What Happens In Las Vegas Is That I Told You So

by Vegas Taxi Driver
May 13, 2009
The Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

My reason for writing in this article is for no reason other than to say, "I told you so" and "its about time".

Watching CNBC at 3:30 AM today, I heard that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced that they are going to revive the ad slogan "What happens in Las Vegas...", which was catchy, effective, and successful. Two years ago, on May 14, 2007, I wrote an article entitled "$890 Million Waste at Las Vegas Convention Center Planned By Las Vegas Convention And Visitors Authority". Today, two years later, the Las Vegas Review Journal has an article by Benjamin Stillman about the current plans of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority saying that "The authority will save $23 million in the upcoming year as a result of a decision to suspend work on a proposed $890 million renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center". In that same blog article I wrote "The 'What stays...' slogan and ad campaign was one of the most successful advertising campaigns of all time. Why isn't the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spending the proposed $890 million on something like that?"

Two years ago I also wrote a blog article on February 26, 2007 entitled "Las Vegas Monorail to Airport - Big Waste Wont Work" where I asked:

"How long will it take to load all those people with their luggage? How long will it take for all those people to unload with their luggage? And where does the monorail take these people with their luggage? Will they have to haul their luggage hundreds of yards through a busy casino to get to the hotel registration? Will other passengers be annoyed and stop using the monorail because they have to wait for all these luggage-hauling passengers?"

and in that article I stated:

"The monorail goes to and from the Las Vegas Convention Center, and the cab lines full of passengers going to and from the Las Vegas Convention Center are still as long as ever. So, what makes anyone believe that it will work any better at the airport, where everybody has lots of luggage?"

In a May 8, 2009 Las Vegas Sun article by Richard Velotta, where he interviews Clark County Aviation Director Randall Walker about additions to McCarran, Walker said that plans to extend the Monorail "But if all (the monorail company does) is expand what it has to the airport, I honestly don’t think that’s going to create a successful system because the stops that it has today really only provide convenience for a very small percentage of our customers".

Since I started blogging in 2005, I have only written 36 blog articles regarding Las Vegas, most of them about the politics regarding the taxi industry in Las Vegas, and I only wrote them as a way to vent my frustrations and rant about the fact that Las Vegas taxi drivers were experiencing less income during a time when everybody else in Las Vegas was experiencing record revenues and profits because of the poor policies of government regulators. Most of my blogging has been on other websites and unrelated to the taxi business and Las Vegas, and I constantly tell myself that I am not going to say another word about Las Vegas or taxi driving, because I would like to move on to other things. But then I see news like today and I cannot help being interested, because no matter how much I want to focus on other things that I am interested in, I have been in the unfortunate situation of having to use taxi driving in Las Vegas as a way to bridge the gap from where I am and where I want to be.

People are obsessed with Las Vegas and taxi drivers. I would never have guessed how popular these topics and keywords are on Google, and how much traffic I have gotten from writing a few lousy blog articles which are more rants than anything. But there is a big audience for these topics. Six weeks ago I decided to check out the Twitter website, because every time I turn on TV news or sports or anything, everybody is talking about Twitter. I set up a few Twitter accounts to see what it is all about, and while I was at it I set up twitter.com/vegastaxidriver, just so that nobody else would grab that user name. I followed some twitterers, just to see if I could get some of them to follow me, and then I forgot about it. Meanwhile, I used basic Internet marketing tactics to get followers to a handful of marketing related Twitter accounts, including a couple of my Twitter accounts that now have over 10,000 followers each, and are now in the top 2000 Twitter accounts in the world, in terms of the number of followers they have, according to twittercounter.com. Then, just for kicks, I decided to go back to my twitter.com/vegastaxidriver account and post comments about what other people are twittering, by looking at Twitter posts about "las vegas" and "taxi drivers" on search.twitter.com, and just retweeting posts from other tweeters and making comments about their tweets. Twitter.com/vegastaxidriver went from 4000 followers to 6300 followers during the past seven days just by doing that. It is totally amazing to me that anything I put online about Las Vegas and/or taxi driving gets so much attention. As much as I want to do things online that have nothing to do with Las Vegas or taxi driving, I guess it is time for me to do some work on my VegasTaxiDriver.com blog and website, since that is what people are interested in.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
May 13, 2009
The Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

"Vegas Tries Luck With Old Slogan"
May 13, 2009
WALL STREET JOURNAL
By TAMARA AUDI
...After a year of flirting with tourism pitches that directly addressed the recession, the entertainment mecca is resurrecting its successful "What Happens Here Stays Here" campaign, which started in 2003...read_article

"Vegas Feeling ‘Blue’ During Tourism Week"
May 12, 2009
FOX 5 NEWS
...To mark the start of National Travel and Tourism Week, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is taking the city’s famous showgirls on a whirlwind trip to five major cities and relaunching the classic “What Happens In Vegas…” ad campaign...read_article

"TOUGH TIMES FOR TOURISM: LVCVA forced to cut budget"
May 13, 2009
Las VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL
By BENJAMIN SPILLMAN 
...The authority will save $23 million in the upcoming year as a result of a decision to suspend work on a proposed $890 million renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center....read_article

"Tourism workers rally to encourage travelers"
May 12, 2009
LAS VEGAS SUN / The Associated Press
...Travel to Las Vegas was down 8.7 percent for the first three months of 2009 compared with 2008, even as hotels slashed room rates more than 25 percent, according to the latest figures from the visitors authority. The decline is even more pronounced during weekdays, when conventions and corporate meetings are typically held...read_article

"Q&A: Randall Walker, Clark County aviation director"
May 8, 2009
LAS VEGAS SUN
By Richard N. Velotta
..."But if all (the monorail company does) is expand what it has to the airport, I honestly don’t think that’s going to create a successful system because the stops that it has today really only provide convenience for a very small percentage of our customers"...read_article

 Tags: vegas taxi vegas taxi

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Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Major Lane Closures In Las Vegas

by Vegas Taxi Driver
February 13, 2009

Any day now, the Nevada Department of Transportation is going to start a new project that will cause temporary delays, but will ultimately result in better traffic flow by the next century. For about nine months, all northbound lanes on all roads in the Las Vegas area will be closed, and all eastbound lanes on all roads in the Las Vegas area will be restricted to one lane. The Nevada Department of Transportation recommends using alternate routes. As always, the Nevada Department of Transportation will have crews ready with trucks full of orange cones, and if the Nevada Department of Transportation notices that traffic is somehow able to get somewhere, they will be dispatching crews to put out cones to create complete gridlock. All of this is part of a plan by the Nevada Department of Transportation to make the traffic in Las Vegas run smoothly, and at the end of this project everyone will notice a big difference. 

However, in about eight months after the beginning of the project, they will be starting the second phase of the project, which will take another nine months, during which time all southbound lanes and westbound lanes of all roads in Las Vegas will be closed. Once again, the Nevada Department of Transportation recommends using alternate routes. By the time the Nevada Department of Transportation finishes both phases, it will be time to repeat the process. In order to keep traffic from clogging up Interstate 15, which is already under construction in both directions in multiple locations, the Nevada Department of Transportation will be turning the on- ramp traffic signals to red at all times. Extra Metro Police Officers will be on hand to write as many tickets as possible to any drivers trying to actually get anywhere, especially cabbies, in order to finance the shortfall in the budget in the State of Nevada. 

Some of the facts and dates in this article may be false and exaggerated, but it is not far from the reality that Las Vegas taxi drivers are accustomed to.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
February 13, 2009

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Some Las Vegas Taxicab Companies

Pressure Cabbies to Rip Off Tourists

by Vegas Taxi Driver
February 6, 2009

Several years ago I went to work as a Las Vegas cabbie for a very high pressure cab company. It had been quite a few years since I had been a cabbie in Las Vegas. I had worked for other cab companies in Las Vegas and I was confident about my ability to do a good job at any company. But no matter how hard I worked or tried to keep up with the drivers of this particular company I was working for, the average amount of money booked by other drivers on my shift was much higher than my book. At the end of my shifts, when I was counting my money, I would listen to the drivers tell horrible stories about how they ripped off customers and long hauled people. Then when I came to work the next day I would be called to the office to get chewed out by a supervisor for not booking enough. When good conventions were in town, I was not allowed to work because I had not been booking enough. I was required to come to work seven days a week and at least one half hour before the cabs started come in from the previous shift and sit there until they called my name, if I was lucky enough to have my name called at all. Then I would be assigned to one of the oldest junkers they had in their fleet, because I was not a high booker, and most of the time I was given a restricted medallion so I could not pick up passengers on the Las Vegas strip and McCarran Airport and Downtown Las Vegas, which is where 95% of the business is in Las Vegas. 

It did not take long for me to realize that the only way to succeed at this company was to start booking as much as the other drivers, and the only way to do that was to be a crook and a thief and a liar. But I think more highly of myself than that. I hadn't been a crook for other kinds of businesses where I could have made a lot more money than driving taxi, so I wasn't going to be a crook for them. Fortunately, they did have a lot of radio calls and a few good dispatchers. Since I had owned a taxi in a different city 20 years ago where drivers only take radio calls, I knew how to take radio calls. So I just drove restricted cabs and went out and took as many radio calls as I could and went to local casinos on the outskirts of Las Vegas and picked up passengers at their cab stands.

