SF Cabbie Runs 5 Apps at Once

SF Cabbie Runs 5 Apps at Once
http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2014/09/02/sf-cabbie-runs-5-apps-at-once
Posted By Rachel Swan
@rachelswan
on Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 10:43 AM

• Twitter/Thomas Purves
• The 5-app cab driver.

"Signs we have reached peak-app?" product designer and tech pundit Thomas Purves asks, tweeting an ominous photo of an SF cabbie with 5 smartphones — and a meter — affixed to his dashboard.
Evidently, this is the unsettling new normal for cabbies. While Uber has quietly discontinued its UberTaxi app, which allowed cab drivers to pick up Uber fares during their shifts, cab drivers can still take advantage of similar services like Flywheel and Curb (formerly TaxiMagic).

While these taxi-friendly apps might help level the playing field between highly regulated cab companies and their new startup competitors, they've also raised concerns about distracted driving.

"Sounds like we need a new rule to be disobeyed," Metro Cab company owner Richard Hybels suggested.

Fortunately, this driver still has some room to see the road.