Blacks face longer wait times on Uber, Lyft than other races — and it's worse for taxis

Nissan is introducing a new fleet of autonomous robo-taxis, as part of its "Easy Ride" pilot program, starting in March. African-Americans waiting on taxis in Los Angeles are likely to face longer wait times and have a greater chance of being cancelled on than whites, Asians and Hispanics, according to a new study out Wednesday from the University of California at Los Angeles. African-Americans waiting on taxis in Los Angeles are likely to face longer wait times and have a greater chance of being cancelled on than whites, Asians and Hispanics, according to a new study out Wednesday from the University of California at Los Angeles. They also faced longer wait times and more cancellations with Lyft and Uber, which show drivers the passenger's first name -- and in Lyft's case, a name and photo -- though far less so than with taxis, according to "Ridehail Revolution: Ridehail Travel and Equity in Los Angeles," a doctoral dissertation by Anne Brown of UCLA's Institute for Transportation Studies. Taxi drivers in L.A. were 73% more likely to cancel on black riders than whites, and 25% of blacks were never sent a cab, according to the research, which had 18 UCLA students of different ethnicities hail 1,704 trips between October and December 2017.