A taxicab leaves downtown Las Vegas while heading south along Fremont Street last week. Scams pulled by some cabbies in pursuit of dollars are hurting the reputation of the entire industry, some readers say. Photo by Gary Thompson.

It didn't take long for Janet Roche to figure out that taking a taxicab is a game of chance in the Las Vegas Valley.

"I had lived here for a year when I took a cab ride early in the morning to the airport from West Sahara (Avenue). I was long hauled all over the city," Roche said, referring to the act of cabbies taking longer-than-necessary routes. "My fault. I was sleeping part of the time in the cab."

Roche is among a number of readers who are having their say today about our cab industry's well-deserved reputation for shady tricks aimed at leeching a few unearned bucks out of unsuspecting riders, something industry insiders copped to last week.

It's not every cabby that's pulling scams, authorities say, but they're all paying a price in terms of reputation and lost customers like Roche.

"I'll probably never, ever take a cab here again or let my friends or family do so," Roche said. "This stuff does happen all the time. It doesn't just happen to tourists. It happens to natives as well. I believe in putting in a monorail all the way along the Strip and putting all these crooks out of business."

Bruce Hudson said he has to regularly tell cabbies "no tunnel" -- that's a form of long hauling using the airport tunnel between McCarran International Airport and the Strip -- or he'll get screwed.

"Last year, I jumped into a cab and failed to tell the guy 'no tunnel.' He went that way. When I told him I knew he was not supposed to tunnel unless he asked first, he grumbled a little bit in something other than English," Hudson said. "Upon arriving at the Flamingo, he said the fare without the tunnel would be about $15. The meter was showing around $20. So I handed him $15, no tip included. So he screwed himself out of the tip.

"I have been coming to Vegas for 30 years and mostly have good things to say about the cabbies, but there are a few out there who are trying to rip off tourists," Hudson said.

An e-mailer identifying himself only as "Vegasgregg" said he was an on-and-off cabby for about 10 years before quitting the biz because of the pressure he felt to keep up with bad drivers and "book high" by squeezing as much money by any means necessary out of each and every customer.

That pressure, he said, led some drivers to pad their book -- known as "paying the meter" -- out of their own pocket, in fear of ending a shift booked low.

"Always seemed kind of strange that the thieves were rewarded -- the more they steal from the public, the better; after all, the company got more than half the loot, and that was all profit because it was after their expenses, at least for them," he said.

"The companies make more money by hiring thieves, but they also make more money by hiring people who are incompetent, new to the area, or desperate" and unfamiliar with various routes or destinations, he said. "After all, the company gets their cut of the meter whether the driver's error was intentional or not.

"High turnover is to the companies' benefit: the thieves stay and improve their craft, the incompetent make less but make it up to the company by paying the meter, the inexperienced find better jobs and leave, making room for more thieves and suckers," he said. "The only way to clean up the business is to go after the companies. As long as they can hide behind the smoke screen that it is the evil drivers, nothing will change."

"Vegasgregg" also offered a solution to "tunneling." He wants airport cab stands to feature informational signs listing transit options, suggested routes, and an explanation for how to complain to the Taxicab Authority (which can be done by calling 486-6532 or going online to www.taxi.state.nv.us).

"If nothing else, the mere threat of doing this might get the companies to take some corrective action. If the company cannot be made accountable, give the power to the people. After a few incidents the drivers will fall in line," he said.

Agreed, said Hudson, the man with his "no tunnel" warning to cabbies. "The Taxicab Authority just needs to be more proactive, and post more information in the cabs to ensure that tourists are warned about tunneling," he said.

But "Vegasgregg" isn't sure industry reform would hold unless owners are on board, a thought that's been echoed by taxicab industry regulators. "Of course, the owners have so much pull and hidden power they would stop this action anyway," he said.

Hope he's wrong.

If you have a question, tip or tirade, call the Road Warrior at 387-2904, or e-mail him at roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com or OSofradzija@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number.