Every day the company printed out a sheet with all the drivers names and the amount of money they booked so that drivers could compare how well they did.  When I was driving restricted cabs, I always was one of the highest booking restricted drivers. However, when I was driving an unrestricted cab for them, I was always one of the lowest bookers. But the amount of trips I did was more than the average. The only reason I was a low booker when I was driving unrestricted cabs was because my trips cost less because I just took people the direct way instead of jerking them around and going in circles.

One Saturday night I remember I booked about $120 less than the average amount booked by the other drivers on that night. It had been a busy night at the airport and there were some late flights that came in, so there were lots of opportunities for drivers to long haul passengers through the airport tunnel. I also had more trips than the average amount of trips of other drivers. The only thing I did not do is jerk people around. The next day I was chewed out by one of the supervisors for not booking enough. That was the last time I worked for that company.

Because of my experiences working for some Las Vegas cab companies, I wrote several blog articles years ago about the bad policies and unscrupulous practices of taxicab companies in Las Vegas. But what I failed to say is that not all Las Vegas cab companies are the same. After working for the worst, now I work for a company that is owned and operated by decent people who have never punished me for not being a crook and have never tried to force me or coerce me to be a crook or break laws or be unethical, and have allowed me to drive good vehicles and work good shifts and not be restricted even though I am not a high booker. I don't want to give the impression that all Las Vegas taxi companies are run the same way. 

I just started writing on this blog again after taking a two year break. My point of view has changed and my situation is different now. Two years ago I would have guaranteed you that there was no way I would still be driving a taxi in 2009. But things happen. During those two years the company I currently work for has treated me way better than I ever expected, and if I knew then what I know now about the owners of my current employer, I would have been more careful in the past to make certain that readers understand that not all owners run their companies the same way. Just because some Las Vegas cab companies have practices and policies that are unethical and abusive does not mean that it is true of all taxi companies in Las Vegas.

Why should I care if some Las Vegas taxi companies have bad policies and unethical practices? Two years ago the Nevada Taxicab Authority was going crazy flooding Las Vegas with more taxis and two of the reasons they gave were: (1) Not having enough taxis at the Las Vegas Convention Center during times when it is impossible for taxis to get to the dysfunctional poorly designed Las Vegas Convention Center, and (2) The amount of money booked by drivers was high. > Some Las Vegas taxi companies force and/or encourage drivers to long-haul customers and drive crazy and steal from other cabbies and even run their meter with no passengers in order to satisfy their bosses and be able to continue to drive a decent vehicle or work a decent shift or not have a restricted medallion. 

The Nevada Taxicab Board should take into account that the amount of money booked by drivers who are pressured to book high amounts and that  should not be the basis for punishing the honest drivers by adding more medallions and creating long lines of empty cabs at the airport and in front of hotels. As far as the Nevada Taxicab Board relying on a report from a Nevada Taxicab Authority administrator who stands at the Las Vegas Convention Center and says, "See, we need more cabs," without doing studies on traffic congestion and feasibility and capacity, anybody can do that. The Nevada Taxicab Board should have better information than that before just putting more and more cabs in Las Vegas without finding out the real reasons and working to fix the real problems.

The Nevada Taxicab Authority, which is responsible for enforcing laws regarding taxicabs in Las Vegas, routinely says that they are cracking down on long hauling by drivers, and sometimes they do take action in that regard. But even if a Las Vegas cabbie gets caught long hauling, it does not do anything to hinder cab companies from having policies that force, encourage, and pressure drivers to long haul. The driver pays the fine, the driver also has to reimburse the money collected from passengers, and still has to pay the company for the meter, and the company still makes money from the long haul. If the driver gets caught enough times, the company fires the driver and hires new drivers who learn from other drivers how to long haul and not get caught. There needs to be a law in Nevada that specifically prohibits taxi companies from coercing and pressuring drivers to long haul. The company I work for now does not reward drivers for being crooks and thieves, but some Las Vegas cab companies do.

There have always been crooks driving cabs. That does not bother me personally as a cabbie. I don't care what the other drivers are doing, as long as it does not hurt me. I feel sorry for people who have such low esteem that they feel that have to stoop to ripping people off in order to make money, but I don't have anything against them. That is up to the individual drivers and the authorities in charge of the taxicab business. I am fine with the fact that I make less money than crooks, whether it is in the taxi business or any other business. Many people who are not crooks go to work at certain Las Vegas cab companies, and then they have to become thieves in order to drive a decent vehicle or work a decent shift or not be restricted from picking up tourists on the Las Vegas strip or McCarran Airport or Downtown Las Vegas, and that is a problem for Las Vegas.

All of the cab companies tell their cabbies to follow the laws and all Las Vegas taxi companies punish drivers that get caught long hauling or breaking any other laws, but if drivers of certain companies know that they have to be high bookers in order to have the opportunity to drive nice cars and not be restricted, and if the amount of money they book on their meter is compared to drivers who are long hauling and stealing rides from cabbies who follow the rules and the laws, then drivers  are actually being coerced into being crooks. This is bad for Las Vegas.

Fortunately, I do not work for a company that forces me to be a crook. There are many decent and honest cabbies working for the company I am employed for now, and they do not have to be crooks and thieves in order to drive nice cabs and work good shifts and not be restricted. I am not saying that all the drivers at my company are honest and do not long haul, but they are not rewarded by the company for being crooks, and they are not pressured to be crooks. 

by Vegas Taxi Driver
February 6, 2009

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Las Vegas Taxicab Company

Owners Get Hit Hard By Recession

by Vegas Taxi Driver
February 2, 2009

January 2009 will be remembered by the owners of Las Vegas cab companies as a bleak month with dismal profits. The month of December for taxi business in Las Vegas was terrible, but December is always the worst month for business in Las Vegas anyway. January is supposed to be one of the best months for Las Vegas cab companies, but it wasn't. Business has not been what it used to be. The cabbies have been taking it on the chin, but so have the owners of the taxi companies in Las Vegas. 

The expense of paying for employee benefits and business insurance and liability insurance does not go down just because business is down. The power company doesn't give the cab companies a break just because there is less taxi business and McCarran Airport is not bringing in as many passengers. The costs of administration and payroll and running a company that maintains hundreds of vehicles and employees keep on racking up.

In Las Vegas, all taxis are owned by a handful of companies and all the taxi drivers are employees. Taxi drivers in Las Vegas do not have to pay for maintenance of the vehicles they drive. Las Vegas taxi drivers do not have to pay for liability insurance and business insurance and medical insurance. Las Vegas cabbies do not have to buy new vehicles every few years. Taxi drivers in Las Vegas do not have to pay for towing. Twenty years ago I was an owner/operator driving taxi in a different city, and I learned that if you own your own taxi, the only time it will break down is at the beginning of a busy weekend, not only resulting in being out the money that you would have made, but having to pay for towing and repair.

Las Vegas cab companies have to pay for lawsuits and legal fees, and they are common targets for lawyers and swindlers. Las Vegas taxi companies have to withhold money for workmen's compensation, employment insurance, welfare, and social security taxes for every employee, and they have to match the amount of what is taken out of employee pay.

The investments and portfolios of the owners of taxicab company owners have also taken a big hit because of the market and real estate values.

The month of January started off with the CES show, the biggest convention of the year, started on Thursday instead of Monday, which means that there is less taxi business because having a big convention on weekdays is a boost for the taxi business. Las Vegas is already busy on weekends and covention goers usually are here for business and do not spend as much as regular weekend visitors. Since the Superbowl was on the first of February this year, the big days preceding it were the last two days of January, and people spend less money at the end of the month. I can look at all the ones and fives that I have in my cash at the end of my shift and I can tell it is the end of the month. (I learned that when I was managing restaurants 30 years ago.)

In combing through online blogs and news articles, I have read many articles about the plight of cabbies in Las Vegas, and I have written a few articles myself. But I have never read an article in support of Las Vegas cab companies. I will admit I feel a little guilty that nobody is running a public relation campaign for the benefit of the cab companies, and that is why I felt compelled to take a moment to plead their case for the sake of fair argument. I tend to go overboard with my grievances and insults, so I decided to even the score a bit.

Not all the owners of taxi companies are bad, and even the bad ones are not all that bad. I have worked for most of the cab companies in Las Vegas. The cab company I currently work for is owned and managed by people who are decent and fair and genuinely care about their employees, and they have treated me well. I have worked for dozens of various kinds of companies, and the people I work for right now are the best people I have worked for in my life. If all the taxi companies were as good and decent as the one that I work for, there would be a lot less problems in the taxi business in Las Vegas. I always hope that any company that I work for makes lots of money and their profits increase while I am working for them.

When people get in my cab and ask about being a cabbie in Las Vegas, I do not complain about the policies of the Nevada Taxicab Authority or the crooked way that some cab company owners treat their drivers; people do not want to hear about that and that wouldn't be good for my tips. I reserve all of my sarcasms and criticism for my blog articles. What I do tell my passengers is that I am an employee and that I have medical benefits, and that I don't have to pay for the maintenance of the vehicle. I tell them that the money is not as good as it is in most places, but because cabbies in Las Vegas are employees, I can quit when I want, and then I can come back to work when I want. If I owned my own cab I would be tied down.

As long as I can make a reasonable amount of money without being a crook, and as long as there are not so many cabs out that it is impossible to find a taxi stand to get on, and as long as I don't have to spend my whole night getting chased away from cab stands because there are too many cabs in line, this is not a bad gig. I am glad that the Nevada Taxicab Authority Board decided to not put out extra medallions during conventions in February 2009 so I have a chance to make some money, but it is unfortunate that business is not good enough for extra medallions.

