DCBID Wants You to Appreciate Taxis
Ed Fuentes
Councilwoman Jan Perry gets in a cab at the July 31 kickoff for the Hail-a-Taxi pilot.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Downtown's six-month Hail-a-Taxi trial runs through February, but uptake has been slow. It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation -- the cabs aren't circling because people aren't out hailing, but how can people expect to hail when the cabs aren't there?
The Downtown Center BID wants to jumpstart the process with a "Taxicab Appreciation Week," to run December 8 - 14.
A motion currently in the Council system asks for permission to post promotional signs on poles around Downtown. The signs would be designed and paid for by DCBID, and would be up in late November and run through December.
The Hail-a-Taxi program is a pilot that defines rules for how traffic enforcement and LAPD handle cabs. It instructs officers to allow cabs to make stops in "No Parking" zones for the purpose of picking up and dropping off passengers, something not technically legal under California state law. After years of work, the pilot kicked off in July.
One interested aspect of the current efforts is a campaign to help cabbies understand what different venues will be generating traffic Downtown. Understanding when people will be coming out of concerts and events is good for both the cabbies who can generate more revenue and for riders who can better get to other parts of the neighborhood.
Bartleight on November 07, 2008, at 05:25PM – #1
Even with this new 6-month program is anyone experiencing the same reluctance of cab drivers to haul passengers the short distances in and around Downtown? I was just wondering, because that's primarily why I don't bother hailing taxis. If they don't want to drive me why bother with them. I do occasionally see cabs driving around the Historic Core, but not on a consistent basis.
Karin Liljegren on November 07, 2008, at 08:09PM – #2
I have an idea that would take no money and the cab companies can profit. Have the cab companies pay for a flyer with their advertisement (and phone number) about Downtown cabbing for residents. The flyer should go to every resident.
Bert Green on November 08, 2008, at 01:20AM – #3
Better yet would be a single flat rate for any destination within a specified downtown zone (say, 101, 110, 10 and the river), say $5 plus tip. I'd use cabs all the time if I could get one and it would not cost $15 to go a few blocks.
Brian on November 08, 2008, at 07:42AM – #4
My wife has attempted to take a few cabs in the downtown area recently and all of them (three) refused to accept the fare from 7th and Grand to the Flower district. Instead she was relegated to walking home, getting our car and driving herself over to find/pay for parking.
I'm also amazed how cabs tend to hang around in one spot. Again, at 7th and Grand outside Rite Aid cabs just sit there including one the other day with his drivers side door open and the cabbie sitting with his body outside the vehicle. I was in the Bunker Hill area recently and saw 6 cab drivers playing cards on the hood of a cab.
I think this project will take some time to pick up steam but people aren't going to hail a cab if they aren't out driving around.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on November 08, 2008, at 07:59AM – #5
Brian: Those cab drivers are waiting in line to get into the hotel (at 7th/Hope, the Sheraton). They're desperately hoping for an airport fare.
I'm under the impression that it's technically against the rules for taxis to refuse short trips, but in just a few minutes of looking right now I wasn't finding anything to back that up. Perhaps someone else knows... Certainly it's something that happens all the time, though.
Mark Bisaha on November 08, 2008, at 10:21AM – #6
@Bert: Houston has a $6 flat-rate charge for any ride within thin their downtown area. I don't have any information about its success. D.C. used to have a zone system with a flat-rate per zone, but the city got rid of it because, apparently, no one knew where zones boundaries were and that lead to fare arguments.
Bert Green on November 08, 2008, at 11:19AM – #7
Well, it would be pretty easy in downtown to make a zone system work. Once you pass over or under a freeway or a river, you would be out of the zone. Sounds easy to me.
John Swartz on November 08, 2008, at 12:53PM – #8
Well, if I see taxis patrolling through the historic core, I will hail them. But, I've only been able to do this once!
If the cabbies don't want to patrol, then the cab companies should force or assign certain drivers to be patrolling on some nights, while the rest can wait at their precious taxi zones. I think you will start to see the patrolling cabs making 10x more than the taxi zone cabs.
karin Liljegren on November 08, 2008, at 01:39PM – #9
I just want you to know that last night, I read this piece before going out to the Arts District for a pub crawl - it reminded me I should take a taxi - and I did - both ways. But I had to call, so now at least they are in my iphone favorites.
