I received a letter today asking my views on taxi services.It seems to me that one company is going after many companies.At Abraxi Taxi we may have the newest cars with the least amount of mileage on them and if another company has older cars with more mileage than ours, we are ok with that.If the police feel that a certain vehicle is a hazard they will pull the cab over and issue a citation.
If this is really in the best interest of health,safety and welfare for the citizens of Saint Augustine,we think the gas-powered golf carts driving on US1 and the pedicabs driving over the Bridge of Lions pose more of a threat.
It seems to us that there is a market for all cabs that comply with the regulations the city has put forth;and if one company charges more,or another taxi service charges less, that is fine by Abraxi.If you are a metered taxi company you need to be metered,if zone rates are the method one uses as a business model then adhere to that.One can not have it both ways.At Abraxi Taxi we use flat or zone rates, and do not deviate from this nor do we surge the fare at peak times.
I think the biggest issue I have is that the city does have certain requirements to operate a taxi here in the ancient city: yet allows über to continually break these rules.What has been done to the über driver who stalked and groped one of our own local residents? You want low mileage and clean nice cars, I think this is a noble quest.But how as a company can we accomplish this with all the illegal competition?
So if safety is really the issue and not someones personal agenda,ban über and put restraints on illegal gas-powered go carts and restrict pedicabs from crossing the Lions Bridge.If a taxi cab does not conform to city standards,pull it off the road.Impound Ubers as they are illegal and do not do background checks.And they will never do so.
Keep in mind that if you want nicer cleaner cars out here in the city we may need to raise our rates if you do not level the playing field and remove those companies that thumb their noses to our city commissioners.Using a cab to get back and forth to work really does become a luxury and if some choose to use a cheaper cab company they should have right to do so.
Please do not be bullied by any companies whether local or worldwide.Try to regulate the rules you have in place and those who do not comply; deal with draconianly.Keep in mind that taxi vehicles pile on mileage,passengers trash cars and accidents happen.Drivers that are unregulated do bad things.Groping and stalking are bad enough.What threshhold must be surpassed before the city starts enforcing the laws already in place?I dont think older cars are the issue:but,uninsured and random out-of-town drivers are.Open vehicles driving in dangerous areas and players with hidden agendas are much more of a threat!