Software glitch stalls cabbies

By Andrew Backover Denver Post Business Writer

Sept. 22 - Drivers for Denver's second-biggest taxicab company say they lost much of their business over the last week as a result of a software glitch that had their on-board dispatch system dispensing inaccurate information.

A computer upgrade last Wednesday brought Yellow Cab's system - which many drivers rely on for almost all their fares - nearly to a halt, driver Kathryn Sullivan said.

"It was an absolute disaster,'' Sullivan said. The problem appears to be fixed now, she said, but her problems aren't: she said the company fired her after 20 years Tuesday for complaining to the Public Utilities Commission.

Yellow's general manager did not return a call.

Terry Bote, a spokesman for the Public Utilities Commission, said the commission received several complaints from drivers and customers, but he was unsure whether the problem was as widespread as Sullivan described it.

"We've talked to the company about it, and they are working to get the bugs out of the system,'' Bote said. "We will certainly monitor it, and if problems persist and if customers are impacted, we would follow up. But at this point there is probably not much that we will do.''

"Most drivers were able to get trips on their computer screen,'' Sullivan said, "but most trips that we went to were no-gos, and it took us a while to figure out that the computer was dispatching the same trip to three or four drivers.''

Also, Sullivan and fellow driver Greg Tannenbaum said, the new system randomly removed drivers from the top of the list of those waiting for fares; sent inexplicable messages saying drivers were ineligible to accept passengers for as long as two hours at a time, and tied up the company's phone line - 303-777-7777 - so customers couldn't get through.

http://www.denverpost.com/business/biz0922b.htm

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), September 22, 1999