Clark County taxi trips up 5.6 percent, agency reports

Uber didn’t have a noticeable effect on local taxi trips in October, statistics released by the Nevada Taxicab Authority indicate.

But then, the San Francisco-based ride-sharing company only operated for a week in Southern Nevada in October.

The authority said Monday that October taxi trips were up 5.6 percent to 2.4 million passengers for the month compared with the same month a year earlier.

Revenue per shift also was up 2.9 percent to $294.04 for the month.

For the first 10 months of 2014, taxi trips are up 4.7 percent to 23.7 million trips over last year.

Uber, which has independently contracted drivers who use their own vehicles to transport customers, has been operating illegally in the state since Oct. 24.

The company and the state Attorney General’s Office are embroiled in a legal battle over the company’s ability to operate that included a slated bout in court Monday. But the Clark County court hearing was postponed after the Nevada attorney general’s office withdrew its request for a preliminary injunction. The two sides are expected back in court Friday morning.

Uber contends that it is not a transportation company and therefore not subject to the state’s transportation statutes.

At Monday’s authority board meeting, a week’s worth of special medallions were approved for the weekend preceding Feb. 1’s Super Bowl game and additional allocations were made for two large conventions occurring during and after the game.

The board authorized five additional cabs for each of Clark County’s 16 cab companies Jan. 30 through Feb. 4. That allocation also is expected to support the World of Concrete show that runs Feb. 3-6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which is expected to draw 48,000 people.

Safari Club International’s 43rd annual Hunters Convention overlaps at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center Feb. 4-7 with expected attendance of 21,000 people. The authority board voted to allow two 12-hour shifts of five additional cabs each on Feb. 5 and 6.

That means the cab industry could have as many as 80 additional vehicles Jan. 30 through Feb. 4 and up to 160 during some hours Feb. 5 and 6.

Board members said they preferred to overserve rather than underserve the public during major conventions.

The Industrial, Technical, Professional Employees Union opposed the special allocation, suggesting that extra medallions operated by cab companies could accommodate the additional people expected to be in town.

The union usually opposes any special taxi allocation request because members believe there is less money for each driver when the fare pie is divided among more people.

The board also unanimously approved a modification to A Cab’s certificate of public convenience and necessity that will enable some of the company’s drivers to pick up customers east of Interstate 15.

A Cab, a small company focused primarily on the west side of I-15, was first licensed in 2001 and owner Jay Nady has worked to expand his territory since 2006.

Nady’s most recent effort to expand began in February 2013, but his efforts were blocked by other cab companies wanting to protect their own markets.

At Monday’s meeting, Nady’s attorney, Esther Rodriguez, explained that Nady had hammered out a compromise that would enable a small portion of his fleet to pick up passengers east of I-15.

Rodriguez explained that Nady has developed a customer database that calls the company to deliver passengers from their westside neighborhoods to locations east of I-15, many to doctor’s offices and medical facilities.

Under A Cab’s operating authority, drivers could not pick up those passengers to return them to their homes.

Under the stipulation signed off on by executives of other cab companies, A Cab will be allowed to operate 12 around-the-clock medallions throughout Clark County, except in Mesquite, four around-the-clock vehicles equipped to transport disabled passengers throughout the county except on the Strip and at McCarran International Airport, and four weekend medallions that can be used from 2 p.m., Thursdays, to 2 a.m., Mondays, throughout the county except on the Strip and at the airport.

The 12 unrestricted medallions are being converted from within Nady’s fleet of 75 vehicles and not in addition to the existing fleet.

Nady also promised not to seek another expansion request for 15 years.

Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Find him on Twitter: @RickVelotta