Is It Safe to Be a Taxi Driver in Worcester?

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Friday was the most recent attack on a taxi driver in Worcester. The second shooting of a taxi driver in as many months, and earlier this month a taxi driver was stabbed.

At 1:20 AM Worcester Police were dispatched to the parking lot at 136 Country Club Boulevard for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers found the victim was a 50-year-old male taxi driver. It was the second shooting of a taxi driver this year and an ever climbing number of robberies. It is unclear what the strategy is to help keep taxi drivers safe.

Most Recent Shooting

In this case, the taxi driver suffered multiple gun shot wounds.

According to Worcester Police’s investigation the taxi driver picked up two males on Acton Street who asked to be dropped off near the back of Lincoln Village. When the vehicle stopped, one the males exited the vehicle and approached the driver. The male brandished a handgun and demanded money. During the incident, the male began to shoot at the driver. The driver accelerated and then came to a stop.

The suspects were not able to take any money or personal property from the victim.

The two suspects fled from the area.

The first suspect is described as a Hispanic male, possibly mid-20’s, medium build, 5’5”tall, and has short dark hair.

The second suspect is described as being a White or Hispanic male, possibly mid-20’s, 5’10” tall, medium build, and has long dark hair.

The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made to date.

Stabbing Three Weeks Ago

Another taxi driver was stabbed on March 10 by a male and female suspect who were picked up on Chandler Street. The Worcester Police were notified of the incident by the the victim who came across an officer working a detail in the area of Murray Avenue and Chandler Street.

The victim was taken to the hospital where his injuries are non life threatening. No arrest has been made.

The Incident

According to the victims, he picked up his fare on Chandler Street. A male and female entered the rear of the vehicle and the victim began to drive off before realizing the two did not have the money to pay for the trip.

The victim stopped the vehicle and asked the two to get out when an argument began between the victim and the two suspects. During the argument, the male suspect attempted to punch the victim.

Last Month Was Another Shooting

The February shooting of a Worcester taxi driver was just the latest act of violence against a driver. A taxi driver was shot on Stockton Street. This was just the latest act of violence on a taxi driver and just another on of the threats that the taxi industry and their drivers are facing. A number of Worcester taxi drivers have been held up in Worcester in the past few months. No arrests have been made.

Violence Increasing and Financial Threats

As GoLocalWorcester reported last month, the threats to taxi drivers are both physical and financial. As reported:

While Uber has hit the taxi industry in the wallet taking significant market share, but Uber and other ride sharing companies have also transformed how we travel. Instead of parking your car at Logan for a few days while traveling, now travelers are using Uber at a fraction of the cost.

In 2015, Business Insider reported that in New York, some taxi drivers have abandoned their leased vehicles and switched to driving for Uber. According to one taxi industry executive his company has lost 40 percent of its business.

“As the number of drivers continues to dwindle, between 80 and 120 cabs sit empty on any given shift. Yossri (a former cab driver) recalls one day recently when there were only enough drivers to send out 24 cabs, and 147 of them sat empty,” reported the Gothamnist.

Worcester companies have refused to disclose the impact of Uber on their revenue or passenger count.

Related Slideshow: UBER vs. Taxi Experience in Worcester

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1. Ordering

Taxis:For both reporters, ordering a taxi in Worcester was a headache. Using the New Worcester Yellow Cab App, one reporter ordered a cab at 10:48AM. At 11:12AM, Cab #41 was assigned, for a total order wait time of 24 minutes. And that was only for a cab to be assigned, it does not include the time it took for the cab to arrive.

Red Cab does not have an app. It has a mobile site with a telephone number. The first call was 22 rings before the call failed. The second call was 16 rings before anyone answered.

Uber: Using the Uber app, ordering was easy. For both reporters, it took less than a minute to order.

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2. Pick-Up

Taxis: For the Worcester Yellow Cab reporter, at 11:15AM, Cab #41 drove past the reporter and parked two blocks away. Apparently realizing his mistake, the cab driver picked the reporter up at 11:19AM, on the opposite side of Shrewsbury Street (31 Minutes from the time the reporter ordered the cab).

The Red Cab took eight minutes to arrive to location.

Uber: On average, the reporters only had to wait six minutes for a Uber car to arrive. When Uber arrived, they picked the reporters up right at the curb.

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3. Cleanliness

Taxis: Both taxis had dirty mats, and their upholstery was worn out. However, both vehicles were at least ten years old.

Uber: Although clean, the inside of the Uber vehicles were both pretty worn. One Uber vehicle was a new Nissan Altima. The other Uber vehicle was an older Toyota Camry.

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4. Driving

As shown in the videos, all four rides were safe and slow. The only problem was Yellow Cab’s decision to take a longer route to Holy Cross. All drivers were friendly and talkative and they all had a good estimate of fares from point A to point B.

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5. Cost

As mentioned, each driver had a good idea of what it would cost for a ride from Shrewsbury Street to Holy Cross and back. However, the cabs were nearly twice as much as Uber. The total cost of the cabs was $28, while Uber only cost the reporters a combined $17.

In one instance, the Uber driver knew ahead of time that construction was being done on an I-290 on-ramp near Holy Cross. As the Uber driver put it, “if they weren’t doing that work, this would’ve been even cheaper.”

See video here:

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6. Service

All drivers from both Uber and local Worcester taxi companies were very professional and friendly. Upon arrival, each driver asked said "Hello," and asked the reporters how their day was going. All four drivers made sure destinations were exact and upon reaching those destinations wished the reporters a "Happy Thanksgiving."