In November 2022 Tessiah Smithen received a letter that's haunted her for 18 months. Since, a teacher has resigned, and the school system is making changes following a 5 On Your Side investigation.

5 On Your Side: An anonymous letter accused a Wake teacher of abuse. What happened after a mom pushed for an investigation

5 On Your Side: Teacher accused of abusive behavior toward student with autism

Strawberry farms in the Triangle are now open and ready for strawberry lovers to come and fill up their buckets.



Strawberry picking near me: List of Triangle area u-pick strawberry farms🍓

Fresh strawberries

Taxi Coverage

The cost to take a taxi in Raleigh could go up for the first time in 17 years.

Raleigh taxi fares could increase for first time since 2006

Raleigh taxi service

Currently, the city charges $1.95 to start a ride and 25 cents for every tenth-of-a-mile or minute of waiting time. Those fares haven't changed since 2006.


<p>SCHEDULE A FREE HOME. &gt;&gt; SO THE COST TO TAKE A TAXI CAB IN RALEIGH COULD GO OFF FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 17 YEARS. THE CITY SETS THE BASE FARE AND MILEAGE RATE FOR THE 81 CAB COMPANIES THAT OPERATE IN THE CITY OF RALEIGH RIGHT NOW. THEY CHARGE ONE $1.95 JUST TO START THAT RIGHT. AND $0.25 FOR EVERY 10TH OF A MILE OR MINUTES OF WAITING TIME. &gt;&gt; THOSE FARES HAVEN'T CHANGED SINCE 2006 CAB COMPANY OWNERS AND DRIVERS SAY THEY NEED AN INCREASE TO OFFSET THE RISING COST OF GAS MAINTENANCE AND INSURANCE. &gt;&gt; WAIT TO SEE THE LAVA IS ROLLING. &gt;&gt; THIS BUSINESS SHOULD BE INCREASING. BUT WE CAN INCREASE UNLESS WE GET. RAISE IN PAY. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO GET SOMETHING ESTABLISHED. THAT'S AN ONGOING COST OF LIVING INCREASE. &gt;&gt; SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER 17 YEARS FOR THE NEXT FARE INCREASE. SO CAN SOME CAB COMPANY OWNERS ARE SUGGESTING INCREASING THE BASE FARE? &gt;&gt; TO BETWEEN $6.50 AND $7. THE CITY TELLS WRAL IS ACTIVELY WORKING TO UPDATE THE TAXI FARE</p>

Raleigh taxi rates could go up for first time in over a decade

Drivers of GoRaleigh Access have complained of app issues and payment discrepancies since the rollout of the new system in August.

App issues, pay discrepancies plague rollout of Raleigh's transit service for people with disabilities

GoRaleigh Access, the city's paratransit program, is fielding criticism because of a new payment system.

GoRaleigh drivers frustrated over mileage miscalculations affecting their pay

GoRaleigh mileage errors lead to payment problems for drivers

NEWS COVERAGE. YOU CAN COME HOME. >> GO RALEIGH, ACCESSES THE CITY'S PARATRANSIT PROGRAM. TAXI DRIVERS FOR THAT SERVICE SAY THEY'RE GETTING SHORTCHANGED BECAUSE OF A NEW SYSTEM. THE CITY SWITCHED TO. >> BOTH RIDERS AND DRIVERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS NEW SYSTEM. ONE ISSUE IS THE APP. THE OTHER IS THE PAYMENT RATE WRAL. SHELLEY JACKSON JOINS US NOW LIVE FROM DOWNTOWN RALEIGH WITH THE DETAILS ON SHELLING. >> WELL, IT CERTAINLY HAS BEEN A BUMPY ROLLOUT. FIRST RIDERS HAD COMPLAINTS ABOUT PICKUPS AND DROP-OFFS AND NOW TAXI DRIVERS AND THEIR COMPANY SAY THERE'S A DISPARITY BETWEEN WHAT THEY'RE BEING PAID AND WHAT THEY'RE OWED. >> GO, RALEIGH ACCESS. TAXI DRIVERS SAY THEY ARE BEING SHORTCHANGED ON MILEAGE. THEY DRIVE FOR THE PROGRAM. >> YEAH. I WANT TO KNOW THE RIGHT MIND TO ADAM US FARHI WHO OWNS WILDHORSE TAXIS SAYS HE BELIEVES THE ISSUE IS WITH THE SOFTWARE. SO THE SOFTWARE ON THE BACK IN THIS CALCULATED THE DISTANCE THAT IS. >> I BELIEVE IS A STRAIGHT LINE FROM POINT TO POINT. SO NOT FOLLOWING ANY ROADS, BUT IT'S GOING FROM ONE POINT STRAIGHT ACROSS TO THE OTHER POINT, NOT COUNTY FOR ROADS AND THEIR TURNS THE YELLOW AND THIS SPREADSHEET SHOWS POTENTIAL MILEAGE, MISCALCULATIONS. >> THE COLUMN ON THE LEFT IS THE MILEAGE. ACCORDING TO THE SOFTWARE ECO LANE. >> THE COLUMN ON THE RIGHT WITH THE DRIVERS ACTUALLY CLOCKED ONE OWNER WHO DIDN'T WANT TO GO ON CAMERA SAYS THE MISCALCULATION IS COSTING HER AND HER DRIVERS. A LOT OF MONEY PER DAY. >> 100 TO $200 A DAY FOR THE VERY A LOT OF MONEY. WRAL REACHED OUT TO THE GOAL REALLY PROGRAM WHICH OVERSEES THE ACCESS PROGRAM. THEY SAY THEY HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND ARE ACTIVELY WORKING WITH THE TAXI COMPANIES AND THE SOFTWARE PROVIDER TO RECONCILE THE ISSUES. >> AND SO THE CITY SAYS THEY WILL ALSO WORK INDIVIDUALLY WITH EACH DRIVER AND COMPANY TO FIX THE ISSUES WITH THE SOFTWARE AS WELL AS THE

