Tourists and locals who rely on taxicabs should find out by the end of the month whether cab rates are going to go up.
Clark County’s 13 cab companies were invited to an industry workshop meeting Monday, but it was unclear by the end of the session whether there would be enough support to consider higher rates.
The industry’s direction will be clearer by the end of this week when company filings are due in advance of the Nevada Taxicab Authority’s Sept. 27 meeting at which the rate question will be considered.
Cab customers currently pay $3.30 to hire a cab, $2.60 per mile and $30-an-hour wait times. A pickup at McCarran International Airport adds a $1.80 fee. Charges are assessed as a $3.30 “drop,” and the meter adds 20 cents for every one-thirteenth of a mile traveled. If the car travels less than 8-12 mph, such as in heavy traffic or long traffic lights, the wait times kick in at 25 cents for every 30 seconds the vehicle is traveling less than that speed.
Taxicab Authority Administrator Charles Harvey said he can’t gauge whether the industry would push for a rate increase. Some companies, he said, indicated they thought a hike was justified to cover the rising costs of insurance and other expenses, but others were concerned that an increase would push customers to consider other transportation options.
Unions representing drivers are pushing for an increase.
Harvey said he plans to review the company filings and offer an analysis without taking an advocacy position on the issue to assist the Taxicab Authority board in reaching a decision on rates.
Cab companies may have to calculate estimated revenue because the Taxicab Authority last month approved a plan to increase the number of cabs each company would be allowed to operate, which could throw off revenue projections.
In a well-attended seven-hour hearing on increasing the number of “medallions” each cab company could get, the five-member authority board approved six additional cabs per company — one extra medallion on the first day of each month from September through February.
The board also allowed companies to use “weekend medallions” for longer periods. The authority had allowed six weekend medallions to be operated Fridays through Sundays, but the policy was changed to allow their use Thursdays through Mondays.
Unions representing drivers opposed any increase in medallions. Historically, drivers have opposed increases in medallions because they say having more cabs on the streets means splitting revenue over more drivers.