The problem with cab rides from the airport is that the service is a commodity. When that type of market occurs, it's a price race to the bottom. There's really no way to differentiate your service effectively. Sure you can have a clean cab, be super professional, etc., but at the end of the day 99% of rides from the airport are the same.

So the long haul was born, an opportunity to differentiate your service in a potentially short-term benefit at the long-term expense of tainting the industry.

Information is king. Customers may pay more for quicker arrivals. Show them real time traffic overlaid on GPS routes and let them decide. It's fair, gives them a choice and everyone is happier when they pay for a service they want without having to feel like they're being taken.

It's a Vegas epidemic, just another way for the city to con consumers out of their money, but without any possibility of enjoying it.

Anybody taken an airport shuttle? How much time do you waste in waiting for shuttle and then being taken to multiple hotels before your final destination? I believe the price is $5 to $6/person...

Is this worth it? At least you don't worry about a ripoff.. or is shuttle too much hassle? Is this being frugal or cheap?

OP... did you know Michael Boldon?

Do you think it's fair/reasonable for someone to stiff on tip if the cabbie doesnt have change?

Dick move or not?

My friend and I arrive late to LAS, are supposed to join the group for dinner at the Bellagio in 15 min in heavy traffic (Fri ~7:45 pm). We request freeway to the North entrance, but there's some **** going down and the North entrance is blocked. Cab pulls forward to the parking lot that is LVB. Just as we groan and dial our friends to let them know we're not gonna make it, cabbie pulls to the left, zooms up ahead, turns right from lanes you really shouldn't be turning right from, cuts the entire line, jams himself in and clips the traffic island to boot. I'm from Boston and even I was surprised by the brazen aggression. It was a pretty impressive feat of not giving a ****.

As passengers, we laughed the entire slow crawl up to the main entrance, even as the driver behind us yelled an endless stream of profanity (he may have even tried to get out of his car once, he was super duper mad). And of course we gave a fat tip.

As a cabbie, would you ever do that? What would you think / do if someone did that to you?

Has anyone ever left $300k in the backseat?

@callipygian IMO it was for the greater good. Wondering if a cabbie would get in trouble by bypassing the main entrance when it is slow at the B and dropping off the fare at the self parking garage elevator. Might be an extra block or two on the meter but would save on the time charge.

North side entrance at the B FTW. if the cabbie take you there, tip him extra!

Back to using LAS --> Harrah's as an example, for that trip, why should anyone have to say what route to take? Barring very odd traffic/construction issues, the tunnel is NEVER the right route; when I tell you I want to go to Harrah's, the LEGAL route is Paradise to Koval. You keep saying, "Oh, problem solved if you just tell me your route," but again, it's seem out of whack to me that the burden should shift to the customer to not get taken advantage of. And that whole solution really only works on regulars who recognize the long hauling issue; what about newbies who have no idea? They just get ****ed.

Regarding TA requiring payment of the "actual" fare: what happens to the driver? Isn't it a pretty stiff fine/potential loss of license?


Again using the LAS --> Harrah's example (since it should be clear cut), and a cabbie asking "Tunnel?" or "Do you want to go tunnel?" (as opposed to "what route do you want to go"), I'll just agree with the previous poster that that's not an upsell, it's flat out stealing. It really is. The cabbie is hoping the person is ignorant and will allow them to take a route that would otherwise be against the law. There is no extra value, AT ALL, and even if you thought one up to justify it, since you're looking at nearly double the fare the passenger has a right to know what that value is and decide on their own.

With clear coat, the dealer says "would you like me to put a clear coat on your car? It will cost you $xx. It is $yy amount without it. You should really get the clear coat, it will make your exterior look better and will help with paint fade." People can decide, and because there's extra value, they can identify what they want to do. The equivalent, HONEST upsell with long hauling would be, "Would you like to take the tunnel to Harrah's? It will cost you $35. It will cost you $19 if we take Paradise to Koval. You should take the tunnel because it MIGHT be a little bit faster depending on what's going on on Paradise and Koval, but there's a decent chance it's actually slower. But you get to see the backside of a few casinos, so that's cool." A clear coast upsell if taking advantage of stupidity (although clear coat isn't always bad). Long hauling takes advantage of ignorance. I have a much bigger problem taking advantage of ignorance.

And there are very few things in this world I complain about more than resort fees, so that's just wrong......

Agreed. As to not derail this thread...
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/10.../#post45859798

Have you met Las Vegas equivalents of Jim Ignatowski or Travis Bickle?

All of this is true, but none of that is "long hauling." Long hauling means taking a longer route that is not beneficial for the express purpose of generating more meter. Going an alternate way to get there faster and/or cheaper is just being a good driver.

That said, I know you guys are handcuffed by the 'most direct route' thing, but my point is that there are plenty of drivers in LV LHing people, which is not the same thing as taking the tunnel on a particular trip because it's a better/faster/cheaper drive.

Right, that's my point. As I said, let's keep things in perspective.