General Motors' all-electric driverless car company Cruise announced Tuesday it started its initial testing phase in Raleigh.

BACK IN THE STORM, CHANCES COMING WITH THEM. RIGHT NOW, IT'S 7 O'CLOCK. A DRIVERLESS TAXI COMPANY THAT HAS RUN INTO SOME PROBLEMS, WE SHOULD SAY RECENTLY. >> IS TESTING ITS CARS ON THE ROADS IN RALEIGH CREWS, TAXIS HAVE STALLED OUT IN TRAFFIC, BEEN INVOLVED IN CLOSE CALLS IN CHARLOTTE AND CRASHED INTO A FIRE TRUCK IN SAN FRANCISCO. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. I'M ASHLEY ROAD AND I'M DAN HAGGERTY RIGHT NOW. THE COMPANY'S AUTONOMOUS TAXIS ARE PICKING UP SOME PASSENGERS AND TOWNS LIKE SAN FRANCISCO, PHOENIX AND AUSTIN AND RALLY COULD BE ADDED TO THAT LIST. WRAL'S MATT TALHELM TALKED WITH A RESEARCHER ABOUT THE SAFETY CONCERNS >> CRUZ IS TESTING ITS CARS IN BUSY PARTS OF THE CITY INCLUDING DOWNTOWN AND NORTH HILLS. THE COMPANY TELLS ME THAT'S TO GIVE THE TECHNOLOGY AN IDEA OF THE ROAD CONDITIONS AND DRIVER BEHAVIOR HERE IN THE CITY RIGHT NOW, THERE IS A DRIVER BEHIND THE WHEEL. >> WE SPOTTED A CRUISE TEST CAR WAITING IN TRAFFIC TO CIRCLE THIS ROUNDABOUT BY NC STATE'S SEVERAL OF THE DRIVERLESS TAXIS CREATED THEIR OWN TRAFFIC JAM WHEN A STALLED OUT IN THIS INTERSECTION IN SAN FRANCISCO. AND I THINK TECHNOLOGY IS ALMOST THERE. NC STATE PROFESSOR ALI HAS BEEN BY IS RESEARCHING AUTONOMOUS AND SELF-DRIVING VEHICLES. >> THESE CARS ARE SUPPOSED TO DRIVE AND DRIVE AND DRIVE SO THAT THEY HAVE SEEN PRETTY MUCH ALL CONDITIONS THAT CAN HAPPEN. HE SAYS CRUZ IS COLLECTING DATA DURING ITS TEST DRIVES HERE BECAUSE ROADS, TRAFFIC SIGNS AND DRIVER BEHAVIORS ARE DIFFERENT IN EVERY CITY WHEN THEY GO TO A NEW CITY LIKE A FRIDAY, THEY'RE GOING TO BE CONDITION THAT SITUATIONS THAT THEY HAVE NOTHING. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO. AND AS A RESULT OF THAT, THEY NEED TO GATHER THAT EXPERIENCE. AND C DOT SAYS COMPANIES LIKE CREWS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO GET A PERMIT TO TEST THE TECHNOLOGY ON THE ROADS HERE. THIS LAW PASSED IN 2017, REGULATE FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IN NORTH CAROLINA. NO DRIVER'S LICENSE IS REQUIRED TO OPERATE ONE, BUT THERE IS A MINIMUM AGE OF 12 TO RIDE IN ONE UNSUPERVISED. >> THE REGISTERED OWNER OF A DRIVERLESS CARS RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY VIOLATIONS AND THE VEHICLES ARE REQUIRED TO MEET FEDERAL SAFETY REGULATIONS. I AM EXCITED THAT THEY'RE HERE TESTING THIS OUT. RALEIGH MAYOR MARY-ANN BALDWIN SAYS DRIVERLESS TAXIS COULD GIVE PEOPLE A NEW OPTION TO GET AROUND IN A GROWING CITY DESPITE SOME OF THE SAFETY CONCERNS WITH THIS DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY, IT'S ALWAYS A CONCERN. BUT SO ARE PEOPLE DRIVING. >> I MEAN, WE HAVE MORE ACCIDENTS NOW THAN WE'VE EVER HAD. WE'VE HAD MORE PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES. I MEAN, AND THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE DRIVING CARS ACCRUE SPOKESPERSON TELLS ME AT THIS POINT, THERE'S NO TIME FRAME FOR WHEN A DRIVERLESS TAXI COULD ROLL OUT ON THE ROADS HERE. >> MATT TALHELM, WRAL NEWS, RALEIGH. >> AND CRUZ SAYS ITS AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES HAVE LOST MORE THAN 4 MILLION MILES WITHOUT A DRIVER BEHIND THE WHEEL AND HAD NO SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEMS.

