‘A proper ride-share company’
With limited access to Uber, Lyft in Taos, Trip Carma founders work to resurrect old transportation service
Transportation services long have been limited in Taos, but visitors and locals accustomed to relying on ride-booking apps like Lyft and Uber might soon see another option in the area.
Trip Carma founders Neha and Nishant Pant have been working to resurrect their old transportation service.
When it began in 2018, Trip Carma was a nonprofit ride booking site, specifically designed for Taos, that acted as the middleman between passengers and drivers. Before the pandemic left the service dormant, Nishant Pant considered it to be a community service, allowing travelers to find local drivers under one website. Drivers set their own prices and kept every penny. In other words, Trip Carma made zero profit. “The platform wasn’t designed to make money for us,” Nishant Pant said. “My goal was that I help people who want to get around, then that can generate business for people who want to drive a taxi. … I wasn’t even aware of how much the driver was charging.”
The Pants quickly ran into problems. The servers on which the platform ran cost money, which conflicted with the business’s lack of revenue. Additionally, the service took up the couple’s spare time as phone calls came in asking for drivers. They also ran into liability insurance issues, as questions arose regarding the possibility of drivers getting into accidents.
The husband-and-wife duo plan to establish a more sustainable for-profit business model their second time around.
“This time around,” Neha Pant said, “my goal is to create a local Lyft/Uber for Taos primarily run by the two of us and the drivers, but have all the checks in place, just like a proper ride-share company.”
The idea for Trip Carma was sparked when Nishant Pant, 47, was trying to catch a flight out of Albuquerque and found it difficult to find an Uber. Using his extensive tech and software engineering background, he decided to create his own program. Neha Pant, 44, was
in charge of recruiting drivers.
Taos has only a handful of Uber drivers who work occasionally, but neither of the two most popular ride companies have a large presence in the small town.
“I started researching why Uber and Lyft are not here,” Nishant Pant said. “What I realized was that there were two or three factors. Number one was that Uber and Lyft take huge cuts out of their drivers’ commission. They publish that they take 25%.” He believes their share ends up being much larger.
Uber also has strict vehicle limitations, he said. Prospective drivers must have a vehicle no more than 15 years old, and vehicles must pass an inspection from a certified mechanic. Many Taos residents drive older vehicles, many of which are damaged due to the prevalence of rough roads in the area.
“Uber and Lyft work very well in places that are densely populated,” Nishant Pant said. “If you are just driving Uber, and that is your only job, then you could be getting one after another call. Here, you might get, like, one call a day, so that means you have to have a second job. For companies like Uber and Lyft who are making money from the volume, it makes zero sense for them to be here.”
According to the Pew Research Center, 19% of Americans living in rural communities have used popular ride services, compared to 40% of suburban Americans and 45% of urban Americans. Only 5% of rural Americans use ride services weekly.
A challenge for Trip Carma has been community engagement. According to Neha Pant, the service was most popular with tourists and other visitors, but most locals weren’t tuning in.
“Living here, I forget that Uber and Lyft even exist, even when I go to other cities,” Neha Pant said. “Because I have been here for so long, I don’t expect that I can pick up the phone and call and book a ride. But for outsiders, it’s the other way around because when they come here, they expect [it]. They cannot imagine that in 2023 they can’t pick up the phone and look for a ride.”
Ramona Montoya, 64, one of the few Uber drivers in town, said the gig is her second job. She acknowledged the money she gets from offering Uber rides would not be close to a dependable income.
Because of Uber’s low base pay and drivers’ reliance on tips, most people in Taos who offer rides work independently.
Rianna Herrera, 30, began her business of driving tourists around the county in 2015; most of her customers have heard about her services through word of mouth.
To Herrera, offering a ride service fulfills a community need. As people come into town using Uber or Lyft, they can oftentimes find themselves stranded. She remembered several occasions in which she had to transport people back to Santa Fe or Albuquerque — a tedious task, but one she’s more than willing to tackle.
“I love it,” Herrera said. “I love being able to just drive, and I love meeting new people, listening to their stories, their adventures. Sometimes if it’s [a far drive],
I get a room and stay the night and just enjoy myself that way. It gives me a nice little break.”
Being a driver is no easy task, however, as Herrera has to clean her car every day and takes it to a detailer twice a week.
Herrera also has to be on top of her conversation skills.
“Knowing what’s going on with current events is helpful,” Herrera said. “Knowing Taos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque is helpful as well. A lot of the time they ask about my childhood, where I grew up. Sometimes they ask about my family. I’m easy to talk to. Everything that we talk about is confidential, and I let them know that.”
Herrera is also well-equipped for the gig, having a vehicle with built-in Wi-Fi for customers who need to work during the ride. Having not only the time but also the resources is vital for her line of work.
Sometimes, especially on holidays and other busy nights, Herrera can be found on Uber, but she does not prefer it. She recalled one snowy evening when she activated her Uber account so customers could use her services. She received one call and rushed to fulfill it, but after driving in harsh conditions from one end of town to the next, she received only $4.
There are still benefits to driving for a larger company like Uber, such as insurance. Herrera noted Uber drivers also have the option of charging customers for vomiting or making other messes in their vehicles, whereas independent drivers would not have the legal backing to do that.