I sincerely hope that business picks up soon and that cabbies can go back to griping about strip club kickbacks and hotel doorpersons and the price of gas and traffic instead of being angry about too many medallions, and that the owners of cab companies in Las Vegas can go back to counting big stacks of money. Maybe the politicians will give the Las Vegas taxicab companies 20 or 30 billion dollars as part of the economic recovery stimulus package.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
February 2, 2009

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jan/30/taxi-board-adds-no-extra-cabs-magic/ By Richard N. Velotta Fri, Jan 30, 2009 "Taxi board adds no extra cabs for MAGIC"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28772664/ KVBC-TV updated 9:43 a.m. PT, Fri., Jan. 23, 2009 "Cab confession: More taxis have drivers seeing red"

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Nevada Taxicab Authority

Boards Does Its Job

by Vegas Taxi Driver
February 2, 2009

The Nevada Taxicab Board did its job as regulators of the heavily regulated taxi business in Las Vegas. I was shocked to hear the news. I had already braced myself to have lots of extra cabs on the streets during the World of Concrete and MAGIC conventions. I temporarily take back all the bad things about the Nevada Taxicab Authority and Nevada Taxicab Board during the past 45 days.

Personally, I think that adding zero medallions during these conventions was extreme, and it seems to me that having 3 to 5 special medallions per company between 7 am and 7 pm would not be bad. The big problem with too many cabs during conventions seems to be usually after 9 pm. My fear is that they intentionally over-reacted, in the face of much criticism, so they can evaluate taxi service at the Las Vegas Convention Center between 4 pm and 6 pm, during rush hour traffic, with construction surrounding the Las Vegas Convention Center, with taxis blocked by traffic and construction not able to reach the Las Vegas Convention Center, so they can say, "We told you so!"

Yes, I am a sardonic skeptic. But, as far as not having extra cabs on the streets during the next few weeks and having a chance to make some money, I'LL TAKE IT!

Thank you Nevada Taxicab Board and God bless you.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
February 2, 2009

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Las Vegas Economy Hits Cabbies Hard

by Vegas Taxi Driver
January 18, 2009

The most popular topic that riders want to know about is how the Las Vegas economy is doing now. The tourists who have been coming to Las Vegas over the past five years can see it right away. They look at the traffic. They get good deals on their hotel rooms. They don't need reservations to get into restaurants. Show tickets are available for any show they want to see. When I drive them up to the hotel entrance, they ask me why there is a huge long line of empty cabs lined up from the front door to the street, and out on the street. When I take them to the Airport, I point out that the traffic jam going into McCarran Airport is caused by the long line of empty cabs trying to get into the staging area for cabs, and I show them the 200 cabs sitting there. When traffic into the airport backs up far enough, the airport officials chase away empty cabs trying to get in line, and make them leave the airport, forcing them to drive around from hotel to hotel hoping to find a place where there is room to get in line and wait and wait.

The Las Vegas economy is hurting. Unemployment is higher than ever in Nevada, if you consider that there are many undocumented workers who moved to Las Vegas in the last decade when the Las Vegas economy was thriving, and the undocumented workers are not included in official employment statistics. Nevada has the highest rate of home foreclosures in the nation. For the first time in 17 years the population of Las Vegas is declining. Multi-billion dollar construction projects on the Las Vegas strip have stopped construction and are sitting idle waiting for better days. Stores do not have the traffic they are used to, and lots of small businesses are closing.

The locals are not taking as many cab rides to and from the airport. When traffic was bad around the strip on Friday and Saturday nights, I used to go to the outskirts of town, and there would always be locals needing cabs at casinos. But the cab companies are not getting as many radio calls, and there are not as many locals going to casinos, so the restricted cabs have to sit in line at the local casinos waiting for rides.

After September 11, 2001, a lot of cab drivers quit and went to work elsewhere because business was bad at that time, but now the Las Vegas economy is worse than that. In 2001 and 2002, Las Vegas was still the fastest growing city in America with the most new home construction. Real estate was going up, and people had money, and banks were loaning like crazy, and the 33 million people living in California could afford to drive to Las Vegas to party. The tourist business rebounded within six months and was followed by five years of incredible growth, record tourists, record room occupancy, record convention crowds, record taxi pick-ups at the airport, and money was flowing into Las Vegas. 

Last week my take home pay, including tips and my check, came out to $365 for 55 hours of work. One of my pay checks in December was under $400 for 96 hours. Of course, I could have made more money by long-hauling customers, and my employer would have been happy that I booked more (even though my company does not pressure me like some other companies do), but I am not a crook. My employer requires me to work 55 hours, even if there is no business. Recently there are many times when I haven't been able to get more than 10 rides in an 11-hour shift. I never thought in my life that I would make this little money for 40 hours a week, much less for 55 hours a week, but I need to keep my job so I can keep my health insurance. Two years ago this was a $60,000 a year job for hard working drivers who worked 60 hours a week, even if they were honest. Crooks were able to make much more than that.

Lately, I have been using more gas and doing a lot of driving around looking for places to get rides.  Many times I cannot get in line at the hotel after dropping people off at hotels because there is no more room for cabs in the line, so I have to find somewhere else to go. I used to go downtown or to the airport on slow nights because there is a better chance to get a long ride. But now it is usually impossible to get in line downtown without sitting somewhere illegal to get on a legal cab stand, and I do not make enough money to pay for tickets, because I do not long-haul my customers through the "spaghetti bowl" from downtown on the way to the strip, so my rides from downtown are less than most cabbies. Many times the airport officials are chasing away taxis because there is no more room for them there. Even if I can get in line at the airport, it does not pay for me to wait that long, because I am not going to take the tunnel to long-haul customers, so my rides from the airport are cheaper than most cabbies.

Over 90% of the time over the past six months I just take customers right down the Las Vegas strip from one place to another instead of using back roads or alleys. Most cabbies are still taking customers on back roads or on the freeway in order to increase their fares, and telling customers it is faster, even when there is no traffic on the strip. The first time I moved to Las Vegas was 17 years ago, and I have never seen Las Vegas Boulevard as maneuverable as it has been in the past six months. I can remember when there were no walkways going over Las Vegas Boulevard at the Flamingo Road intersection, and it took forever to get through that intersection from any direction because of the people crossing the streets. There have not been pedestrians blocking that intersection for over a decade, but the sheer volume of traffic on the Las Vegas strip usually turns Las Vegas Boulevard into a parking lot, especially on weekends; but not lately. Knowing how to use the back roads and alleys has been the trademark of a good Las Vegas cabbie in the past. I wonder if I will remember where the back roads are when the economy improves?

Times are tough for crooks, too. These days the trademark of most Las Vegas cabbies is knowing how to get on the freeway and take tourists the long way. When business is slow and the crooks and thieves are not busy long-hauling people from downtown and the airport, they are busy stealing rides from cabbies who are on cab stands the way they are supposed to be. 

The cab companies have been allowed to encourage and pressure Las Vegas taxi drivers to be crooks and thieves. Some of the companies are much worse than others in that regard. Most of the honest decent cabbies in Las Vegas are gone because they got fired for not booking enough or they couldn't afford to pay their bills. A lot of drivers who used to be honest and decent have turned into crooks in order to survive. I am lucky that I work at a company that has let me work unrestricted without being a crook, and without being harassed. I know they would like me to book more, and I would like to make more money, but I am not going to be a crook for them or anyone else, and they have not asked me to.

If the Nevada Taxicab Authority cracked down on long hauling, which is very simple to do, it would be very bad for me, unless the Nevada Taxicab Board also reduced the number of taxis. I profit from the thieves and crooks driving cabs in Las Vegas. Every time people get in my cab and I take them the short way, they are frequently aware that I got them back to their destination for way less, so most people are decent and tip me more. If the Nevada Taxicab Authority put a stop to long-hauling by drivers, it would mean that the owners of the cab companies would have much less revenue, and the companies would have to figure out ways to take it out of the drivers' pockets to make up for their losses. What would be nice for me, was if the Nevada Taxicab Board realized that temporary reductions in the number of medallions is appropriate at this time, and that would make it possible for the few honest decent drivers left to survive the recession. The best thing for everyone would be for the economy to magically improve.

The cab companies need to put all the cabs on the street all the time, and they need to make the drivers work their entire shifts even when there is no business, because the cab companies have to pay their bills with less revenue coming in, so they need to try to get every ride possible. I do not blame the owners of the cab companies for keeping up with their competitors. But having more empty cabs sitting in lines doesn't increase the total revenue for anyone, and that is why there needs to be regulation and over-sight.

The Nevada Taxicab Board should give Las Vegas cabbies a break by temporarily reducing the number of medallions in service, which would not hurt the total revenue for cab companies. The Nevada Taxicab Authority and the Nevada Taxicab Board increased the number of cabs when economic times were at their best, but it seems as though they do not care about doing the right thing when it comes to "regulating" and temporarily reducing medallions, which is supposed to be their job.

Or, maybe, all the drivers and cab company owners, and state regulators and taxi enforcement, could all be honest and decent, and just do the things that they should. But we know that won't happen.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
January 18, 2009

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Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Personal note from author of this blog: I wrote the following two articles before the Nevada Taxicab Board finally decided not to increase the amount of medallions and not continue to dump extra medallions on Las Vegas streets for awhile. (NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB) In my opinion, many blog articles such as this one by Las Vegas cabbies and calls to politicians and the media was the reason that the Nevada Taxicab Board finally got it. But for how long?

