Uber has been taking business away from taxis for some time now.
So what’s a NYC yellow cab to do? Come up with an app of their own…
According to Gothamist, it’s been legal to develop a ride-hail app for yellow cabs since spring 2013. However, only five have gained TLC approval in that time.
A new app called Arro, which is participating in the TLC’s e-hail pilot program is trying to come close to what Uber offers customers.
The article mentions that when a rider opens up the Arro app, a cab driver close by will get the passengers name, address and cross street. The passenger will get the driver’s name and cab number.
In the app we can add our credit card information and included tip.
Here is where Arro differs. The price of the ride will be the price on the meter. So I’m guessing there won’t be any Surge pricing going on.
Obstacles: Arro is currently partnered with the company that manages TV screens and payment systems in around half of the 20,000 NYC taxis so it will only work in these cabs. A deal is currently being worked on to get the app into the other cabs too.
Arro is currently testing in 7,000 cabs and is set to officially launch in a few weeks.
Can Arro help NYC taxis gain back some of the business it lost to Uber? Possibly…
Find out more from Gothamist here.
Shay Peleg & Bryce- I did not realize that the tip is only for UberTaxi. Thanks for the info.
Warren- Uber drivers do get tipped, it’s included in the price you pay. If you log in to Uber- under the Payment tab, you select what percentage tip you want to give the driver in advance. (You can leave from 0-30%.)
The price advantage you speak of just is not true.
No the tip in the app only applies to uber taxis…
The “tip” option for the Uber app only applies to UberTaxi. You’ll also see a STEEP price advantage (because of the additional tip) in UberTaxi over UberX, UberBlack, etc.
Typical taxi industry. You have to put your tip % in when you register on the app. What happens if I get lousy service, do I get my to back? I guess that’s pretty laughable in an industry where a tip has become a right. Uber drivers rarely get tipped, giving them another price advantage over yellow cabs.