City Council approved a plan last Thursday that will extend the current agreement with the pre-existing three taxicab franchises for another five years, as well as grant 50 new permits to each of the three companies, in exchange for two provisional changes: one requiring the closest cab to accept any ride assigned to it, and another requiring the three companies to update their fleets so that 10% of all cars are wheelchair accessible (previous mandates required only 6.5%). The companies – Yellow Cab, Austin Cab, and Lone Star Cab – will also have the ability to increase the size of their fleets in the future if they meet a series of city standards for providing rides to individuals with disabilities and low-income clients of certain health care organizations. Less clear is any development on the road map for how the city plans to implement a fourth, driver-owned co-op franchise, which the Taxi Drivers Association of Austin has repeatedly pushed for, and which Council directed city staff to begin developing in May.
This article appears in June 12 • 2015.