Nevada Taxicab Board and Regulators

of Las Vegas Taxis Are

Asleep At The Wheel

by Vegas Taxi Driver
January 15, 2009

People get in my cab at McCarran Airport and they say, "Wow, the economy in Las Vegas really is bad, isn't it? There is nobody in the airport and there was no line of people waiting for taxis." Everybody else in the world has heard the news about the Las Vegas economy, except for the Nevada Taxicab Board.

Right now there are more taxi medallions in Las Vegas than there ever have been, as if business was just as good as it was at its peak. And the Nevada Taxicab Authority keeps adding the same amount of extra "special" medallions for every convention as if there are just as many tourists and conventioneers as in past years. Next week there will be over 100 extra taxis on the streets in Las Vegas with special medallions because of the Annual International Builders Show. Have you seen the news? Do you listen to the radio? Have you heard anything about the housing industry and construction lately? Extra cabs for the Builders Show??? Are you out of your mind?

I don't know if the people in charge of the Nevada taxi industry are stupid, apathetic, uninformed, self-serving, crooked, clueless, or maybe a combination of the above, but they are obviously horrible and asleep at the wheel. I have not met any of them. They should be fired immediately and any money they have received in the past year should be returned with interest. Then they should be put in stockades for a day and every cabbie in Las Vegas should be allowed to throw rotten eggs and tomatoes at them. They are a disgrace. They are lower than low. Governor Gibbons has picked these dummies, so he is to blame. Who is the Administrator dujour at the Nevada Taxicab Authority right now anyway? 

The taxi business in Las Vegas is regulated. What that is supposed to mean is that the people in charge of regulating the industry are supposed to know what is going on and react to it and take appropriate action. The Federal Reserve Board regulates interest rates and other things. That means that sometimes they raise rates, and sometimes they lower rates. That is what real regulators do. They are expected to be on top of the situation and make appropriate actions. The Nevada Taxicab Board and the Nevada Taxicab Authority have gone above and beyond the call of duty in the past when it comes to increasing the number of taxicabs on the streets of Las Vegas during the best of times and during record increases in visitors, making sure that nobody driving a taxi in Las Vegas was able to make too much. But now, even though every intelligent human being on the planet that has access to CNN or NPR or Google, knows that the economy in Las Vegas absolutely sucks.

A city that depends on tourists and convention goers, and does not give a damn about the peon taxi drivers who are forced to work 60 hours a week for less than minimum wage, and does not care that cabbies are punished and fined and/or fired by their bosses if they fail to be rotten crooks who long-haul and rob tourists all day long, is a tourism location that is going to end up having negative repercussions that will linger for a long time. If that city depends on tourism, and these taxi drivers are representatives and faces that serve the public transportation needs in this tourism town, and all the honest and decent workers are forced to quit or get fired or become dirty rotten crooks, then Las Vegas is going to be in sad shape in the future when it comes time to take care of conventioneers and tourists when the economy improves. The people who should be concerned and responsible and on the ball, and paid by taxpayers, are messing it all up.

Las Vegas used to be a place where cabbies who were willing to work long hours and put up with all kinds of people, and fight all kinds of traffic, could make enough to pay the bills and save up some money. But now Las Vegas taxi drivers have to be crooks or pimps or drug dealers in order to make more than $1200 a month working 60 hours a week, and Las Vegas taxi drivers have to be crooks and long-haulers and criminals in order to not be labeled by their employers as lazy employees or bad employees. The plight of cabbies in Las Vegas is not just about the economy; It is not just a bad run of luck; It is a situation where the hard-working individuals driving taxicabs in Las Vegas are allowed to be exploited by some of the taxicab company owners and managers, who have their own government agency to keep anyone from competing with them, and at the same time the so-called "regulators" have their heads up their umbrellas and don't give a damn about Las Vegas or tourists or being decent human beings. This is not about "weathering the storm", it is about being bombed by the enemy and undermined by crooks and thieves. It is about the "professionals" who are appointed and hired to watch the store who are too busy trying to get appointed to a more powerful and prestigious post. Cabbies in Las Vegas are victims of bad politics and rotten politicians and useless bureaucrats. Las Vegas taxi drivers are victims of the system, and nobody cares if they make minimum wage or not, or whether or not drivers get fired or fined or punished for being honest and not being crooks.

Go to Las Vegas Boulevard at 10 pm tonight. There will be no traffic on the strip and you can roll a bowling ball from one end of the boulevard to the other and it won't hit anything. It is like a ghost town. In front of every hotel there is a line of empty cabs that goes as far as it can before spilling off of the hotel property, and then there are lines of empty cabs sitting in the street trying to get into lines at hotels, hoping that there are no Nevada Taxicab Authority Officers or Metro Police Officers near by trying to get their quotas by ticketing cabbies for parking illegally while trying to get into a cab line. Taxis will flock to McCarran Airport empty even though the wait is 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours, only to be turned away by airport officials and then have to leave empty and find some place in Las Vegas to get in line because the "pit" at the airport is full of empty taxis and there is no room to get in line, even though the "pit" at McCarran was revamped a year ago to accommodate hundreds of additional cabs the last time that the Nevada Taxicab Board decided to flood the streets with more cabs.  Las Vegas cab companies have increased the amount of hours the cabbies have to work in order to try get one last $5 ride out of each driver before they go home worn out and broke and wish they still had their homes and wives and kids that they lost because of the unfair horrible rotten ridiculous policies of the Nevada Taxicab Board. 

But the people who regulate taxis in Las Vegas only look at the dysfunctional Las Vegas Convention Center, which is located in the wrong place and has inadequate access to roads and freeways, and they stand there during rush hour traffic and observe that not enough taxis are coming to pick people up at the Las Vegas Convention Center because all the taxis are stuck in traffic, just like everybody else. And then they decide that Las Vegas needs more taxis on the road, even though the problem is that the Las Vegas Convention Center is located in the wrong place and has poorly planned arterials and intersections surrounding it. It is like trying to put ten people with luggage into one of the Prius taxicabs. Having taxicabs at the Las Vegas Convention Center has nothing to do with the number of taxis in Las Vegas. You can't put a big square in a small hole, and the Las Vegas Convention Center cannot handle traffic for conventions of more than 75,000 people. Maybe they should hire some UNLV students who know math and statistics and capacity engineering. All I have ever seen or heard that the Nevada Taxicab Board pays attention to is trying to get taxicabs to the dysfunctional convention center during rush-hour and to the airport  that only has the capacity to load 30 cabs at a time no matter how many people are waiting for cabs or how many cabs are waiting to pick up. For that reason, I get to be broke and tired and unhealthy because of those incompetent screwballs.

The people in charge of regulating the taxi business in Las Vegas must not read the news, so I included a few articles for them to look at, if they know how to read. If they knew how to use this Internet thing, they could always do a search on google.com like I did for "Las Vegas Economy".

by Vegas Taxi Driver
January 15, 2009

Las Vegas Cabbies Attacked

By Nevada Taxicab Authority Board

by Vegas Taxi Driver
January 21, 2009

I don't care about the fact that nobody cares about me. That is one of the characteristics of being a cabbie. If I cared about what people thought about me or if I needed somebody to hold my hand and pat me on the back, I would never be a cabbie. This is not a career or a way to get rich or a way to impress people, and being a cabbie is not for people who are concerned about public image or esteem. It is just a job to make some money.

Right now I have to decide whether to gamble on:

>>>hanging in there for awhile longer and hope things improve and the world economy gets better, or 

>>>becoming a crook like other Las Vegas cabbies and rob the customers in my cab by long-hauling them (which I refuse to do), or 

>>>quitting my job and hope that my severe medical problems do not reoccur while I don't have medical insurance. 

It is ridiculous to make less than $90 gross income including tips and commission for 12 hours of work like last night. I never thought in my life that I would be stuck doing something I hate to do, because there is a world-wide depression going on and nobody has any money to spend in Las Vegas, and there are no jobs available, and Las Vegas taxi drivers are under siege by the nonsense at the Nevada Taxicab Authority Board. 

Two years ago I used to be able to keep up with the average books of the crooks, but I had to do about five more trips than the average to do that, and I did that by knowing what times shows got out, and what time smaller meetings and conventions got out that other cabbies didn't know about. But for the past six months I am lucky to book within 25% of what the crooks do, because there are no rides to find, and I am just lucky to find a place where I can get in line, and the crooks just work at the airport and downtown so that they can jerk around unsuspecting tourists by taking them on long loops before heading them in the direction of their destination.

Two years ago, about the time Jim Gibbons became the Governor of Nevada, the Nevada Taxicab Authority and Nevada Taxicab Board started adding more and more cabs, because they figured that would get more taxis to facilitate the needs of the dysfunctional Las Vegas Convention Center, which has horrific traffic problems inside and out, and traffic turns to gridlock for miles around the Las Vegas Convention Center whenever a convention gets out. The truth is, if you put one million cabs on the streets in Las Vegas when there are 130,000 people getting out of the Las Vegas Convention Center during regular economic times with normal traffic, there would still be gridlock and the cabs would not be able to get to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

So, my income, and the incomes of all Las Vegas cabbies, took a big hit. A lot of good decent and honest cabbies got out because of the low income, and they were replaced by crooks and thieves, because they are the only ones who would take this job, because at that time there were still many other good paying jobs available in Las Vegas. I decided to stay where I was at, and I figured it was not going to get better, but I thought it couldn't get worse.

