Do You Trust Boston Cabs?

It’s not surprising that the cab business can be a little dirty. Dirty, however, isn’t a strong enough word for what a recent Boston Globe seriesuncovered in Boston’s hack community. Stories of shakedowns, decrepit vehicles and coercive measures to curtail insurance claims were some of the practices unearthed.

On Tuesday, Mayor Thomas Menino vowed to clean up the business, proposing independent oversight and stepped-up city inspections.

Cab companies, meanwhile, have their own complaints, specifically about new app-based livery services like Uber that sidestep local regulations and use the web to locate fares. 

What do you think? If Boston’s cab community is in disarray, and new cab-like apps are strong-armed out of the city, how will you get around? Do you trust Boston’s cab community to offer a clean, safe ride? Or do you skip cabs altogether and stick to the T? What about late night’s out and about? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

South End Patch