licensed and competent," commission Chairman Ron M. Linton said his testimony Monday.
Taxicab Commission Chairman Ron M. Linton have said that they pushed forward with their taxi reforms because the contract went through a legitimate process and, until Friday, had not received an order to stop.