It did get worse; much much worse. Now I spend my time all night driving up and down the Las Vegas strip trying to find someplace I can get in line without getting a ticket. Sometimes the line of taxis is so long and takes so long that I forget which hotel I am in line for. Cabbies have to drive all over Las Vegas trying to find a place where they can squeeze into the back of a taxi line, and in many places the only way to get into line where it is legal to be is by waiting in line on the street or somewhere illegal where the Nevada Taxicab Authority Officers or Metro Police come by and ticket cabbies.

This is not just about the bad economy or slow business, this is about being exploited and made fools of by the mean and cruel and irresponsible and disrespectful and inhumane Nevada Taxicab Board. It would be nice if the taxicab regulators appointed by Governor Jim Gibbons were decent people and did their job properly, instead of flooding the streets with extra cabs as if this was a boom time in Las Vegas.  

I used to think it was the fault of the owners of the Las Vegas cab companies, but it is really the responsibility of the Nevada Taxicab Board to have OVERSIGHT and REGULATE and make sure that there are not so many taxis on the street that it is impossible to legally get in line.

Last night was a nightmare and a big waste of time, but I will do it again tomorrow and until there is a way out of this mess. I remember about 14 years ago one of the cabbies I worked with had a heart attack and died in his cab while waiting in line to pick up a fare. I told myself that I would never work long enough at cab driving to have that happen to me. Now I wonder.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
January 21, 2009

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jan/15/Economist: Las Vegas economy has further to fall...By Brian Wargo Thu, Jan 15, 2009 (9 a.m.) It’s bad and getting worse. That’s the description of the Las Vegas economy from UNLV economist Keith Schwer, the director of the Center for Business and Economy. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98240424 NPR December 14, 2008 by Ted Robbins
Listen Now [5 min 8 sec] The lights are still on, and the slot machines are still clanging, but Las Vegas is taking a hit in this recession. A room that went for $180 a night in October is $99 now. And the hotels that used to go for $99? They, like most of the little guys, are really getting squeezed. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98591957 NPR December 22, 2008 By Ted Robbins
Business / Now's The Time To Score In Vegas...The bad economy may have hit Las Vegas hard, but if you have the money, now's the time to visit. Hotel prices are low and shows are offering discounts. We explore strategies for saving big bucks and forgetting one's troubles.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-builders1409jan14
Builders show no jackpot for Las Vegas...Sara K. Clarke - Sentinel Staff Writer January 14, 2009 Everyone hopes for a little good luck when they go to Las Vegas, but that's apparently not in the cards for this year's mega gathering of the National Association of Home Builders...The trade group's annual International Builders Show, which is setting up shop in Las Vegas next week after four straight years in Orlando, is likely to attract a much smaller crowd than usual...Preliminary figures indicate attendance could be down this year by at least 25 percent from 2008, said Mark Pursell, senior staff vice president with the NAHB, which organizes the giant trade show and convention.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/07/
economist-las-vegas-economy-stagnant-2010/
Economist: Las Vegas economy stagnant into 2010...Survey shows local business leaders concerned about housing market...Las Vegas Sun By Brian Wargo Fri, Nov 7, 2008 (11:51 a.m.) "The Las Vegas economy, which has been in recession since the end of 2007...the weakness should continue into 2010, according to a UNLV economist...majority of local business leaders are pessimistic about any quick recovery of the economy......The Southern Nevada business community is pessimistic about the economy recovering anytime soon, according to the UNLV survey....It revealed that nearly 58 percent of business leaders surveyed said the local economy will be worse in the fourth quarter."
http://newsweek.com/id/135638
Down on Its Luck...Las Vegas used to be a recession-proof oasis. Not anymore.
Economy: Recession Hits Las Vegas, Newsweek Business, Newsweek.com
By Steve Friess, Newsweek Web Exclusive May 5, 2008 | Updated: 1:27 a.m. ET May 7, 2008 "...Las Vegas, the economy of which was once thought to be impervious to the economic swings suffered by the rest of the country. Not anymore. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), Las Vegas has seen gambling revenues fall only once since 1970: in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks they dropped 1 percent in 2002 from 2001. So far this year they've fallen 4 percent, the number of conventions held has dropped 10.4 percent, and average daily room rates were off 3.8 percent in the first two months of 2008..."
http://usatoday.com/money/markets/2008-05-06-vegas-stocks_N.htm
Weak economy trumps casino stocks - USATODAY.com Last year, for instance, while the rest of the economy was starting to crack, shares of the largest Las Vegas casino operator, MGM Mirage (MGM), gained 47%, ...
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?s=8772733
Poor Economy Delays Las Vegas Echelon Project...The slumping economy has taken a toll on a massive construction project that was supposed to help boost the Las Vegas economy. Work on the Echelon Hotel- Casino stopped Friday and won't start back up for at least a year...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28469946/
Slump means identity crisis for Las Vegas...Long the embodiment of American confidence, Sin City is now in limbo...The slumping U.S. economy is hitting Las Vegas hard. Many once considered the gambling mecca to be a recession-proof oasis.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/Story?id=6209484&page=1
Sands Storm: Las Vegas Giant in Trouble...Las Vegas Sands Corp. Must Raise More Cash to Keep Doing Business; CEO Adelson Has Already Lost Billions...The latest sign that Las Vegas bets are buckling under the tough economy? One of the strip's marquee casino operators is on the ropes...
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2008/nov/13/
our-economy-point-where-its-worth-considering-unco/
Is our economy at the point where it’s worth considering the UNCONSIDERABLE? If you’ve seen the headlines, you know the story: Nevada, and Las Vegas specifically, is in a dire economic condition. From a nation-leading foreclosure rate to a tourism industry reeling from declining visitorship; from layoffs on the Strip to a billion-dollar state revenue shortfall that raises the prospect of devastating across-the-board cuts, it’s becoming clear...
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/business/06vegas.html?fta=y
Economic Troubles Affect the Vegas Strip...Gambling revenue and hotel occupancy are down. Resorts are slashing room rates and offering coupons or free nights. Casino operators are firing hundreds of workers, and their stock prices have plummeted since October. Credit is drying up for hotel and condominium projects planned before the slowdown arrived...Even the people still coming to Las Vegas are spending less...
http://www.kxnt.com/pages/3320210.php?
Economy Affecting Las Vegas...The struggling economy is hitting Las Vegas in its main industry -- tourism. The number of visitors coming to Vegas has fallen 10% compared to a year ago. It's the largest decline since the weeks immediately after the September 11 attacks...Economists say the downturn this time around is different and will run much deeper. Casino revenues have been down all year as well, with nine straight months of declines...
http://www.cnbc.com/id/26422015
Las Vegas Shaken By Economic 'Earthquake'...Thunder rolled across Las Vegas in a sudden downpour Monday, a literal representation of the perfect storm that has rocked Sin City...It turns out Las Vegas isn’t recession proof...

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Las Vegas Marathon on 

Las Vegas Strip Is A Bad Idea

by Vegas Taxi Driver
December 2, 2007

Marathons are a family thing. Lots of kids show up to watch and participate. The last place parents should be taking their kids is the Las Vegas strip, and unless they plan on eliminating gambling and drinking and sex from Las Vegas (which many of the residents in Las Vegas would like to do, but they like extracting money from the Las Vegas Strip to pay for services and keep taxes low), then parents taking their kids to hang out and be on the Las Vegas Strip is a really sick and stupid idea. There are lots of nice places away from the Las Vegas Strip that are built to be kid friendly.

The Las Vegas Marathon is a prime example of the stupidity of the idiotic people who now run Las Vegas, and their stupidity went on display again on Saturday night at midnight before the Las Vegas Marathon. On the busiest night of the week at the busiest time for traffic in Las Vegas, the dummies who are in charge sent out dozens of trucks full of barricades and workers who began blocking off every major street in the only part of Las Vegas that is busy at that time, with people from all over the world who come to get away from normal home town activities like marathon running.

I would like to apologize to all of the unsuspecting tourists and gamblers and nightclub goers who paid good money to come to Las Vegas to experience what Las Vegas is supposed to be and what Las Vegas should be, only to be abused and disrespected by Las Vegas. The morons who are supposed to be running Las Vegas allowed some non-gambling non-clubbing non-spending and non-tipping buffoons who operate this nonsense to ruin your weekend. I don't blame the real customers who come to Las Vegas, for what Las Vegas is supposed to be, if they boycott Las Vegas in the future on marathon weekend. I think some tourists have already learned not to come here that weekend. That can't be good for the casinos. How much did the casinos make last night from all the marathon runners and fans that went to bed at 7pm so they could be up at the crack of dawn for the Las Vegas Marathon? The reason Las Vegas became one of the most well known and popular cities in the world is not because it allowed its life-blood to be crippled during its prime time.

Tens of thousands of tourists who went downtown on Saturday night were stranded and unable to get back to the Las Vegas strip without their cab driver being blockaded and stuck in miserable traffic jams. Bus drivers were at a loss with blockades making it impossible for them to run their routes and I saw buses going in circles from block to block trying to get through (I was too!). Club goers could not get back to their hotels, and many many people missed their flights home on Sunday because the main roads were blockaded. If you are a person who understands Las Vegas and the business at hand, then you can see how ridiculous and inexcusable it is. It is bad for Las Vegas business. It hurts. It is no good. It is stupid.

Wouldn't it be cool if the New York Marathon went right through the trading floors on Wall Street during the middle of the week, and barricades blocked all the traffic all day long in Manhattan on a busy Tuesday or Thursday? That would be so cool! Unfortunately for marathon fans, dummies do not run New York City. Wouldn't it be cool if the marathon surrounded all the trucking hubs in Kansas City and blocked off all the freeways during the busiest traffic time of the week? Wouldn't it be cool if the Atlanta Marathon went down the middle of the busiest freeways on Friday and they blocked off all freeways in Atlanta from Thursday night until Saturday? But, unfortunately for marathon enthusiasts, morons don't run those towns.