Downtowner on November 09, 2008, at 08:56AM – #10
Hi Eric - Regarding this practice of taxi drivers refusing short trips, they are NOT allowed to do so, according to the Taxicab Commission regulations which governs their services.
Knowing and citing the rule to the driver should ensure your trip -however short- is completed without hassles, so everyone should be aware of it. That is unless picking you up will cause the cab to become "evil smelling" in which case all bets are off and you and your evil smell are hoofing it. (See below)
The Taxicab Rulebook reads as follows:(various sections)
A driver shall not refuse to transport any person except for the following reasons: a. driver has already been dispatched on another call; b. passenger is acting in a disorderly or threatening manner, or otherwise causes the driver to reasonably believe that his/her health or safety, or that of others, may be endangered. c. there is a reasonable expectation that passenger may cause the taxicab to become stained or evil smelling; d. passenger requires the use of a litter or stretcher; e. passenger can, upon request, show no ability to pay fare; and f. driver is occupying a taxicab zone or taxicab stand pursuant to Board conditions under Rules 741 and 742.
A driver shall not ask for passenger's destination until passenger is seated in the taxi, except in the case of a driver participating in a shared-ride program approved by the Department. [5:$:X:5:A]
A driver shall not attempt to refer the passenger to another taxicab or means of transportation, except in the case of a driver participating in a shared-ride program approved by the Department or in the case of a driver boccupying a taxicab zone or taxicab stand pursuant to Board conditions under Rules 741 and 742. [5:$:X:5:X]
A driver shall not dismiss or discharge any passenger at a point other than the requested destination without adequate cause. [10-R:$:X:10:B]
A taxicab operator or its employees/order takers/dispatchers shall not ask a customer BO 052.resolution Page 8 Revised March 2007 requesting taxicab service his/her destination nor if payment will be by transportation coupons, vouchers, stamps, etc. issued by the City or its agents, unless guidelines for such "destination and payment" questions have been submitted and approved by the Department. [X:X:X:3:X]
You can read the whole rulebook at the taxicab commission site:
http://www.ladot.lacity.org/about_Commissions_taxicab_records.htm
Joe on November 10, 2008, at 10:59AM – #11
If there was money in cruising Downtown, cabbies would do it. Just because you have anecdotal stories about the time you held your arm out for a cab and couldn't get one doesn't mean there is a goldmine on the streets that drivers are too stupid to see. There isn't.
As long as we are Indepdendent Contractors, in business for ourselves, one cannot expect us to conduct ourselves merely in service to the community to the detriment of our own pocketbook.
If a Taxi Company wants to hire me as an employee and pay me a wage with benefits, then they can tell me where and how to work.
LAofAnaheim on November 10, 2008, at 12:08PM – #12
@ Brian and others...I'm surprised you're having problems hailing cabs. First of all, I take many cab trips during the evening and late night hours; and taken a few during the day. I travel generally between South Park and the Historic Core and NEVER had a cabbie refuse; so that's odd that they would say no to go to a Flower District. If y'all wait a couple of minutes at an intersection at night, a cabbie actually does come around. It may take a few minutes, but it does happen. Again, I'm shocked people have a hard time taking cabs.
Pyphus on November 12, 2008, at 02:18PM – #13
The Cab situation in this town stinks! Two years ago I was charged with a DUI and thus resigned to using other means of transportation. Because LA's public transportation system goes to sleep around midnight, I hoped the taxis would be a viable late-night option. Nope. I've been refused taxi service about a half dozen times, usually trips within the downtown area. I work at a popular downtown hotel where two or three manned cabs will be parked idle for hours. I learned that these drivers lease their cars and that if they can do two "airport" runs in a day, they meet their income quota. It's the least amount of work for the most money, thus, those of us who need alternate forms of transportation, suffer. Maybe someone should create a "downtown" taxi service using hybrid vehicles, making short trips within the downtown area. The competition would force the current lazy/apathetic service out of the area. Hmmmm...
Bartleight on November 13, 2008, at 11:01AM – #14
I say bring back the pedicab instead! The distances Downtown are relatively short and flat, except for Bunker Hill of course, and the trips are better suited to pedicabs rather than taxis. Eric Green tried--concierge of the Sheraton--as well as a few others. I'm emailing Jan Perry right now to see what she thinks.
Heather on November 14, 2008, at 10:49AM – #15
I've always called ahead. It usually takes like 10 minutes for them to get here, but when I took cabs from downtown out, it was to get to USC and was usually like an $11 fare.