With the Republican National Convention just five months away, Cleveland's taxi business is fighting to be a competitive player in a market saturated by transportation companies like Uber and Lyft.
"I definitely expect to make more," said Tom Vegh, a driver for Americab. "How much more, I've never experienced anything like this [the RNC] so I don't know."
Vegh is counting on his timing and his flat-rate meter to make him money during the event, which takes place July 18-21.
"My price is the same, regardless," he added. "It doesn't matter if it's two in the morning, three in the morning, the price is the same."
That's unlike Uber and Lyft where prices for rides go up as demand increases. With 50,000 people expected to descend on the city for the RNC, surge pricing is almost guaranteed, particularly in the evenings after the convention ends for the day.
"I'll probably work it mid-afternoon through the evening," said Vegh of his work schedule during the event.
Patrick Keenan, general manager of Americab, one of Cleveland's largest cab companies, said they are purchasing 13 new vehicles for the RNC.
"There will be a lot of demand for services to the outlining areas and that hotels in Geneva, Akron, as far west as Sandusky are booked," Keenan said.
Keenan expects the demand for transportation will be so high during that time that all companies, whether it be cab companies, Uber or Lyft, will be operating at maximum capacity.
In response to our story, statements from Uber and Lyft are below:
I can tell you that the Uber Cleveland team works every day to connect residents and visitors with transportation choices when they need them. In anticipation of potential increased demand, we encourage driver partners to be available to help people get to where they're going.
That said, we are always pleased when people want to learn more about partnering with Uber, which they can do here: https://get.uber.com/drive/
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Lyft will be a convenient way for attendees of the Republican National Convention to go to and from the Quicken Loans Arena without having to worry about parking.
We don't have specific plans around the RNC to share quite yet, but happy to get back in touch closer to the event this summer. We are in constant contact with drivers about the best times to get on the road in their city, and always make sure to alert them when big events like the RNC take place so that they know a high number of passengers will be needing rides.
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FULL REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION COVERAGE
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