Ron Paul would like to have CSPAN let him give campaign speeches for 10 hours every week during the time when they have the most viewers, but the people who run CSPAN are not going to let one candidate have that because they are not idiots. Hillary Clinton would like to be the only guest on the Larry King Show for the next five weeks, but the people who run the Larry King Show are not going to allow one candidate to do that because it would be stupid and detrimental to their ratings. But the people who run Las Vegas are just that stupid.

Marathons are great and having a marathon in Las Vegas is a great thing. I am all for it. Las Vegas encompasses hundreds of square miles from mountain to mountain full of beautiful roads. The roads on the outskirts that separate hundreds of beautiful gated communities in Las Vegas are bigger and better than the run-down roads close to the Las Vegas strip, because the idiots who now run Las Vegas suck money out of the casinos that draw 40 million visitors from all over the world and use the money to make the roads surrounding their voters instead of taking care of business on the streets that are important to tourism traffic. That is because the people who live on the outskirts get to vote and the 40 million tourists do not, and the morons who now rule this area let developers build non-Vegas style communities for hundreds of thousands of non-Vegas style people to move into.

For the Las Vegas residents and politicians who want to attract as many non-gambling non-drinking non-smoking events like marathons in order to change the image of Las Vegas, having the Las Vegas Marathon go down and around the Las Vegas strip should be repulsive. You know that the Las Vegas Strip is the only part of the Las Vegas Marathon that will be paid attention to, and an opportunity is missed to show the world that there are miles and miles of beautiful areas in Las Vegas that are not even near the Las Vegas Strip. All the attention gets paid to the Las Vegas Strip instead of all the beautiful outlying areas.

Unlike most business areas of most major cities, where Saturday and Sunday are the slow days and the least busy times for hotels and restaurants, weekends are the busiest time on the Las Vegas strip with 133,000 rooms in Las Vegas full at the highest rates. The Las Vegas strip and its businesses do not need a shot in the arm on the weekend. I am sure there is some idiot who will report that the Las Vegas Marathon brings money to Las Vegas. The truth is it hurts Las Vegas, and costs the hotels and casinos and nightclubs millions of dollars in lost revenue, because it is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Stockholders of MGM-Mirage and Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands should be aware that one of the 52 weekends of the year is seriously hindered by the dummies running Las Vegas. If a tornado swept through Los Angeles or Chicago or New York City there would be analysts calculating how much business was lost and what the negative impact was on the city. They should do the same in this case.

The businesses and hotels on the outskirts of town would benefit from having the added business of the Las Vegas Marathon going through the outlying areas. Do we have a mayor?

Earlier this year these same dummies crippled business at the downtown casinos for about five weeks because of some car race that had a poor turnout.

LAS VEGAS is getting more and more undesirable to the big spenders and big players that are the life-blood of the city because of the idiots who run Las Vegas. Maybe they should hire some imprisoned mob bosses to be consultants and tell them how to do it.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
December 2, 2007

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK

LAS VEGAS CABBIES

by Vegas Taxi Driver
July 17, 2007

There was a series on HBO called "Taxicab Confessions" supposedly about what it is like to be a Las Vegas cabbie. In my opinion, most of the filming was staged and bogus. People think that being a Las Vegas taxi driver is exciting or something, but for the most part it is routine, structured, and almost sterile. Some of the other jobs I have had were much more exciting. For the most part, being a Las Vegas cabbie is like operating the train at Disneyland.

Here are some commonly asked questions:

DO YOU LIVE IN LAS VEGAS?

No. But I did sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night. Of course I live in Las Vegas!

WHERE DO PEOPLE WHO WORK IN LAS VEGAS LIVE?

Well, there is a bunker underneath Caesars Palace where we all sleep. They wake us up and feed us breakfast and send us to work. Where do people live in your town?

DO YOU GAMBLE?

No I do not. I have moved back and forth between here and my hometown several times, and when I was not living here I would visit Las Vegas with friends and gamble and drink and take taxis like any other tourist. I have no interest in casinos while living here and working as a cabbie. The Strip is the Disneyland of Las Vegas, and a small part of Las Vegas. If you drove the train at Disneyland you would not spend your days off at Disneyland.

DO YOU OWN YOUR OWN CAB?

No. All taxi drivers in Las Vegas are employees. There are nine taxi companies in Las Vegas that own all the taxis. All the drivers are employees of one of those companies. The rates and rules for taxicabs are regulated by the Nevada Taxicab Authority which is a Nevada State law enforcement agency. The Nevada Taxicab Authority has marked and unmarked squad cars that are constantly monitoring taxis to make certain they are not breaking the rules.

WHERE DO YOU PICK UP?

Most taxis in Las Vegas can pick up anywhere. The name of the game is to get a ride as soon as possible after dropping off passengers. That may be the hotel next door or the airport or downtown. Cabbies have to try and guess which place is the best place to go to get a ride quickly. Las Vegas taxi drivers keep track of what conventions are in town, and what concerts or boxing matches are scheduled, and what times shows get over at various hotels.

Taxis are unable to get to the Las Vegas Convention Center when big conventions are getting out during rush hour traffic, so most cabbies will not try to get to the Las Vegas Convention Center even though there are hundreds of people waiting in line for taxis. Las Vegas cabbies are straight commission employees and nobody pays them to sit empty for half an hour trying to get to the Las Vegas Convention Center. In fact, many cabbies in Las Vegas have to pay for gas, and sitting empty in a traffic jam costs them money.

Some of the hotels, such as Venetian and Hard Rock, are not worth driving to empty to get a ride, even if they have huge crowds of people waiting to get a cab. Those places are dysfunctional when it comes to loading cabs, and it is better for cabbies to go elsewhere.

After midnight there are no cabs dropping off at McCarran Airport, so the only way to get cabs at the airport after midnight is for them to drive there empty. But if the strip is busy, the cabs are getting reloaded each time they drop off. Many of the cabbies that drive empty to pick up at the airport do so with the hopes of being able to long-haul customers. I like picking up at the airport late at night in order to avoid extremely drunk customers.

Being a Las Vegas cabbie is mild and relatively non-eventful. In other American cities cabbies have to know how to find addresses spread over hundreds of square miles. They deal with all kinds of locals and grocery runs and hospitals and people getting to work. There are 2 million people living in the Las Vegas area. About 10% of the taxis are restricted from picking up on the Strip or the airport for the sake of locals. For the rest of the taxis, about 97% of the business is on the Las Vegas Strip, Downtown Las Vegas, and McCarran International Airport. All a Las Vegas cabbie has to know how to get to the Mirage and the airport. Once you learn those you can find the rest of the places easily because they are so big. In order to become a financial successful Las Vegas cabbie one needs to learn how to take people the long way, steal rides from other cabbies, and turn down rides that are too short or not profitable. That is why I am not a financially successful cabbie. I just do what I am supposed to and take people the short way.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
July 17, 2007

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Avoid Being Long-Hauled By

A Las Vegas Cabbie

by Vegas Taxi Driver
July 15, 2007

I have read numerous articles online about how bad the cabbies are in Las Vegas. Most of them are written by promoters of limo companies who recommend you pay three times as much to take a limousine or town car, or rental car companies.

Don't allow yourself to be taken in circles and jerked around. Always ask the driver for an approximate price of how much it will cost to get to your destination. This rule is true in Las Vegas, and anywhere in the world you take a taxi; Ask "approximately how much will it cost?" before you get into the taxi. Cab drivers who are crooks hate this. If the cabbie won't give you a satisfactory answer, don't get in the cab and demand another taxi. If you tell the driver to go any way they want, and do not check how much it will cost, you just gave the cabbie permission to long-haul you, and you may end up paying $20 more than if you ask the driver in advance. If you want the cheapest way, do not say, "just go the fastest way." To most drivers that means "Take the freeway, even if it costs $10 more." If you want a cheap fare, then you say, "please take me the cheapest way."

Nevada State Law mandates that taxi drivers take you the most direct way unless you agree to another way. Given the fact that 90% of taxi rides in Las Vegas are in the middle of the worst traffic in Las Vegas, it is often best to take a route that is not the most direct route, and may cost $2 to $3 more than the most direct route. However, some drivers will try to get $5 to $10 more out of each ride. Once again, just get an approximate amount before the ride begins, and realize that it might be a little more if there is an accident or something that bottlenecks the best way to go.

The cost of taking a taxi from one place to another in Las Vegas can vary by as much as $10.00, depending on traffic. Just because a road is clear and good one hour, does not mean it is the next hour. Rush hour, accidents, construction, thousands of employees getting off work at the same time, and other variables, can turn a good way to go most of the time, into a nightmare. Just because a cabbie takes you one way and it is good, does not mean that is still good two hours later or tomorrow. If five or ten bucks one way or another matters to you, then Don't take a taxi! Take a city bus or a shuttle or walk.

Always let the driver know that you are writing down the number of the taxi you are riding in. This is something you should always do in any town. This helps keep the driver honest. Good drivers that do what they are supposed to the way they are supposed to will not mind you keeping track of their taxi number. Who knows, you might even send a letter of commendation to the taxi company. Many cell phones and wallets get lost in cabs, and people have to find the taxi company that has their item. Writing down the number of the taxi makes the search much easier. 

