2011 a banner year for Las Vegas cab companies

A taxi cab drives down the Strip Thursday, April 28, 2011.

Vegas Inc. coverage

The local taxi industry was running on all cylinders in 2011 with a double-digit increase in revenue for the 16 companies operating in Clark County, according to statistics released today by the Nevada Taxicab Authority.

Eight other categories monitored by the authority also showed gains for the year.

Revenue was up 12.3 percent to $382.5 million for the companies, and there were 7.3 percent more cab trips to just more than 27 million, also an all-time high.

Record highs also were recorded for revenue per shift, revenue per trip and revenue per medallion, and there were increases in number of shifts, number of medallions, trips per shift and trips per medallions. Medallions are tags permitting the use of a taxi.

The number of trips was up every month of the year with March being the heaviest with 2.5 million. That month, the city played host to the ConExpo-Con/Ag construction equipment show. December was the slowest month, despite the presence of the National Finals Rodeo.

Despite the month being slow, trips were still up 10 percent to 1.8 million from December 2010.

Every cab company shared in the December increase, with the two smallest cab companies having the greatest percentage increase in trips — 24.3 percent for Virgin Valley Cab Co. and 14.9 percent for A-Cab, which serves customers west of Interstate 15.

Revenue per shift was up for all but one company in December with A-Cab down 3.7 percent, largely from being restricted from picking up customers at the airport and at the Thomas & Mack Center.

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