Terp Taxi Gets to Great Start! But there's a Nasty Surprise!

I think I have reported on this before if my memory serves me correct. Terp Taxi has launched last Thursday to serve 69 passengers on it's first weekend.

Even though Terp Taxi, a $5-a-ride weekend nighttime service, needs more than 40 riders a night to cover the cost of using its four minibuses, Transportation Services Director David Allen said he was "very pleased" about the turnout and said he expects more students to use the service once more people know about it.

Terp Taxi, which extends to a quarter-mile radius around the campus including stops already served by Shuttle-UM, attracted 69 total riders on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, including 20 rides the first night, Allen said.

I have not tried this before, but it looks like it's a safe, inexpensive local cab for students in the College Park area. But here's the unsafe part:

Riders have to show their student IDs and fill out a form before riding.

That's what I do not like at all. With wireless technology to scan student IDs so that their student accounts can be charged, it's inexcusable. Seriously, in these times having a passenger fill out a form before riding makes them more vulnerable to muggings and robberies, not to mention auto theft.

Expect a follow up on this story later today.