Legally, a Las Vegas taxi cab driver is supposed to take you the most direct way, unless asked to do otherwise. However, some times the most direct way can actually cost more, if traffic is heavy, or there is an accident, or the street is narrowed to one lane because of the mass amounts of construction. If you have a way you think is the best, ask the driver if he is going to take you that way. If not, ask why. If there is a ten-car pile-up on the freeway, or the rodeo just got over, or there are 150,000 people at the Las Vegas Convention Center, or it is rush hour, or the road is down to one lane for construction, those facts might be important in determining if you get to your destination in 30 minutes or 10 minutes. 

Unlike Chicago or Los Angeles or New York, the freeway is not always the best way. Sometimes, the roads that go directly behind the casinos are the best way to go. Sometimes, going down the strip is the best. At other times, those ways are awful. Getting to a freeway can cost as much as just getting to your destination. Many times I have been accused of trying to rack up a high fare by not taking the freeway, and then the customers were amazed that I got them back to their hotel just as fast for $10 less than what they paid going on the freeway. 

Some of the cab companies in Las Vegas put a lot of pressure on their drivers to long-haul customers and steal rides from other cabbies and drive fast. Of course, every cab company will say that their drivers are instructed to follow the law at all times, but some of them punish drivers for not booking as much as other drivers, even though they know good and well the other drivers are booking more by long-hauling customers and stealing rides from other cabbies and driving fast. Understand that when a Las Vegas cabbie gets mad about not being able to long-haul a customer, they are probably worried that they are not booking as much as their co-workers, and the company they are employed by will not let them drive a good cab tomorrow, or they might not be allowed to work when business is good.

Getting long-hauled by a taxi driver in Las Vegas usually means you end up paying less than $10 more than the best possible fare under the best circumstances, and you get to your destination safely either faster or as fast as going a shorter way. To keep that in perspective, lets compare how bad that is compared to other ways you might get ripped off while visiting Las Vegas. Getting long-hauled by a cabbie in Las Vegas is not as bad as:

    - getting ripped off by an Internet booking website that charges you $50 more for a hotel room than if you would have called the hotel direct.

    - getting ripped off by a server in a restaurant that adds five more cocktails to your bill than your party actually received.

    - getting ripped off by an airline that bumps your reservation because they over-booked the flight, or leaves you sitting in the plane on the tarmac for hours.

    - getting ripped off by standing in line for the monorail at the Las Vegas Convention Center only to find out that each time it pulls up it is already full of people who walked to the Hilton or the Sahara to board.

    - getting ripped off at a hotel such as the Venetian or the Hard Rock by standing in an outrageously long taxi line at the same time that the hotel employees are forcing taxis to leave empty and are loading taxis as slow as possible in order to try and get you to take a limo so they can get kick-backs from the limo drivers who over charge you.

    - getting ripped off by a doorperson at a small hotel who tells you they called for a taxi, but instead they called one of their limo buddies who just happens to show up and talks you into paying three times as much as a taxi and gives a kickback to the doorperson who lied to you.

    - getting ripped off by shows that tell you to pick up your tickets two hours before the show or they will sell your seats and still charge you.

    - getting ripped off by nightclub doorpersons who won't let you get into the nightclub unless you tip them $100 or are a hot-looking female wearing next to nothing.

    - getting ripped off by an airline that leaves you waiting for an hour for your luggage, or loses your luggage.

    - getting ripped off by the city bus that packs people in like sardines and then makes you stand between sweaty stinky people while the bus is stuck in gridlock traffic forever.

    - getting ripped off by hotels that put you in a room with no air conditioning or plumbing that doesn't work or noisy neighbors.

    - getting ripped off by a slot machine that loves to take money from you and doesn't pay squat.

Certainly I could come up with a hundred more ways that you could get ripped off that are worse than getting long-hauled by a taxi driver in Las Vegas.

One way to avoid getting ripped off by a cab driver in Las Vegas is to pay three times as much to take a limo or town-car. Another way to avoid getting ripped off by a cab driver in Las Vegas is to take a city bus out of the airport for $1.75 without a transfer. Another way to avoid getting ripped off by a cab driver in Las Vegas is to walk.

Funny how newspaper articles and online blogs don't warn you to not get ripped off by limo drivers. Unlike cabbies, they are not regulated and can charge as much as they like. Getting long-hauled by a taxi driver in Las Vegas usually means you end up paying less than $10 more than the best possible fare under the best circumstances, and you get to your destination safely either faster or as fast as going a shorter way. If that is the worst thing that happens to you on your trip to Las Vegas, thank your lucky stars.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
July 15, 2007

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Chris Moneymaker Can Ride

In My Taxi Anytime

by Vegas Taxi Driver
July 12, 2007

One of the most common questions I am asked by passengers in my cab is, "Have you ever had anyone famous in your cab?" My answer is always that truly famous people have limousines lined up and go in and out of security entrances.
So last night, which was a miserably slow night for taxicabs in Las Vegas, I took a guy from the airport to the Rio around midnight. I thought that was a good thing because the World Series of Poker is at the Rio and there would be lots of people coming out. I got in line behind some cabs at the back door of the Rio where the WSOP is going on and proceeded to sit there and wait and wait and wait. About 40 minutes later I finally got a ride. 
This guy was trying to get in my cab while I was pulling up to where the line is supposed to be. I pulled up to where it was safe for him to get in before letting him in. I apologized to him and explained to him that I needed to pull up before I could let him in. He said he understood and told me he just wanted to "get out of here". I laughed and started driving him to Treasure Island. I asked him how the tournament was going, and he said he got knocked out of the main event. As I do with all my rides, I asked him about how many tournaments he plays a year. He told me about 15 or so. I said that he must be pretty good to play that much. He said it was all he did. I asked him what was the biggest tournament he had ever won, and he said he won the main event of the WSOP in 2003. At that point I didn't know what to ask this guy, so I said, "What's your name?" He answered, "Chris Moneymaker." I was still in the parking lot of the Rio, so I slowed down and turned around to look at him, and there was Chris Moneymaker sitting in the back seat of my cab. 
Most of the time I couldn't tell you what the people look like in my cab. I would never be a good expert witness or detective when it comes to identifying or describing people. I can work with somebody for a year and not remember what color their eyes are. If I didn't asked him about his poker career I probably would not have known that Chris Moneymaker was in my cab until he paid me. 
I really wanted to know what happened in his recent participation in the CNBC Trading With The Stars contest. He was one of the top contenders until near the end of the contest, and then he finished last. I watch CNBC every day and I was pulling for him. He explained to me that he went fishing for a few days and his trades unraveled. He still raised $5000 for his favorite charity. Wounded Warriors.

Now I have had some wanna-be poker players in my cab that I have seen on TV and on the Internet, but they have all been jerks, and they weren't Chris Moneymaker. I was impressed with the fact that he has good manners (even toward a lowly cabbie who doesn't know who he is) and wasn't tweaked out or pretentious. At the end of the ride I told him I was big fan and told him I would rather have his autograph than the fare. I got his autograph and he handed me the fare which he already had in his hand. That autograph will be worth a lot more after he wins several more big ones, which I know he will. 
Thanks Chris. You made my night.
I read online today that Chris Moneymaker had an amazing day of play throughout most of yesterday, but like he told me, the cards just didn't go his way, and he ended up getting knocked out. 
Chris Ferguson and Gus Hansen are still in it. Maybe one of them will get in my cab tonight.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
July 12, 2007

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

$890 Million Waste

at Las Vegas Convention Center

 Planned by  Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

by Vegas Taxi Driver
May 14, 2007

On May 17th the public will supposedly be heard by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Board regarding the proposed $890 million to be spent refurbishing and remodeling the old dysfunctional Las Vegas Convention Center which is located in a bad place for traffic and access. That is a lot of money! Why not build a new convention center in a good place with freeway access and airport access, or let the resorts that raise the money host conventions while the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority uses the money to advertise and get more gamblers and tourists and small business meetings and average sized conventions...

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Blacks Get Bad Rap

Las Vegas NBA All-Star Week

by Vegas Taxi Driver
March 1, 2007

In my opinion, there was a lot of negative publicity about activities in Las Vegas during NBA All-Star week because the 2000 media people had to come up with stories, and because Las Vegas is still a cow-town that doesn't want to see a lot of black people here. Las Vegas needs to grow up and respect all races and cultures that visit and spend money...

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Las Vegas Monorail to Airport

Big Waste, Won't Work

by Vegas Taxi Driver
February 26, 2007

Of course, that is what a cab driver would say! Well, I guarantee you I will not be driving a cab by the time the monorail extends to McCarran. No matter how stupid it is and no matter how much of a failure it turns out to be, I am sure it will transpire because of politics in Las Vegas. This is the monorail that is currently losing over $10 million annually now, after costing $650 million to build. The enthusiastic articles about how wonderful this proposal are void of real facts.

The current monorail has not delivered as promised, and now they want to extend it in the wrong direction...