Driverless taxi company testing cars on Raleigh roads

General Motors' all-electric driverless car company Cruise announced Tuesday it started its initial testing phase in Raleigh.



GM's Cruise begins testing all-electric driverless taxis in Raleigh

One company is blazing new trails by becoming the first to operate a fully autonomous robo-taxi service. 

as night falls on the streets of SAn Francisco, These fully electric cars are gearing up for a takeover and yes, they are fully electric, No humans behind the wheel. There we go. This is weird. No one to say hello to General Motors owned cruise allowed our cameras to be the first to go for a spin in a car. They call Poppy buckling up and we're off. But even before we got going, Poppy ran into a problem. We got traffic coming. We got a double parked semi. This is just the beginning of our trip. Without enough room to easily pull forward, the car tried backing up. Then we noticed something happened on your trip. Poppy's computer crashed. Cruz says the failure was caused by a bug that very infrequently causes the autonomous vehicle to shut down when it attempts to go in reverse. I'm sorry. After some human intervention, a system reboot in about 30 minutes. Alright, second time's a charm. The car was good to go to the hills of the bay area. Look at this situations like this are actually part of what drove crews to start their operation on the complex roads of SAn Francisco. You have to put it in the most challenging environment. In june. These driverless cars became the first to navigate a major city with paying customers on board and it's the unpredictable human behavior. That's the true training ground for these chevy bolts and their slew of sensors and they've already seen everything from random roller skating parties to wildlife despite the initial speed bump. My ride was smooth. To the point that you forget no one was driving. All right. So here's the thing. This car still has its steering wheel. There still has its petals. But if this is the future, how long until those are gone? Cruise co founder Kyle Vogt says these bolts are just the beginning. This does not look like a car. Are you calling it a car? It's what comes after the car. This is what Cruz calls the origin. This this is leg room right here it is, wow, look at this. A six passenger vehicle minus the driver and minus the steering wheel. How much space is actually in here? It's the same size as a regular. We've just gotten rid of all the stuff that you don't need Origin is in its testing phase and expected to roll off the assembly line next year. Meanwhile, the ride for cruise has been a little bumpy this summer. Federal safety regulators launched a special crash investigation into an accident that left passengers with allegedly minor injuries. In april one of their self driving cars went viral when it was pulled over because a human forgot to turn on its headlights and in june the buck caused some cars to temporarily slow down and stop, forcing other cars to go around them. Cruz says all those problems have been fixed. A lot of your hiccups have come before everybody else is is it hard getting people to trust autonomous cars, especially being first important thing to realize we're only a few months into this, and so we're learning a lot as we go. Still, some safety advocates say crews and other self driving car companies should consider pumping the brakes. What do you say to people who see this and think that we're moving way too fast towards autonomous driving? Well, to start with, I mean, the status quo is not a pretty picture. You know, we feel like we're in a war against car accidents here, so we feel a sense of urgency to get this technology out there as soon as it can be done safely.

Self-driving taxis could take the streets 

Self-driving taxi

NEW YORK -- The taxi line at La Guardia Airport had barely budged.

