Cab ride to ’burbs can be a tough find

Law says drivers must go, but in reality, big tip may be needed to

Mon, Mar 3, 2008 (2 a.m.)

Taxicab Authority

Brynn Korolchuck, 24, is not unlike any of the thousands of young professionals trying to make their way in Las Vegas. She works hard. She pays her bills.

On the weekends she likes to go out. And she likes to be responsible about getting home.

She takes a cab.

That’s the problem. After a night downtown, she has trouble finding a cabbie willing to make the roughly 20-mile journey back to her home in Green Valley — about a $40 ride.

“I get in the cab, and they say, ‘We don’t go there. Get out,’ ” Korolchuck said.

That is illegal. Cabbies can refuse to give a customer a ride only if they “have a reason to fear for their personal safety.” It’s hard to imagine the 5-foot-6 woman would seem threatening to a driver who makes a living picking up all sorts of characters.

It’s tough to say how often cabbies refuse the trip. But more than a dozen people interviewed for this story said they had been refused a ride to Summerlin or Henderson from either the Strip or downtown — or that it had been suggested that only a large tip would make it worth the driver’s time (Full disclosure: This has happened to Sun reporters).

The accepted theory is that cabbies do not want to face a drive back to the Strip without a fare, when they could be taking tourists around to different casinos.

“Nobody wants to come out here because they can’t get anyone to drive,” said Kristen Caporale, 25, of Summerlin. She has had to promise a large tip to get home.

Alison Monaghan, 24, recalls one night trying to get a cab home after having a few cocktails at Harrah’s piano bar. One driver laughed at her.

Finally, after 15 minutes of watching group after group hop into cabs, a driver took pity — after she and her friends promised a $20 tip.

Elisabeth Shurtleff, a spokeswoman for the state Business and Industry Department, which oversees taxis in Nevada, said few complaints are made about cabbies refusing to head to the suburbs, “mostly because consumers usually have other cabs available to them if one refuses to take them the distance they’ve requested.”

Customers can file complaints by phone or through the department’s Nevada Taxicab Authority Web site. If cited, drivers face a $100 fine for a first offense. The fine increases $100 for each additional offense. After five transgressions, a driver’s cab license can be revoked.

Korolchuck and others who spoke to the Sun said they had never filed a complaint. But that doesn’t mean they don’t complain. “I’m pretty irate about it,” Korolchuck said. “I think it’s discrimination. I want to go home and maybe I can’t for a couple of hours.”

In fairness, some Strip-goers interviewed by the Sun said they had never had a problem getting a ride to the suburbs. Sandy Heverly, executive director of the Las Vegas-based Stop DUI, said she hadn’t heard of the ride refusals.

Other cities that experience the problem have addressed it by tacking on fees for passengers who ask to leave city limits. In Chicago, a passenger pays 1 1/2 times the in-town fare to go to the suburbs.

Shurtleff said the Nevada Taxicab Authority has never considered that type of fee.

Discussion: 7 comments so far…

By CynicalObserver

3/3/08 at 9:20 a.m.

Suggest removal

The new Molasky built Southern Nevada Water Authority offices and IRS offices, located in the "new Downtown" are also shunned by the cabbies.

In October of last year, I waited more than 3 hours for a taxi there. It took calls to 3 different cab companies, and at least 10 repeat calls to each cab company before one showed up.

The front desk guards at the building said it happens all the time. They told me the cabbies shun the building for pick-ups, and the guards can't figure out why.
By cbutz

3/3/08 at 12:07 p.m.

Suggest removal

Try getting a cab to come pick you up at your home in Green Valley or Summerlin. That's even worse than getting a ride home from downtown. The wait can be hours, if anyone comes at all.
By nothankyou

3/3/08 at 2:36 p.m.

Suggest removal

I had a similar problem getting home to Green Valley one evening. I had been out drinking with friends at the Hard Rock. When I tried to catch a taxi home after a few hours of drinking I was repeatedly refused. I tried the strip club across the street and (sorry to say I resorted to this) after a few tears, I was finally able to get a ride home.
By FastTracker

3/3/08 at 7:08 p.m.

Suggest removal

Other than reasonable safety concerns, having just been assigned a radio call, or being required to return the cab to the company, drivers have no right to pick and choose who they transport.

As one who has driven a cab in Las Vegas, and who never refused a ride regardless of the destination, when it does happen, I have this suggestion: make note of the taxi company and the cab's number, along with the date and time of the incident.

That should be sufficient information to determine who the driver is, though it might also be helpful to get the driver's name and/or Taxicab Authority number. This MUST be displayed inside the vehicle, usually on the dashboard.

