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Oregonian Editorial Board Hearts Uber
The paper-of-record-that’s-no-longer-on-my-front-step comes down squarely on the side of innovation in supporting Uber‘s case before the Private for-Hire Transportation Board of Review. I agree. While we continue to need regulation for passenger safety and to prevent abuses, transportation technology is evolving much more quickly than our regulatory framework, and the regulators need to put on their…
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Will Portland Finally Grant New Taxi Permits?
This Wednesday at 2pm the Portland City Council will hold a public hearing and take a vote on the contentious issue of whether or not to grant 132 78 new taxi permits, the first increase from the current 382 permits in a decade (I have learned since first publishing this post that the Revenue Bureau…
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Does Portland Need More Taxis?
Apparently so, according to a staff report (PDF, 151K) prepared for the Private for-Hire Transportation Board and City Council. But as that report, and the accompanying recommendations for industry reform document (PDF, 39K), indicate being a taxi driver is apparently only one step up from indentured servitude. Among the challenges for drivers: Drivers are treated…
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Intended Consequences of Portland’s Restrictive Taxi Policy
While we here at Portland Transport generally stick to subjects like public transit, bicycling, and walking, the taxicab is another form of transit that can allow people the freedom to travel around at will without the burden of car ownership or the need to personally drive the car. Taxis fill an important need for those…
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Do We Have Enough Cabs?
A post at Sightline looks at comparative taxis per capita, and taxi fares. Portland has a relatively low number of cabs per person, and relatively high fares. Would we benefit from looser restrictions on the number of taxis in Portland? How would we arrive at the optimal number? Do we need a limit at all?…