Diversity & Inclusion

DC Taxicab Commission dips a toe into on-demand delivery

Local taxis are celebrating InnoMAYtion by (soft) launching a lunch delivery service. DCTC Chairman Ernest Chrappah says it’'s “a win-win for the District.”

Is it lunch yet? (Photo by Flickr user Daniel Lobo, used under a Creative Commons license)

The D.C. Taxicab Commission announced on Wednesday that it has soft-launched a new on-demand service that uses taxis to deliver things like food and laundry in the District. It’s all part of this year’s InnoMAYtion celebration.
The program, made possible by a partnership with delivery.com, “will initially focus on lunch-hour food delivery in select areas.” The Commission heralded the news on Twitter with this proof-of-delivery picture:


Those who want lunch delivered by taxi can order through the delivery.com app or website, then wait while the food is prepared, picked up by a taxi and delivered to your location. The press release contains no indication of how long this will take.
“It’s exciting to unlock greater value in taxis and vehicles for hire,” DCTC Chairman Ernest Chrappah said in a statement. “This program is truly a win-win for the District. It gives licensed drivers another income stream when a fare is not available and allows us to improve customer services for more visitors and residents across all 8 Wards.”
Just a short list of restaurants are participating in the program at this juncture, but the press release advises us all to “look for additional partnerships and services to follow.”
Here’s who’s in to begin with:

Restaurants currently participating in delivery via taxi in D.C. (Screenshot)

Restaurants currently participating in delivery via taxi in D.C. (Screenshot)


It’s an interesting move for DCTC, for one because D.C. is already a busy on-demand delivery market. We’ve got UberEATS and Favor and goPuff and Postmates and more, not to mention startups like Galley that both make and deliver your food.
But this is just DCTC’s latest entry into the modern on-demand economy — the Commission unveiled a ride-hailing app back in February.

Companies: Gopuff / Galley

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

Our services Preferred partners The journalism fund
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

These 10 regions could be most impacted by federal return-to-office mandates

Tech-related orders and economic reorganizations hit Maryland. Here’s what they mean. 

Philly vs. Kansas City: Who’s got the stronger tech economy?

How this Comcast director of product management is bringing heart to AI

Technically Media