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...

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