Taxicab Authority says EDC lot was ill-equipped, poorly placed

A designated taxicab queuing area was left with little water, no shade and placed in a location that was difficult to find for attendees of the Electric Daisy Carnival held last month at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, according to the Nevada Taxicab Authority.

Officials with the authority said Thursday that their concerns will be discussed with the Clark County Commission and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

“Cabs were sent to the hinterlands in a dirt lot,” compared to pick-up and drop-off areas ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft that were located near the Speedway’s main entrance, said Stan Olsen, chairman of the board regulating Southern Nevada’s taxi industry.

John Mowbray, an attorney for Frias Transportation Management, said the treatment of taxicab drivers and passengers “was a mess.”

Insomniac, the organizers of EDC, said several large-scale signs, banners and message boards directed the music festival’s attendees to the taxi lot.

“Insomniac collaborated with the Nevada Taxi Authority months prior to EDC Las Vegas, providing maps, detailed route instructions and an in-person briefing of the official festival Taxi Plan,” Insomniac spokeswoman Nedda Soltani said in a written statement.

“Thousands of free water bottles were passed out in the taxi lot and along the short foot pathways leading to the area, with the distance to the event entrance and exit comparable to previous years,” Soltani said. “Comprehensive way-finding measures were executed both inside and outside of the Speedway, so attendees could navigate to their destination in the most convenient direction.”

Uber partnered with EDC this year to create a 500,000-square-foot “Uber Zone” pick-up and drop-off lot with a rider lounge equipped with food, water, restrooms and other amenities at the Speedway, company spokeswoman Stephanie Sedlak said. Uber saw a 40 percent bump in passengers headed to and from EDC compared to last year.

Lyft doubled its rides to EDC compared to last year, said Yacob Girma, the ride-hailing company’s general manager for Las Vegas.

Ruben Aquino, chief investigator for the Taxicab Authority, said he will be involved when planning starts in December for the next EDC event scheduled for June 2018.

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