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Cab Service Frustrates Residents

Taxi companies currently are supposed to serve areas outside of the high-traffic casino corridors, but for years local residents have complained about their inability to get service, whether it's a senior citizen trying to get a ride to and from the grocery store or someone in the suburbs wanting to take a taxi to the airport.

It is encouraging that the Taxicab Authority of Nevada, the state agency that regulates the industry, is investigating to see if there is a way to get service to the neighborhoods.

At a Taxicab Authority hearing last week, some companies contended the residential service isn't poor, noting that there were just 42 complaints filed last year with the Taxicab Authority. But as the Sun's Richard Velotta reported, the Taxicab Authority's staff noted that most complaints don't go to the agency. Besides, some local residents have grown so frustrated from a previous lack of service that they don't even bother trying to get a cab in the first place.

Part of the problem is human nature. For a taxi driver, it's more lucrative to stay on the Strip than it is to drive to the suburbs for a fare. There isn't much incentive to drive 15-20 miles to a neighborhood to pick up a single fare if, in that same period of time, a driver can pick up several fares on the Strip, where he also can collect more in tips.

The Taxicab Authority's staff already has come up with some ideas on resolving this issue, including preventing some cabs from operating in the casino corridor where cabs tend to congregate, a plan that would force cabs to serve neighborhoods. But taxi companies said this could discourage drivers who could only work in residential areas, creating a turnover problem.

The bottom line is that neighborhood residents aren't being served well. The Taxicab Authority needs to keep all options on the table to see how this can be reversed. For that matter, the Taxicab Authority should assess whether existing regulations and laws that make it difficult for new companies to enter the market should be relaxed, which could allow more competition and possibly enable these neighborhoods to finally get responsive service.

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