Hailing a Cab While Black? It’s Still a Problem by Ben Wrobel

July 14, 2015

Hailing a Cab While Black? It’s Still a Problem
New study explores discrimination by cab companies and the rise of ridesharing alternatives

By Ben Wrobel

belchercornell
Cornell Belcher, president, Brilliant Corners, led the study.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Black residents in Chicago have a significantly harder time trying to catch a cab than whites, according to a recent study.

The study, conducted by Cornell Belcher and Dee Brown of polling firm Brilliant Corners and sponsored by Uber, confirms the long-held belief that people of color often experience discrimination when trying to hail a cab. The study also explores what this means for new tech-savvy “ridesharing” alternatives that promise a more color-blind experience.

The researchers surveyed over 800 people in the Chicago area about their experiences hailing a cab. According to the results, 48% of Black respondents said they had experienced being ignored by a taxi driver at some point in their life – more than double the rate of Whites that reported the same experience. And more than half of Black respondents said they had called for a taxi only to have the company refuse to send a car to their neighborhood.

The study raises concerns about “transportation equity” – the fact that millions of poor people and people of color live in neighborhoods where quality transportation options are unaffordable, unreliable or even nonexistent.

Nearly one in five African American households and one in seven Latino households do not own a car, and a recent Harvard study found the single strongest factor in determining economic mobility was commuting time. For people living in neighborhoods that already lack reliable access to transportation, the inability to catch a cab can be one more roadblock to escaping poverty.

“The lack of viable transit options in most metropolitan areas limits options for those without cars and it prevents central city residents from accessing jobs located in the suburbs,” said Dr. Robert D Bullard, a leading expert on transportation equity.

Belcher and Brown also asked the survey-takers about alternatives to traditional taxi services. In the past few years, ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft have entered the scene with a new take on the driver-for-hire model. Uber allows users to order a car with their smartphone, and since the driver is unable to see what the customer looks like or where they are going until they enter the car, it offers a more color-blind experience for riders.

The data suggests that these types of accountability measures could make ridesharing services a more commonly used method of transportation among people of color. It is still hard for a person of color to catch a cab. But new technology could offer a color-blind solution to an age-old problem.

“Ridesharing companies manage to be both more efficient than traditional taxi services and also more color-blind at the same time,” said Ben Jealous, former president of the NAACP and Partner at Kapor Capital, which was an early investor in Uber. “The frustrating experience of trying to hail a cab is a powerful incentive for a lot of folks to consider a new way to get a ride.”