That's a good question. And anyone interested in Uber at all should look at that entire business in this same context: Who can verify that things are what we're being told they are?

Just about every regulation that exists for the transportation industry does so with the safety of the riding public in mind. And in our case part of the TA's job is to ensure that the approved by committee rate and for that matter the advertized rate coincides with the actual functioning calculation of the meters.

To answer, each meter has a locking mechanism on it, usually affixed right to the front of it in plain view. There is a little tab on the meter that must first be removed before you can alter the meter calculation, and the lock prevents removal of it. A thin meter wire is fed through the tab and then into the lock. Tampering with this device by me or you is a big no no. The only time those things come off is when the meter rates change.And that doesn't happen very often. And on those nights we have to line up every cab in the fleet and sit there while TA officers come one by one and unluck each meter, change the calculation and re lock in. At the same time, other workers are replacing the stickers on the doors that advertise the rate. In fact, the board approved this last meter increase months ago but they just very recently actually did the change overs. Why the delay? Because TA had to move their budget around to be able to pay all the TA Officers the overtime required to complete that process city wide. So once TA sorted out their payroll issue, then the change was executed.

So in our case, the TA and the State of Nevada function to verify that we are in fact doing what we say we are doing and what we're supposed to be doing. That is one of their biggest roles in this. So i would ask you all, who can verify that Uber is what it's purported to be?

I have no idea. And I'd have to say my experience doesn't really jive with what you're describing. It seems to me that people come here for opportunity, and it's more likely the city brings it out of them. I've long since wondered if somehow the "scum of the earth" is for some reason attracted to cab driving or if cab driving itself somehow slowly changes otherwise normal individuals into the scum of the earth. Dealing with the general population is a real psyche grinder.

If it's sympathy tips I sought I would tell you about my adopted son, not my drinking problem.

LVCC ...

I have lived in this town longer than most people born here (50+ years). Obviously, much has changed over time as it pertains to various forms of public transportation.

As this town has grown, and as the convention business has increased, it is important to note that there are times, when driving from the airport, via the tunnel and 215 to 15 to some strip resort, can actually be faster than attempting to go via paradise/trop or flamingo, or Sands/Twain, etc. Much of that is impacted by various factors such as day of week, time of day, conventions, etc. Those times, however, do exist. I don't know about you, but I hate being anywhere near Paradise and Convention Center drive when things like CES is happening.

I do, however, agree that the majority of the time, using the tunnel is not the best route.

I can no longer drive, so I take cabs/buses everywhere now. For that reason, I have paid particular attention to how things have changed with cab fares. I am curious how you feel about the recent rate changes ... especially the 20 to 22 cents for 1/13 of a mile. When tourists watch your meters, do they freak out over the fact that the current rate no longer ends in a 0 or 5, but can be like $4.81, or whatever? Has the resulting strange amounts affected your tips any (positively or negatively)?

It is the first major change since 2008, and I am curious if the average rider notices?

I really enjoyed your blog, especially about your epic fight with the TA re: the ticket you received picking up ride at the curb and supposedly "interfering with traffic."

I appreciate your Grit and tenacity on fighting this. It was only a $60 ticket and I would've just paid this and be done with it. I find my time too valuable and $60 is a small price to pay for getting rid of this "stress"

By my calculation, you probably spent $3000 to $5000 worth of time and hassle to fight a $60 ticket. It's easy to say it wasn't about money, but at what point do you say, this isn't worth it and just pay the relatively small fine and be done with it.. (I'm glad you fought through it.. fwiw)

Aww you're saying that the #BackseatTweets doesn't make a difference? That's messed up man. I'm going to to tell Dicky V you said that.

I knew him indirectly yes. I was actually out of the country when that accident happened.

I'm quoting this separately from your question because I think you're spot on. Hits the nail on the head. I will only add that one of the main reasons they BUILT the tunnel in the first place was to help alleviate this very problem.

I remember long long time ago in NYC, all the cab had this bullet proof glass partition between rear passenger seats and front. It was to protect drivers from robbery. I didn't realize how insanely dangerous it was to be a nyc cabbie in the 70s.

Do you ever feel threatened as a cabbie especially in the "bad" part of town? How do you protect yourself from these kinds of dangers?

Clarification: Please don't take my reply as any judgment on you personally. In fact, your use of Twitter, blogging, etc IS one way to differentiate yourself and I hope you've been rewarded for your creativity.

My original post was directed towards the industry in general with the airport to strip fare a specific example.

Appreciate your contributions to the topic at hand.

There is a 27% tax on renting car from the airport plus $3/day surcharge. So the total can come close to 30% on taxes!!!!!!! yicchhhhs!!

Is this some kind of conspiracy from Taxi company to discourage tourists from renting cars? This reeks of politics and lobbying effort by taxi groups.

I'll be going out to Vegas soon. I usually stay at Encore. With recent new rates what is the expected taxi fare from the airport to Encore? (obviously taking the most direct route).

Last time I was there (nov 2013), there was some talk about the monorail being extended to the airport.

Is that still a possibility? How bad would that be for the cabs?