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State says Nevada Taxicab Authority answers some audit concerns

State auditors said the Nevada Taxicab Authority has fully implemented some of the recommendations in a scathing report issued nearly two years ago that alleged Clark County’s taxi passengers paid excessive fees.

However, some were deemed “no longer applicable,” including a recommendation to eliminate or reduce a $3 fee charged to passengers who pay for fares with a credit card, according to a letter issued earlier this month by the division of internal audits of the Governor’s Finance Office.

The Nevada Taxicab Authority agreed in October that taxicab fares, fees and surcharges would remain unchanged into the foreseeable future and that passengers would get better notification of the $3 credit card surcharge.

“The prices are kind of high, especially the credit card fee, but the taxicab authority made its decision this time on a more thorough analysis,” said Steve Weinberger, administrator of the division of internal audits.

“One of the problems we had in the past was that it appeared they didn’t do any research before making decisions, but now they have a new administrator and new members on the board,” Weinberger said. “This time, the administrator showed us documents that justified the decisions they made.”

Stan Olsen, chairman of the board regulating Southern Nevada’s taxi industry, did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday.

The Executive Branch Audit Committee determined in January 2016 that Southern Nevada’s taxi riders were overcharged $47 million annually.

Along with reducing fees, auditors recommended that the Nevada Taxicab Authority be folded under the authority of the Nevada Transportation Authority, which regulates ride-hailing companies, taxis and limos throughout the rest of the state.

A bill to that effect was drafted during the state legislative session held earlier this year, but the proposed merger died in committee.

The taxicab authority also fully implemented a recommendation to clarify enforcement policies and procedures for its officers.

Previously, Weinberger said, the authority’s enforcement officers “looked and acted too similarly” to Metropolitan Police Department officers. The taxicab authority issued uniforms and removed the word “police” from uniforms, badges and other equipment, and enforcement officers completed training to specifically regulate the taxi industry, Weinberger said.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.

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