Uber, Lyft hit Los Angeles taxi industry hard

Uber and Lyft are eviscerating the taxi industry in Los Angeles three years after they began operating in the city, officials say. Thanks to the ridesharing services, which enable independent drivers to offer rides via a smartphone application, "taxicab service demand indicators have dropped (total trips and dispatch trips) beginning in the second half of 2013 and increasing through 2015," according to a report by Department of Transportation seen by AFP on Thursday. The number of taxi trips arr