LYNCHBURG, Va. – Prince Crawley is a cab driver and co-owner of Allied Cab in Lynchburg. He has seen a lot of change over his 40 years in the taxi business, most recently with ride sharing apps like Uber and Lyft.
"In my opinion they haven't hurt us to the level where we thought they would,” Crawley said.
But there may soon be some new competition -- with the local app Move UP.
"I'm not one to fight against progress, but I want to see progress come in at a pace where I can understand it and work with it a little bit,” Crawley said.
Dr. John Salmon is a local pathologist and creator of the Move UP app.
"What we want to do is build up every option we have so that means the city bus service, public transportation, medical transport that we already have," Salmon said.
He says one of his focuses is to help people in the community who don't have resources for their own transportation.
"How can we improve transportation for kids to activities? For parents to schools, whether that's for a meeting or to a kids' activity? So, all these things are important in the health of the community," Salmon said.
The app is still in the development phase but it would allow a person to sign in as a rider or driver.
As a rider, app users will have the option of telling the driver what they're carrying, such as baggage, a baby chair or pet. The driver can set prices and qualifications, like moving riders with folding wheelchairs. But before anyone can get their hands on this new app, both Salmon and Crawley agree they want to see changes made to the city's decade-old taxicab regulations.
"I would like to see us get into a pickup truck. Four door nice pickup truck for carrying laundry, luggage and utility items,” Crawley said.
"We'll be at our most efficient if we combine our resources to try to solve these issues,” Salmon said.
Salmon said he’s already presented this idea to City Council and will meet with them again. He hopes to launch the app in September and hold a demonstration to recruit volunteer drivers.