Worcester Cab Companies Outraged Over Uber Coming to Town
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
While local competition may be a factor in the taxi companies’ angst toward Uber, Worcester Red Cab Vice President Maggie Donovan says that the outrage stems from something much deeper.
“With Worcester being such a college town, a need for safe transportation in the city is a must,” said Donovan. “Uber is a complete safety hazard for anyone getting into one of their cars because they don’t have to go through the rules and regulations that a traditional taxi company has to. Whether problems with insurance not covering accidents, drivers that are not licensed in the way that taxis are, and problems with the amount of background checks that they run, you don’t know who is driving you or whether you will be able to arrive safely.”
While Uber has outraged taxi owners and drivers throughout the city, state, and country, they have continued to grow, especially in New England. After the recent announcement of Uber expanding to Worcester, the company also announced that they will be tripling the size of their Boston office, which will help to house some of Worcester’s operations team. The building will also be large enough to handle training duties for Uber drivers throughout the region.
Local Outrage, Statewide Ban
While the growth of Uber in Massachusetts has been strong, the growth of opposition against Uber may be just as strong, if not stronger.
Donovan is a member of a rapidly growing coalition – the Massachusetts Regional Taxi Advisory Group – a collection of people whose goal it is to eliminate Uber from operating in the state of Massachusetts.
Donovan and other taxi companies throughout the city wanted Uber gone before they even officially announced the expansion, but the coalition recognizes that a city-by-city approach isn’t the best way to handle the problem at hand. Instead, Donovan and the rest of the coalition is preparing a campaign to take to the state level, hoping to remove any trace of Uber and other ridesharing services from the Commonwealth.
Benefiting the Community
It may seem like the whole field of transportation is against Uber – which is certainly a possibility – but the ridesharing company is still committed to providing a quality and cheap alternative to the current transportation options in Worcester.
According to Uber, they can offer services to Worcester residents that are 30-percent cheaper than the traditional taxi service, creating benefits for riders, drivers, and even the city by offering quality transportation, entrepreneurial opportunities, and chances to create more jobs and economic development opportunities.
“We’ve had an overwhelming response from riders and drivers in the Worcester area excited for more safe and reliable transportation options and opportunities to start their own small businesses,” said Taylor Bennett, a spokesperson for Uber. “As the safest, most reliable and affordable ride on the road, uberX is a great option for anyone looking for a better way to get around town. Uber connects users with on-demand transportation, wherever and whenever they choose at the touch of a button.”
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