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

HOW TO GET TAXIS TO GO TO THE 

LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER

by Vegas Taxi Driver
May 14, 2007

There is a simple solution to getting taxis to pick up conventioneers at the Las Vegas Convention Center when there is a huge convention getting out at the stupidest time of the day for traffic around the Las Vegas Convention Center. All the Las Vegas Convention Center has to do is hand a $10 bill to each cabbie who picks up at the Las Vegas Convention Center between 4pm and 6pm. Now, I know that will never happen, because it is absolutely ridiculous. But it is not as ridiculous as expecting cab drivers to work for less than minimum wage in order to pick up at the Las Vegas Convention Center between 4pm and 6pm, when traffic is grid locked and there are lots of taxi customers to pick up without sitting empty in grid lock traffic trying to inch back to the Las Vegas Convention Center. If you are not aware, Las Vegas taxi cab drivers are straight commission employees. Not only do they not get paid when they are empty, but many drivers have to pay for the gas they are wasting while stuck in rush hour traffic trying to crawl back to the Las Vegas Convention Center. Somebody should send a memo to the Nevada Taxicab Authority, but they don't care about whether cabbies in Las Vegas make money or work for free.

The biggest gripe of the Nevada Taxicab Authority regarding how many cabs are on the streets 24/7, is that conventioneers have to wait for a long time to get a cab at the Las Vegas Convention Center at 5pm when the traffic is grid locked and all the hotels near the Las Vegas Convention Center need cabs. The Nevada Taxicab Authority wants cabbies to drive empty past the Sahara Hotel and Las Vegas Hilton and Renaissance Hotel and Marriott Suites and Riviera and Circus Circus and all the other places that desperately need cabs at 5pm when their is a big convention, and then the cabbie is supposed to spend 20 minutes fighting traffic into the Las Vegas Convention Center to pick up, and then wait for 10 minutes just to get out of the Las Vegas Convention Center parking lot. Cabbies are straight commission employees, and if they love their wives and kids, and if they are financially responsible adults, they would only be expected to pick up the closest available ride and try to make some money during the few hours when they don't have to wait in long lines of taxis, thanks to the Nevada Taxicab Authority flooding the streets with cabs 24 hours a day. Knowing that there is no money to made later in the evening, because of the horrendous amount of taxis, is even more incentive for Las Vegas cabbies to not pick-up at the Las Vegas Convention Center during rush hour traffic.

All that has to be done is to have the conventions start and finish when traffic is not at its worst. If a huge convention went from 11am to 7pm, getting cabs would be no problem, because the town is not grid locked with rush hour traffic. It would also be beneficial to conventioneers if the persons in Las Vegas who have the power to okay construction lane closures would work with the Las Vegas Convention Center and prohibit street closures and lane closures in places that affect convention traffic on days when the biggest conventions are in town. You would think the Mayor and City Council in Las Vegas would care about keeping big conventions in Las Vegas.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
May 14, 2007

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

TO LONG-HAUL OR

  NOT TO LONG-HAUL

THAT IS THE QUESTION

by Vegas Taxi Driver
January 29, 2007

With all these cabs on the streets I have to choose between not making enough money, or working my days off, or getting a decent job, or becoming a long-hauling crook like some Las Vegas cabbies. Many of the drivers who have worked for years and have always been honest drivers taking customers the best way for the customers, have become long-hauling crooks in order to keep their house and wife. Personally, I do not look at long-hauling cab drivers as bad people. Most of them are good neighbors, good parents, and good citizens. A lot of long-hauling cab drivers are generous and help those in need. Many long-hauling cab drivers own nice houses and put their kids through college and have money put away for retirement. They are not bad people. Long-hauling has made it possible for them to make enough money for their families to have a good life. As for the customers they long-haul, they are getting to their destination as fast or faster than they would if the driver took them the shortest way. Getting customers to their destination safely in Las Vegas traffic is not an easy task. Most customers are not concerned about whether or not they get charged $5 or $10 more, as long as the driver is pleasant and the car is clean and the ride is smooth and safe. I don't think that cabbies should long-haul, but I understand.

The truth is most taxi customers feel like they are going the best way if they are moving instead of standing still, even if they are going the long way. I get accused of trying to rip off customers all the time because they think I should have taken the freeway, even though I usually get them to their destination before I could have gotten on the freeway. Most customers think that cab drivers try to rip them off by not taking the freeway and sitting at traffic lights and getting stuck in traffic. The meter runs at $22 an hour while the cab is sitting still. The meter is going $120 an hour at 60 miles per hour. What do you think is best for the cabbie?

People ask me why I didn't take the freeway, and I ask them which freeway they wanted me to take. Then they are amazed when I get them back to the airport or their hotel for $8 to $12 less than what they paid on the way to where I picked them up. When they ask me why it cost less to come back then it did to get there, I tell them that the other cabbie makes more money than I do, and lives in a nicer house.

So, why don't I long-haul? Because I am very picky about whom I sleep with, and I am stuck sleeping with me. I don't want to rip people off. If I wanted to be a crook, I would get into credit card theft or Internet scams or something that pays well. I have turned down many sales jobs and telemarketing jobs that would have paid me a lot more than cab driving because they are not ethical. I could have made a lot of money with mail order schemes and Internet sales opportunities that amount to "long-hauling" customers, but I do not want to do that. Just because doctors and lawyers and bankers and land-lords and oil companies are constantly "long-hauling" their customers, does not mean that I have to. Just because the IRS rips me off does not mean I am going to rip people off. Being a cabbie is just a temporary gig for me that I have had to do a few times in order to get from one situation to another. When I am no longer driving cab, I am going to look back and feel good about myself because I had the opportunity to long-haul unsuspecting tourists every day, and I chose not to.

by Vegas Taxi Driver
January 29, 2007

T H E  A U T H O R I T Y  O N   N E V A D A

T A X I   C A B   D R I V E R S   I N   L A S   V E G A S

Buffets In Las Vegas      Golf Courses In Las Vegas       Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog

Las Vegas Taxi Cab Companies     Las Vegas Taxicab Fares and Prices

Nevada Taxicab Authority Info    Las Vegas Taxicabs Lost and Found

LAS VEGAS TAXI DRIVER BLOG ARTICLES:
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS TRIPS FOR BAILED OUT CORPORATIONS FEBRUARY 13, 2009
MAJOR LANE CLOSURES IN LAS VEGAS GOING FORWARD FEBRUARY 13, 2009
SOME LAS VEGAS TAXICAB COMPANIES PRESSURE CABBIES TO RIP OFF TOURISTS FEBRUARY 6, 2009
LAS VEGAS TAXICAB OWNERS GET HIT HARD BY RECESSION FEBRUARY 2, 2009
NEVADA TAXICAB BOARD DOES ITS JOB FEBRUARY 2, 2009
AVOID BEING LONG-HAULED BY A TAXI DRIVER JULY 15, 2007
Las vegas airport tunnel Taxi Rides - Which route to take?  JANUARY 19, 2009
Las vegas economy hits cabbies hard  JANUARY 18, 2009
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK LAS VEGAS CABBIES JULY 17, 2007
Chris Moneymaker Can Ride In My Taxi Anytime JULY 12, 2007
i hate cab driving  october 2, 2006
LAS VEGAS CABBIES ATTACKED BY BARACK OBAMA FEBRUARY 16, 2009

MOMMAS DON'T LET YOUR BABIES

GROW UP TO BE CABBIES

by Vegas Taxi Driver
January 27, 2007

Why should a Las Vegas cabbie be able to make a decent living, or an honest day's pay for an honest day's work? Because the lives of tourists are at stake, and because driving a taxi is a very dangerous and risky job.  The Nevada Taxicab Authority and the Las Convention Visitors Authority should care about the income and well being of honest decent cab drivers, and should see the importance of good honest decent drivers in Las Vegas being able to make a decent living. But their recent policies have indicated that they don't really care about Las Vegas and what is good for Las Vegas. Most cab drivers who go to work for a cab company in Las Vegas are forced to work 60 hours a week or more, even if they have years of experience working as a cab driver in Las Vegas. Any cab company they go to work for is going to require them to work at least five shifts at 11 to 12 hours a shift. And new drivers are only allowed to have days off that are the best business days. So, if a driver wants to work the best shifts for making money, they must work on their days off. If an employee goes to work at a regular job at $10.00 and hour, and works 60 hours in a week, they get a gross pay of $700. If a cab driver goes to work for one of the cab companies, and honestly does not long-haul or rip off customers, they may not make that much. Ten years ago, a new cab driver who was honest and did not long-haul customers, could easily make more than that. Las Vegas cabbies should make at least the equivalent of an employee working for $10.00 per hour.

Ten years ago Las Vegas cabbies made more money per hour worked then they do now. Ten years ago it cost a lot less to live in Las Vegas. Ten years ago tips were a lot better than they are now, because most of the tourists who visited Las Vegas came here to gamble and have fun and lived in The United States and understood what a tip is, and appreciated good service and a friendly proficient cab driver. Many of the foreigners who visit Las Vegas today live in countries where tipping is unheard of and even considered an insult. Many of the conventioneers who visit Las Vegas do not want to be here, but their company forced them to attend a Las Vegas convention, and they are not in a tipping mood (and probably never tip anybody anyway). Many employees who travel and get reimbursed for expenses do not tip, and yet they report to their company that they did tip, so they can come out ahead when being reimbursed. These people do not tip food servers or door-persons or valet or drivers. The IRS robs all the service employees in Las Vegas by making them pay taxes on tips they do not make.

Las Vegas cab drivers are straight commission employees with none of the benefits associated with straight commission jobs and all of the bad associated with employment. The administrators and employees of the Nevada Taxicab Authority have safe jobs with guaranteed pay and benefits. The message that they do not care about the incomes of Las Vegas cabbies has been heard. The Nevada Taxicab Authority has made it clear that they do not care whether or not Las Vegas cab drivers get paid for what they do. Cab drivers are making a lot less money this year than they did last year, thanks to the Nevada Taxicab Authority.

by Vegas Taxi Driver