Illegal Taxicab Operation - in Working-class Neighborhoods

In Working-class Neighborhoods

In America, there is significant anecdotal evidence that unlicensed cabs are mostly found in working-class neighborhoods of large cities. There are likely several reasons for this. First is a lack of licensed taxis—due to the perception, by cab drivers, of safety issues or that better tips can be had in wealthier neighborhoods. Often due to expensive medallions, licensed taxis don't leave the Central Business District (CBD), except to go to airports to drop off or pick up customers, which are easy and guaranteed income. If a metropolitan area is made of islands and depends on bridges and tunnels, and the CBD is a particular island, there is great psychological pressure to the licensed taxi driver to not leave that CBD island except for airports—even if the destination is a wealthy neighborhood—for fear of inability to attain a return fare, safety concerns, or reliability of an outer-island customer paying his bill at the end of the journey.

Eventually, a precedent forms wherein customers will never find a licensed taxi in outer areas, causing licensed drivers to expect difficulty finding customers for a return trip, and wherein customers will wait for the first unlicensed cab or public transport rather than wait indefinitely for a licensed cab. Eventually drivers may form informal patrol zones corresponding to licensed and unlicensed taxis. Compounding this, residents of outer neighborhoods often own fewer cars per capita and thus are more dependent on publicly available transportation.

Moreover, residents of such neighborhoods may favor unlicensed cabs even if licensed taxis are available. Metered fares usually include a rate pertaining to the duration of a trip; as such, in areas where traffic congestion is common and unpredictable, the duration component of a licensed trip can skyrocket a fare beyond customer expectation. In contrast, unlicensed fares are known in advance, eliminating customer fears of unexpected cost.

It is not uncommon for residents and drivers to develop long-term relationships, wherein a customer comes to rely on a specific driver, using him regularly to commute to work or go shopping.

In Baltimore, USA, supermarkets in working-class neighborhoods frequently have "courtesy drivers" who, although not employed by the supermarket, have shown identification to management and are allowed to wait in front of the store for fares. Unlike licensed cab drivers, these courtesy drivers will also help to carry groceries up to one's apartment. "Hacking" in Baltimore has grown grass-roots style to a region-wide phenomenon, originating from "Hack Clubs", organizations usually operating in converted rowhouses where "hacks" made their cars available, distributed business cards with a central number, employed a "dispatcher", and hung around the rowhouse waiting in line for calls. This practice continues today, but hacking has evolved to the point where people nowadays just wag a finger toward the street, and wait for anyone to stop. This new way of getting around remains popular, despite being incredibly dangerous, due to disillusionment with the city transit service, and the fact that licensed cabs seldom stop for fares in the most dangerous parts of town. There are plenty of willing drivers, and competition can be fierce. The fare is negotiated and paid upfront. Police maintain this is illegal, and sometimes enforce with $500 tickets, and a trip to the courthouse. However, hacking is so prevalent in certain parts of town that cops don't bother making traffic stops.