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Flinc Promises to Turn You Into a Cabbie, But Hopefully Not a 'Taxi Driver'

by Matthew Zuras on March 23, 2010 at 03:15 PM

A mobile app that promises to replace high taxi fares has just reared its head at this year's Demo Spring conference, and we can tell you that we don't like it one bit. Flinc is a service that allows average Joes and Janes to fancy themselves as for-hire chauffeurs, and charge strangers hard cash for wheeling them about town. When in need of a ride, the user simply fires up Flinc on their cell phone, puts in a pick-up order, and chooses an available driver from a list of available cars in the area. The user will be able to see each driver's price and their distance away. Simple, right?

Now, ride-sharing is one thing; like car-pooling, you tend to know the people with whom you're riding and the driver, himself. But with Flinc, you're essentially choosing a random stranger to pick you up -- a stranger whose driving ability and motives for picking up other strangers aren't as clear as those of a professional driver under the auspices of a regulating body. By all that, we mean to say that Flinc is simply not a good idea, and we'll give you two big reasons why.

1) Existing labor force: You'd be putting real cab drivers out of business! Also, turning your own car into a gypsy cab may be entirely illegal in certain cities, depending on the municipal code. If the Flinc were ever allowed in New York, we can imagine that the Taxi Workers Alliance would initiate a labor strike in a heartbeat. Certain industries have government protection and oversight in order to protect their workers and the local economy in general. While there have been outrageous price-gouging problems in the past, TLC in New York generally makes sure that riders aren't schemed into paying higher fares.

2) Safety on the road and in the car: In New York City, prospective cab drivers must have a current license, complete an application with a background check, cooperate with drug testing, take a DMV-certified defensive driving course, and attend taxi school. Why? So they don't kill too many people on the road. Flinc does not ensure any kind of training, oversight, or anything. You may hail a driver with a history of smash-ups, meth addiction, or frotteurism. Who knows?

We're not trying to fear-monger or anything, but we wonder why the designers would possibly ignore the dangerous potential of their product. It's probably true that the large majority of Flinc drivers do not want to wear your face as a mask, and do not enjoy mowing down pedestrians while on a coke binge. But, we have regulatory agencies for good reason: to make sure that our drivers will, more than likely, not kill us. And what's with trying to cheat a cab driver out of making a living? Sure, you could totally earn enough each morning to offset the cost of your daily caramel macchiato, but it would be done while robbing someone who has few alternative employment options of his fare. We'll skip Flinc. [From: CNET]

Tags: app, cab, carpooling, DemoSpring, flinc, mobile app, MobileApp, ride-sharing, taxi, TaxiDriver, top, web

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