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Uber Impacts Bloomington Taxi Companies Differently

The popular ride-sharing service Uber launched in several Indiana college towns four years ago, including Bloomington.

At the time, some local taxi companies worried the new venture could put them out of business.

Showing off his various models of vintage cars, James McLary says some of his favorites are his taxicabs.

McLary spent 47 years in public transportation serving the state highway commission, Bloomington Transit and the international taxi association.

But he's most proud of launching E2 Taxi in Bloomington and Terre Haute. He started in 2012 with four MV-1 vehicles to serve Hoosiers with disabilities.

"The idea was to provide a community service," McLary says. "I mean really and truly… I mean I wanted to make money there's no question, but the real goal was to provide a community service."

But like many local taxi companies across the country, McLary struggled to keep his business running because he couldn't compete with Uber.

"And that was the beginning of the end," he says. "They're just able to put more vehicles on the street at nights. We used to put 15 vehicles on the street every Friday and Saturday night. We started losing our drivers to Uber."

McLary says he sent a letter to former Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan asking to reject the Uber proposal.

But current mayor John Hamilton says Kruzan made the right decision.

"The economy changes really fast. We want to be on the front side of that not the backside of that," Hamilton says. "Uber is disruptive, Lyft is disruptive, but they're disruptive because in my view, they're meeting some needs that are out there."

McLary says he eventually lost his employees to Uber. He says the company's lax employment requirements and the ability for drivers to set their own schedules was convincing enough to lure his employees.

"We had to provide 24 hour service," McLary says. "[With] Uber you can go out and drive for four hours and that's it. And so if you want to you can go out from 11 o'clock to 3 o'clock in the morning on Saturday night and make a ton of money."

But not all Bloomington taxi companies are struggling.

Red Tire Taxi opened in 2011 and drivers can't meet the demand.

"We're actually finding ourselves unable to serve everyone that's looking to obtain our service," says Operations Manager Noah Dadds. "So we are actively looking for more drivers."

Dadds says one thing that helps business is willing to drive where others might not.

"We have a very large radius," Dadds says. "We actually serve all of Indiana when requested, so that does happen time to time. And we've even been known to go to O'Hare Airport in Chicago."

But McLary says he thinks ride sharing services could face tough competition in the future.

"I really believe, firmly, that the autonomous car is going to be one of our salvations," he says. "First of all, I love drivers but you don't have to deal with them."

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