a new problem… solved.

The media, much like your average shark, just absolutely loves blood.  And I fault neither predator for their preference.  Yet it is important to contextualize the reports concerning the first day of the TLC’s new “cab share” program.

The New York Times noted that few people took advantage of the service on its inaugural day.  DNA reported the same.  (Incidentally, “the program allows up to four passengers to share cabs, car pool style, from designated stands along three set routes in Manhattan, for $4 each.”)

Yet rather than indicate that CabCorner.com could be DOA, these reports bolster our site’s value!  CabCorner was designed to solve a few problems, the most relevant of which were expensive cabs and congested streets.  Then the New York’s own cab sharing program rolled out… so our website was then geared to solve not only the overarching problems both initiatives sought to address, but it also positioned CabCorner to solve the problems in the city’s own program.

Unlike the city’s program, in which “cab share hubs” are immobile–essentially subway stations above ground–our service lets users tailor their rideshare, in terms of time/date, location, and cost.  Essentially, CabCorner turns EVERY intersection into a possible cab share hub, and guarantees that there will be a “Cab Companion” waiting when the user arrives at the meeting point (”cab corner”).

That said, Jon and I differ over the extent to which cab sharing is an idea that will prove MOST successful in NYC.  Personally, I think we’ll have better success almost anywhere else, as other markets both domestically and internationally view cabs as a luxury our site will make more accessible, rather than a birthright.

As the NYT put it:
“New York is not like Seoul, where sharing cabs is common.”

BONUS:  Balloons!