Taxis Today, Police Tomorrow
It may seem at first glance that this doesn’t impact you, but it does. This is what happens when a private unregulated business takes over a regulated one like the taxi industry.
There is a big effort to privatize public safety as well, and this is what will happen to all of us if they are successful: Massive loss of jobs and the private company takes over reducing pay, cutting health care and destroying defined benefit pension.
Via the Los Angeles Times:
Uber and Lyft have devastated L.A.’s taxi industry, city records show.
The rise of Uber and Lyft has dealt a swift, brutal blow to the Los Angeles taxi industry. Since the ride-hailing services began operating in Southern California three years ago, the number of L.A. taxi trips arranged in advance has fallen by 42%, according to city records, and the total number of trips has plummeted by nearly 30%.
The steepest drops were in the city’s most popular nightlife and tourist destinations: the Westside, Hollywood, and downtown.
The declines point to a dramatic shift wrought by the popular app-based transportation companies, which have wrested market share from taxi companies that have enjoyed decades of dominance in Los Angeles. The decline mirrors what’s happening across the country, as taxis—regulated by local governments on everything from price to the color of their cars—struggle to compete with cheaper, more nimble start-ups.
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