New Las Vegas cab rules are an invitation to long-hauling

In reference to your recent article, “Taxicab Authority OKs ‘parallel routes’ along Las Vegas Strip”: In a perfect world, where a taxi regulator’s primary job is to ensure safety and professionalism in the industry, these new rules would be good for both passengers and drivers in terms of increased efficiency and revenue. Unfortunately, the Las Vegas taxicab industry is far from perfect.

The reality of these new rules is the legalization of “long-hauling.”

Every taxicab in Las Vegas is owned and operated by a small group of families know at the Las Vegas taxi cartel. With the inception of rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft in Las Vegas came the loosening of the stranglehold the cartel has had on public transportation. Las Vegas passengers now have access to safe, affordable and reliable rideshare services anywhere they need to go, but at a greatly diminished capacity as compared to other cities.

As a result of this free and fair competition, the local cab cartel and its enforcement arm have given up even the pretense of treating customers fairly and are seeking to legalize taxi long-hauling through the use of “alternative routes” for taxicabs. The spin placed on the “alternative routes” by the Taxicab Authority involves reduced fare and time of travel. In reality, it is a signal to taxi drivers to “long-haul” every passenger in the hopes of shoring up the millions the taxi cartel is losing as a result of corrupt business practices that have come back to bleed them dry.