A local taxi service has rebranded to grow its mobile-based transportation offerings.
Checker Cab has begun transitioning to zTrip, a company offering traditional taxi service along with black-car options for customers using their smartphones.
Many of Checker Cab’s recognizable yellow taxis won’t go anywhere just yet, but 80 will shift toward zTrip’s signature silver cars. Eventually, the local fleet will “quickly” grow to 300 cars under the zTrip brand, according to the company.
It’s another option for customers who have made Uber and Lyft multibillion-dollar companies, but differences remain among the mobile-ready competitors.
Customers with zTrip will be able to schedule pickups anytime, which Uber and Lyft soon will be rolling out. The company won't "surge" pricing when demand is higher, which Uber and Lyft do. Customers will be able to choose their favorite drivers and rely on around-the-clock customer service.
Brad Braddock, the Checker Cab owner who will operate zTrip locally, said the newer service also complies with all city regulations. He’s shared criticisms with city officials for more than a year over disparities between the traditional taxi services and newer mobile-based companies.
Some of those criticisms deal with the level of background checks, insurance levels and vehicle inspections for Uber and Lyft. The zTrip model employs only professional drivers, maintains commercial insurance at all times and uses fingerprint-based background checks.
Uber and Lyft provide transportation options that allow anyone to become certified and use their own car to ferry people.
Bill George, president of taxi for zTrip, said his company’s model “combines the best of both worlds” when it comes to safety and security of taxis with the ease of using a ride-hailing app.
The system was tested in Australia and has gradually been introduced to markets across the U.S. In all, George said, zTrip is investing about $2.8 million into the Jacksonville market for the company transition and fleet conversion.
Nationwide, zTrip has about 4,000 cars and has rolled into markets, such as Baltimore, Denver, Kansas City and Phoenix. In Florida, it’s also been introduced to Orlando and Tampa.
Pricing doesn’t change with the shift toward implementing a mobile app.
George said the average price of a trip is about $10 and it might end up being a couple of dollars cheaper using Uber and Lyft. But when surge pricing is averaged in, the price differential disappears.
Still, even with the upgrades and push toward technology, Braddock said he will still push for all companies in the area providing transportation options to meet minimums for public safety reasons.
City Council began crafting a bill back in 2014 to regulate — or deregulate — taxis and app-based ridesharing companies. It’s slogged on since, with council members trying to agree to across-the-board standards while at times looking to the Legislature to determine a solution.
Neither happened, but the local bill is still on council's agenda but has been deferred.
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