Editor: Recent Sun Gazette coverage alluded to a potentially increased lifespan of local taxis, should the Arlington County Board raise the limit on their maximum service years.
With companies like Uber and Lyft becoming increasingly more widespread and accessible, I am sure that everyone understands the necessity for these local taxi companies to regain their competitive edge. However, from an environmentally-centric perspective, I am hesitant to agree that keeping older vehicle models on the road will lead to much of an improvement in the long term.
Particularly, county-government staff member Angie de la Barrera’s comment on this potential action being made to “level the playing field” struck me the wrong way, considering her position in the county’s Department of Environmental Services. Shouldn’t her intentions be more aligned with lowering gas consumption and not helping out local businesses?
Understandably, the local government’s scope of influence is rather insignificant in comparison to the ridesharing corporations, and taxi companies across the country are losing business at an alarmingly fast rate, but is this really the best solution that could be reached? Is keeping these older models on the road for an extra two years really going to save these companies, or should they do something to rein in these ridesharing services?
Teddy Verheggen, Arlington