Coachella Valley Gets New Taxi Experience

The city of Palm Springs is celebrating the arrival of a new kind of taxi. Classic Yellow Cab is rolling out a fleet of60 vehicles they say will bring a new taxi experience to the Coachella Valley.

“Now when you walk out you’ll see a Classic Cab in addition to other cab companies here in the Coachella Valley. I think it’s important to know, the newer cars are more emission-friendly, which means less carbon into the atmosphere, which makes our air quality better,”says Palm Springs mayor Steve Pougnet.

Along with being more eco-friendly, it has added technology making it more passenger-friendly.

“It’s a 3-in-1 mobile data terminal. It’s a built-in taxi meter, GPS system and credit card swipe all built into one,” says Salvatore Palm with Taxi Operations.

At the Palm Springs International Airport, other taxi companies are keeping busy. One driver says this new company is hurting the small business owner.

“Some companies, they sold their companies, independents are out. They’re now driving for them instead of driving independently. They are not independent anymore, they’re driving for them,” says taxi driver Abid Baji.

Classic Yellow Cab bought outseven independent taxi companies. A spokesperson for taxi operations says all taxi rates are already regulated, so prices may not drop. But, it does mean shorter waiting times, and as we all know, time is money.