Regulators move to curb mobile apps for taxi services

Taxi and limousine regulators from 15 North American cities are issuing proposed guidelines designed to govern smartphone applications and online services that are dramatically reshaping how passengers call for cabs. The guidelines--drawn up by a task force of the International Association of Transportation Regulators with members from New York, City, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Toronto and other markets--would ban the use of a GPS-equipped smartphone in place of a conventional taxi meter. Currently, startups like Uber Technologies leverage drivers' phones to determine the length and cost of rides, despite protests from local governments that contend GPS is less precise than traditional meters. The proposals also seek to limit practices like "demand pricing," where drivers charge a higher fare rate when customer demand is at a peak. Article