With the whole Uber scene taking off it really seems like the taxi industry can’t catch a break.

And one robbery reported on Tuesday night could make a decent argument as to why a phone app might just be a safer way to pay somebody for services rendered.

Around 10:19 p.m. on Tuesday officers were dispatched to the 800 block of Michigan Street for a reported robbery, said Lawrence Police Sgt. Amy Rhoads. There, a taxi cab driver told police a woman just stole his money.

Earlier, the driver arrived in the area to pick up a woman, Rhoads said. Once inside the cab the woman asked whether the driver could make change.

During the conversation the woman grabbed the driver’s money bag, threatening that she had a gun, Rhoads said. The driver called the company’s dispatch over the radio, asking for police, and the woman left the cab.

Outside, the woman hopped into a nearby vehicle, which had been waiting, and was last seen westbound on 9th Street, Rhoads said. The driver was not injured during the encounter.

Rhoads did not say how much money the woman got away with, nor could she provide a description of the vehicle.

Police are currently investigating the incident.

I report on crime and courts for the Journal-World. I can be reached by email at cswanson@ljworld.com, by phone at (785) 832-7284 or on Twitter @Conrad_Swanson.