zTrip, a five-year-old company based in Kansas City, has been buying taxi businesses at a fast clip, and now has more than 5,000 cabs in 21 cities.
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The number of taxis on Indianapolis streets has decreased by 80% in the last decade, prompting the City-County Council to consider changes to help traditional taxis better compete with ride-sharing services.
The proposal aims to relax several long-standing regulations that put taxi companies at an unfair advantage compared with ride-sharing companies Uber and Lift, which don’t have to comply with the same standards.
Visitors pay among the highest travel taxes in the nation when they come to Indianapolis — 17 percent on hotel rates, 15 percent on rental cars and 9 percent on meals.
The Indianapolis International Airport Authority and Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee know impressions begin when people arrive in the city and continue to be formed when they depart.
The Capital Improvement Board, which manages Lucas Oil Stadium, is budgeting for an $810,000 loss on expenses related to the game. The city, however, expects a $200 million economic impact.
The license revocations stemmed from violations such as failure to maintain a dispatch log, failure to maintain a dispatch facility and failed body or mechanical inspections.
The city of Indianapolis’ Department of Code Enforcement rejected the applications largely because the companies didn’t have
a dispatch facility or didn’t have employees to staff a facility.
The proposal follows complaints by hotel managers that many travelers—particularly those in town for conventions—say
they cannot understand the city's taxi drivers.
