Photo courtesy of John Rosman/OPB
  • Photo courtesy of John Rosman/OPB

Joe VanderVeer, former chair of the Portland Commission on Disability, has agreed to join Portland Bureau of Transportation's Private for-Hire Innovation Task Force as the commission's representative, according to PBOT representative Frank Dufay.

VanderVeer will replace Sue Stahl, who resigned from the task force last week, citing the city's failure to address civil rights as her reason for leaving.

VanderVeer confirmed he's joining the task force, but says he's been instructed not to talk with the media. He did say he thinks his goals of getting service from both ride-share and traditional cab companies for wheelchair using passengers up to par are in line with the city's.

"We need to get more vehicles on the road to improve service," he says.

VanderVeer, who's used a wheelchair since he was 4 years old, was featured recently in this Oregon Public Broadcasting story where "it took him more than 15 attempts and nine hours checking the app" before he was able to summon an Uber ride. By comparison, VanderVeer only waited 35 minutes for someone from a traditional cab company to arrive, though he did say he doesn't often call for taxis because of long wait times in the past.

PBOT in April stunned cabbies when they removed a longtime cap on the number of permitted taxis allowed on city streets, but Dufay says they haven't seen a surge in applicants.

"There haven't been a lot of new cabs added ... We're guessing—I asked staff—maybe 15 actual new cabs on the street," he says. "Everyone's pretty gun-shy about adding a lot of vehicles right now, with so much uncertainty as to where this is all going to land."

Portland is in the midst of a four-month pilot program hastily cobbled together by the task force that was designed to allow fleet cab companies to play on a level field with newcomers Uber and Lyft.

Cabbies so far think the task force failed in that sense. Green Transportation driver and known Uber-hater Wynde Dyer says Uber drivers are flouting the rules with no-nos like parking in cab stands and accepting street hails. She also says they're cutting into her profits.

"Normally I net $600 in just two days: Friday and Saturday. I've worked (six out of seven) days this week to only gross $266," she says. "Last Friday I worked 10 hours and only earned $10 from a $6 fare and a $4 fare, neither of whom tipped because, well, if you don't tip Uber, why tip your cab driver?"

OPB reporters Amelia Templeton and John Rosman put together this great video showing VanderVeer's struggle to get an Uber ride to Fred Meyer. You should watch it.

"It took all day to get here, essentially," he says. "But, hey, we're here. So, success."