Taxicab Authority to consider taking position on Uber

The Nevada Taxicab Authority will consider weighing in on the state debate over regulating Uber in a special meeting next week.

The trouble is, the debate may be over by the time the five-member board that regulates Clark County’s taxi industry meets.

The board on Tuesday agreed to a special meeting on May 26 at 2 p.m., for “discussion and possible decision regarding (a) board position on the regulation of Uber and designation of (a) board spokesperson before the Legislature.”

The Nevada Legislature, scheduled to close up shop on June 1, is plowing through dozens of bills en route to the end of the legislative session. Assembly Bill 175, amended to incorporate the regulation of transportation network companies by the Public Utilities Commission, is one of those bills pending action by the Assembly. The lower house also hasn’t considered Senate Bill 440, which would require transportation network companies to be insured.

Legislators could work through the weekend and Monday’s Memorial Day holiday as deadlines loom for sine die.

The authority board wasn’t able to schedule a meeting any earlier because of open-meeting-law requirements to post an agenda at least three working days prior to the meeting date.

Earlier in Tuesday’s meeting, the board unanimously approved allowing up to 384 extra taxis on the streets per day June 19-22 for the Electric Daisy Carnival special event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

At the recommendation of the 16 cab companies, the board authorized 12 additional cabs per company during two 12-hour periods from noon to 2 a.m., and from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m., during the electronic music festival that runs from dusk to dawn over the weekend.

An estimated 140,000 people per night are expected to attend the event sponsored by Insomniac, a California-based festival producer.

The only opposition to the proposal was minimal, coming from the Industrial Technical Professional Employees union representing cab drivers, which suggested 10 additional cabs per company instead of 12.

Nellis Air Force Base once again is assisting local transportation companies by allowing cabs and buses to use base streets to bring festival attendees to the venue.

A cab ride from the Strip to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway costs between $50 and $60 one way. Electric Daisy Carnival attendees often go in groups to split the cost of a ride.

Rick Nogues, special events planning officer for the Metropolitan Police Department, said cabs and buses will be routed through the base with return trips along Las Vegas Boulevard North, keeping Interstate 15 available to festival attendees taking their own cars.

With 5,000 to 10,000 more people per night attending the event this year over last year, traffic is expected to be heavy on I-15 in the hours preceding the opening of the festival, just before sunset June 19-22.

The heaviest festival traffic will occur on southbound I-15 at sunrise June 20-23. The June 23 festival exit time coincides with Las Vegas’ Monday-morning commute.

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