One can get a bit more leverage by politely informing the driver that his company and/or the Taxicab Authority will be contacted.

If consumers did this consistently, I believe we'd see a real reduction in ride refusals.

No doubt, some trips are more desirable than others from the driver's perspective, but the cab businesses in Vegas have protected status. The quid pro quo for this privilege is that they serve the 'public convenience and necessity'.
By Bill_in_Henderson

3/4/08 at 7:11 a.m.

Suggest removal

Also - cabs won't reliably come to your house and the shuttle vans won't ever do that. If you need a ride to the airport for a flight (and you don't have a ride) your viable options are to either park at the airport or park at a casino and take a cab.

The taxis are way too busy longhauling tourists to take an honest fare. Those of us who use the McCarran tunnel see tons of cabs - those are almost always a longhaul.
By Vegascabbie

3/5/08 at 2:01 a.m.

Suggest removal

Well I guess this is right up my ally.....

I must say it is true that we refuse rides to outer areas during the busy hours of the evening and mornings and anyone who works 12 hrs a day, 5 days a week (yes people that is what we work) is going to make hay while the sun is shining...wouldn't you. Is it Illegal? well in a word yes but so is going over the speed limit...ever do that anyone..?

Let me put it to you this way, there are specific companies who service the outer areas and you are the reason they are in business so my suggestion for the lady in Summerlin is to call A-cab they service the west side of the valley from the I-15. As for the guy in Green Valley you need to call Deluxe cab, For the people in N Las Vegas you need to call NLV cab..By the way WHO wrote this article..??

Cab drivers spend years EARNING the right to drive on the strip to make the money they do, so to drive a local home who has had too much to drink cost me money, HOW? you may ask..well it is a numbers game to a cab driver trips=tips and that is what we live on. Let me break it down for ya. For example the 40 dollar quote to Green Valley, the owners take 50% so thats $20 we make, the WE pay for gas so round trip at todays prices 5-7 dollars, plus a 1.20 cent trip charge we pay to the taxicab authority for each trip ($1.00 of that is kept by the companies them selfs) the we pay the taxes on that income. So out of our 20 dollar cut we would clear about $11.00 plus whatever tip you would so kindly give us for a job well done. So lets say you gave us a $4.00 tip (avg tip) we make a whopping $15.00 for about an hours work. Over the course of a day that would be what $120.00 a day...can you live on that in your house in Green Valley, or snobberlin...??? I doubt it.

Do your self a big favor here people, call the company that is related to your areas or hook up with a good cabbie (yes we are out there) and get a cell number and take care of him and he will take care of you I guarantee it..

Any questions please shoot me an email I would love to hear fro you guys on this..
By taxibuzz

3/5/08 at 5:04 p.m.

Suggest removal

You're right a taxicab driver can't turn down a ride unless they feel in danger by a drunk or disorderly person. Disorderly people can be unpredictable and dangerous. Drunk people, even though it seems like the we are obligated to transport them, are more likely to get sick in our cabs or pass out on a long trip. Bodily fluids (vomit) can be deadly. I've never turned down a ride because it's too long, but I have driven away when the passenger looks too drunk or angry.

Here's how to get a ride to the suburbs. Stand in a cab line, tell the doorman if he asks your destination that you'll tell the driver, have your cell phone ready with the Taxicab Authority number 668-4005 dialed in, greet the driver, stay calm, when the driver pulls away tell them the destination, (hint: if it's a street address, be prepared with written directions). Now, if he stops and refuses for any other reason than he's at the end of his shift (which is possible if it's around 1:30AM/PM to 3:30AM/PM), then peer over the seat and say while holding your cell phone in the driver's view, is the red number your TA number? If the driver says it's the end of his shift, do not get out until he gets another driver to agree to take you. Say, alright, I understand, get me another cab. I'll be right here. The driver's TA number is the red number on the upper right corner of the drivers TA Permit displayed on the front right side of the dash. You can call the TA to tell the dispatcher that you're in the backseat of a taxicab driver TA number XXXXXX who refuses to transport you home. Say your location and the driver's TA number. It may be a quiet and tense ride home. Shake it off. Be assured the driver will. We're practically numb to the abuse we face every night regardless of whether we're honest of not.

I believe the real problem and the real story here is the sad reality that the Taxicab Authority has no Suburban Medallion program. We have 2 million people in Clark County now and the three companies that have the south, west and north as their restricted areas and are just too small to think about serving any more passengers than they can find easily from a yellow page ad and some patience at the nearest casino.

If you want voice your opinion in an open Blog go to taxibuzz.com and find Suburban Program under Medallion Allocations. Click Blog to comment.