After 10 years of study, deliberation and debate, the Salt Lake City Council has come up with a proposal to change how taxicabs operate.
Major changes include allowing the city to quickly adjust fares for special needs, say, for gasoline hikes. Passengers could be paying late-night surcharges, and exclusive service rights to longtime taxi companies, such as Yellow Cab, would be axed.
Council members will study the proposal in discussions tentatively set for Sept. 7.
Mayor Ralph Becker said through spokeswoman Lisa Harrison-Smith that he supports the proposal and will work “with all interested parties to progress our city’s cab service to better represent national industry standards.” He also acknowledged that for years, the city has been working toward standardizing services.
But when it comes to ground-transportation services, few standards have been met.
Many visitors are paying two and three times the price for a ride to the airport — using unauthorized vehicles at hotels — than they paid from the airport to downtown in authorized cabs. A spot check late last year by The Tribune showed that some tourists and convention-goers were confused by the price differences.
Hotels in turn, complained about shoddy cab service, opting instead to summon newer, higher-priced vehicles for their guests. Taxi drivers said unauthorized drivers take away lucrative daytime business at the same time the city requires cabs to provide round-the-clock rides.
For its part, the city did not enforce requirements that only metered taxicabs may be hailed for on-demand passengers.
Councilman J.T. Martin said problems existed long before his term, which began nearly three years ago.
“This is long overdue for drivers, hospitality people and visitors to our conventions,” he said. “I’m excited about the prospects of having a vibrant taxi service that will be servicing the airport, our city and our neighborhoods.”
Under the proposal, Yellow Cab, Ute Cab and City Cab will no longer hold the exclusive right to provide taxi service, called certificates of convenience. Instead, cab service will be limited to only two companies that would be awarded three-year contracts, with extra option years available. Other companies could come in and offer bids that, if accepted, could put the long-term carriers out of business.
Yellow Cab attorney John Holt said requiring companies to enter into short-term contracts after making required capital expenditures “is expensive and wastes money that could be reinvested in the business.”
Taxi companies would be required to have vehicles that can serve passengers with disabilities, and an undetermined number of cabs must use alternative fuels. All vehicles would be required to have equipment to process credit card payments and have GPS capability.
The proposal also calls for companies to have fleets no older than five years or a maximum odometer limit of 300,000 miles. Buses and minibuses would be exempt.
But Don Barron, director of Yellow Cab Drivers Association, which has operated in Salt Lake City since 1932, said it’s unfair to single out cab fleets with model and mileage requirements.
“Our vehicles have passed state and city inspections, so they’re safe,” he said. “If you’re going to decide the age or mileage that busses must have on a case-by-case basis, why not cabs, too?”
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