Seattle to study taxi and for-hire car services

SEATTLE -- You're in a rush to get downtown to that sold-out concert or ballgame and you don't have a car -- do you call a cab or one of the popular ride-share car services? The city of Seattle wants to know.

Surveyors, armed with electronic tablets, will be canvassing Seattle and other parts of King County, asking citizens what their usage and experiences with taxi and for-hire car services has been.

Information from the surveys will go to the city's Taxi, For-Hire and Limousine Regulations Committee to help improve taxi and similar services, the Department of Finance said. Demand will be categorized by the number of street hail trips, prearranged trips by local residents, hospitality (hotel/cruise) trips and hospital/health care trips.

An online version of the survey is available in Chinese, English, Korean, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese and can be accessed at www.seattletaxistudy.org.