Braintree Best Taxi Closes Amid Uber Competition

BRAINTREE, MA — The warnings that Braintree Best Taxi was in trouble came in early 2015 when owner Greg Najjar told the Braintree Town Council of the impact services like Uber had on his business.

"I'm on the verge of going out of business unless something is done about Uber and Lyft," he said at a February 2015 town council meeting.

Now the end has come for the 28-year-old taxi company. Najjar told Braintree Patch through email that he has shut down the company. He said that he realized just before the new year that he would not be able to compete with transportation network companies and closed Dec. 29.

"The taxi industry, is truly something of the past, look what it’s done in three short years, that took me 28 to build," he said.

Najjar added that he felt it was important for residents, especially elderly residents to know what happened.

"I realized I have no chance against Uber and closed down my business, after 27 years and said goodbye to all my loyal customers, you were not just a street address you felt part of my family," he said.

Najjar was one of the local business owners who lobbied the town to regulate drivers for electronic transportation companies in 2015. The licensing commissioners initially approved a cease and desist order to any driver without a hackney license and the same background check imposed on taxi drivers, but the board later decided in August 2015 to not change their regulations and wait for the state unveils their plans.

At the time of the decision, Najjar said his business was down 40 to 45 percent.

Image: Braintree Best Taxi owner Greg Najjar and attorney Jennifer Pinkham speak to the media after a 2015 meeting. Credit: Dan Libon