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From The Burnie Thompson Show on Facebook. Who do you agree with?Nancy Flores Burnie…I think you may be wrong….First of all the original company that got the Local Govt. to make up the ORDINANCES for taxis is no longer in business….NONE of the original companies are still in business. The companies in business today HATE the ordinances. It costs the companies money and the drivers money to be legal in TWO towns out of ALL the towns in Bay County! IMO it is rather arrogant of the Beach and PC to think only THEIR citizens should be protected and safe from the mean ol taxi companies and drivers. IMO IF there must be a permit/license then it should be for ALL of Bay County and only require a back ground check…NO regulation on fares….and of course TAXI Insurance for ALL Vehicles for Hire…which would include Uber! Uber is a company that takes MONEY from people to ride in vehicles….that makes them Vehicles for Hire…just like a TAXI! Not sure what taxis charge on the beach….but in Panama City…there are fare regulations…$2.50 pull charge…..$2.50 a mile. Our company charges this way in town. we have minimums on the beach and in other parts of the county..but in PC we must charge what the City Commissioners tell us we can charge. Uber on the other hand…MIGHT charge less…but…even on their web site they state that they can charge up to FIVE TIMES the base fee for various reasons…including traffic tie ups. Our company can not charge you more than the mileage unless you stop and go into a store…then it is 50¢ a minute. We might be stuck in traffic for an hour but we can not charge you more than the mileage….Uber can though…and they DO! Your argument that Uber is cheaper than a taxi..doesn’t hold water! Might in other places…might on the beach….but doesn’t hold water in Panama City Limits!The Burnie Thompson Show Nancy Flores – I’m not arguing that “Uber is cheaper than a taxi.” I’m arguing that we should be free to choose for ourselves. Start by eliminating onerous regulations on taxis. We’ll decide for ourselves. Then whomever provides the best value will get the business. That’s the real American way of doing things.
