North Texas taxi drivers complain wait times for fares at D/FW International Airport have doubled since new rules opened the airport to more competition from ride share companies last year.
The main taxi cue lot for around 300 taxis was sufficient in the past, according to Muneeb Awan, President of the Association of Taxicab Operators. Awan said an overflow lot at the airport is now often full of waiting taxis, as well.
Awan said it took him six hours of waiting in the lots or at the curb to get customers Thursday morning.
“I used to get five trips a day to get halfway decent money to feed my family and now I’m down to two trips a day where I can’t even feed my family anymore,” Awan said.
Driver Jane Lynch said ride-share companies have taken taxi business in downtown Dallas and at the airports.
“You can’t go outside because all of our business has been taken over by ride-sharing companies and then on the inside, same thing,” Lynch said.
After much debate among North Texas government leaders, ‘Transportation for Hire’ rules were changed last year to give ride-share companies a better shot at the business that was traditionally guaranteed to taxi companies. Ride-share customers demanded it.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Cars and drivers for both forms of transportation must meet minimum requirements, but restrictions on fares and the number of vehicles were removed. Taxis must display rates and provide receipts.
Taxis still use meters to determine fares, but cars with companies like Uber and Lyft are summoned and paid with smart phones. Ride-share cars now wait at the airport, too.
“It's just normal competition that’s done here in America,” said Uber and Lyft driver Frank Wright. “It’s just a paradigm shift in the business. People want something new, something more social. A lot of people like the social interaction. Some like the ride better.”
Taxi drivers around the world have staged protests over competition from ride sharing companies.
Gus Tayeh has driven cabs in North Texas for more than 20 years.
“Until August of last year it was good,” he said. “And when they deregulated the whole thing, it went downhill.”
He said North Texas will miss taxi cabs when they are needed if they are driven out of business.