You Can't Find a Cab. Uber Prices Are Soaring. Here's Why.

You Can’t Find a Cab. Uber Prices Are Soaring. Here’s Why.

The taxi driver, who did not want to be identified, says a passenger was in the car with him when they stopped at a light along Edenton Street in downtown Raleigh.A man walked up and laid on the hood of his car.



ROLLING OUT A CHAIN OF RING CAMERAS TO DETER CRIMINALS. >>> TODAY WE ARE HEARING FROM A RALEIGH TAXI DRIVER WHO SAYS HIS CAR WAS STOLEN AT KNIFE POINT. THE BREAKING NEWS TRACKER WAS RIGHT ON THE SCENE AFTER IT HAPPENED DOWNTOWN YESTERDAY, THE DRIVER TALKED WITH ADAM OWENS ABOUT THE MOMENT JUST BEFORE THE MAN FORCED HIS WAY INTO THE TAXI. >> Reporter: THE TAXI DRIVER DID NOT WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED SAYS A PASSENGER WAS IN THE CAR WITH HIM WITH WHEN THEY STOPPED AT A LIGHT IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. A MAN WALKED UP AND LAID ON THE HOOD OF THE CAR. >> HE SAYS CAN I GET A RIDE? CAN I GET A RIDE? >> Reporter: HE SAYS WHEN HE REFUSED THE MAN FORCED HIS HAND THROUGH THE WINDOW WITH A KNIFE. HE SAYS I WILL STAB YOU. >> Reporter: THE TAXI DRIVER CLIMBED ACROSS THE SEEDS FALLING FROM THE CAR AS THE MAN WITH THE KNIFE WAS DRIVING. >> I PUSHED MYSELF OUT. I PUSH MYSELF OUT AND HIT THE CONCRETE. MY ELBOW AND MY BACK HIT THE CONCRETE. >> Reporter: THE PASSENGER WAS ALSO ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR BUT THE SUSPECT KEPT GOING. OFFICERS CAUGHT UP WITH THE CABOT I-40 NEAR AVIATION PARKWAY. IN THE VIDEO CAPTURED BY A VIEWER YOU SEE A PERSON CLIMBING ON ANOTHER VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC. IN THIS VIDEO FROM ANOTHER VANTAGE POINT, TROOPERS APPROACHED A MAN WALKING ON THE HIGHWAY. 34-YEAR-OLD KENNETH LLOYD WAS ARRESTED, CHARTERS INCLUDE KIDNAPPING AND ROBBERY WITH A DANGEROUS WEAPON. THE TEXACO DRIVER SAYS CUTS AND BRUISES ARE THEREBY TALKING TO ME SAY THE EMOTIONAL TOLL IS ALSO SIGNIFICANT, ADAM OWENS,

Driver of taxi carjacked by Raleigh man speaks 

A 34-year-old man has been accused of hijacking a taxi with a knife in Raleigh.



Raleigh man accused of carjacking taxi also charged with attempting to escape custody

Kenneth Wesley Lloyd, 34, has been charged with attempted common law robbery, second degree kidnapping, robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault with a deadly weapon 

A taxi was carjacked in Raleigh Wednesday afternoon after a man forced his way into the vehicle and attacked the driver.

Man fights way into taxi, steals it for Raleigh ride

Passenger attacks driver, steals taxi in Raleigh 

Whenever you jump in the back of a taxi or a ride-share, you put your safety in the hands of a stranger. Although the vast majority of trips work out just fine, that isn't always the case, especially when a driver's health is involved.

Who's driving your taxi? One driver, two crashes and a call for change

Who's driving your Uber?

<p>we suddenly cut through the grass years later. The same taxi driver. A similar accident. Are you kidding me? This drive this guy still driving after what happened? The essential information rideshare companies are checking for tonight at six.</p>

Taxi, ride-share companies aren't required to check drivers' health histories

Durham police are seeking information about a suspect believed to have robbed taxi drivers several times since November.

Durham police searching for armed man who robs taxi drivers

Uber Is Said to File for an IPO as It Races Lyft to a Public Debut

Taxi companies and ride-sharing services will be out in force Monday night and early Tuesday to pick up New Year's Eve revelers.

Getting home safely on New Year's Eve could get expensive

A ride home on New Year's Eve could get expensive

A Raleigh taxi driver was robbed and assaulted by a man on Saturday night, according to authorities. 



Raleigh police: Taxi driver robbed, assaulted by passenger 

Lamont Lee Proctor

A Raleigh man faces multiple charges after being accused of assaulting a taxi cab driver on Saturday.

