We here at Universal Taxi admit that there has been a whole lot of talk over the whole Uber, Lyft, and other ridesharing services thing and how they are taking away business from local cab drivers. However, we are fair and we have done our fair share of work into finding out just why people are going crazy over these services and why local taxi drivers are getting nervous. We admit that the idea of being able to summon a nice –looking car via a mobile phone has its appeal; we understand why people prefer ridesharing services to local taxis but people should also know that despite the growing number of ridesharing enthusiasts, taxis still have an edge.

What is the Edge?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the matter, it is first a good idea to have a look at exactly what ridesharing services have to offer. For one, they tend to be cheaper than local taxis and another is that they can be summoned with the use of a mobile phone- this is why it has been hailed so many times as godsend to travelers and drunken revelers alike. No more waiting at the curb and waiting for an empty passing cab because when you ping an Uber diver, that car is yours for the duration of the trip. Looking at it that way, you can say that these ridesharing services do spell the doom of local taxis but that isn’t necessarily the case.

These ridesharing services have a darker side to them and they are what ultimately gives the taxis an edge. You see, for taxi drivers to become legit taxi drivers, they have to make sure that they register their rides and get the proper licenses; these drivers are professionals which means they are, or most of them, are pros at driving. On the other hand, you have a ride sharing industry that is basically made up of anyone that has a car and wants to make pennies.

Uber, along with other ridesharing services claim that they are totally safe but face it, they do not give complete control over the people that drive Uber service cars and they have no real responsibility over what happens. This isn’t to say that Uber services and other ridesharing companies are not safe, rather it is a way of saying that there are no guarantees that they will take responsibility for any untoward incidents.

Another plus that gives local taxis an edge is that they have to go to emission testing centers and once they pass a certain limit, they are no longer allowed on the road unless they do something about their emission problem. Ridesharing services on the other hand are not required to undergo any such test and they can pretty much have a whole fleet of idling hummers on the roads just waiting for passengers.

That said, these things still give local taxi drivers an edge over ridesharing services and these should be carefully considered by those that are debating on the benefit of using local taxis vs. ridesharing services. For those that want the convenience of a rideshare service with the benefits of a taxi, you can check out the Universal Taxi app here.