{"id":20812,"date":"2014-01-02T09:53:07","date_gmt":"2014-01-02T14:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/raleighpublicrecord.org\/?p=20812"},"modified":"2014-01-02T11:29:31","modified_gmt":"2014-01-02T16:29:31","slug":"growing-pains-as-more-taxis-crop-up-in-raleigh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/news\/transit\/2014\/01\/02\/growing-pains-as-more-taxis-crop-up-in-raleigh\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing Pains as More Taxis Crop Up in Raleigh"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Early this year, a fleet of 2013 Toyota hybrid taxis hit the streets of downtown Raleigh.<\/p>\n<p>They let riders book via mobile app and pay with their smartphones, and equipped drivers with GPS and Google Nexus 7 tablets with trip information, bill processing and other communication tools.<\/p>\n<p>In many ways, Taxi Taxi exemplified what city leaders hoped for when they passed a series of ordinances in 2009 to professionalize the local taxi industry. The cars were new, use the latest technologies, and they gave visitors from out of town the same transit experience they\u2019d have in New York, Washington D.C. or Boston, but at a much lower cost.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20691\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi2-771x473.jpg\" alt=\"A TaxiTaxi crosses Glenwood at Peace Street.\" width=\"771\" height=\"473\" class=\"size-large wp-image-20691\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi2-771x473.jpg 771w, https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi2-336x206.jpg 336w, https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi2.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A TaxiTaxi crosses Glenwood at Peace Street.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>It also symbolized a growing trend in Raleigh. With 70 restaurants in downtown\u2019s core seven blocks and 300 in neighborhoods surrounding it, active event schedules at the Red Hat Amphitheater and Raleigh Convention Center and frequent festivals and events on Fayetteville Street, downtown Raleigh has finally become a destination.<\/p>\n<p>The number of visitors to Wake County is up 20 percent since 2009, and demand for hotel rooms is up 15 percent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are coming downtown to be downtown,\u201d said Julie Brakenbury, director of services for the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitor\u2019s Bureau. \u201cTaxi service is hugely important to their experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>City of Raleigh data is proving that trend. Taxi Taxi\u2019s drivers were among the 169 to join the city\u2019s cabbie ranks this year, representing a 21 percent increase in licensed drivers in Raleigh. And since 2006, the number of taxi companies has grown from 35 to 110.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-right half type-aside\"><center><strong>Cab Driver Census<\/strong><br \/>\n2012 &#8211; 792<br \/>\n2013 &#8211; 961<br \/>\n*21 percent increase<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cab Company Census<\/strong><br \/>\n2006 &#8211; 35<br \/>\n2013 &#8211; 110<br \/>\n*214 percent increase<\/center><\/aside>\n<p>But with more demand and competition comes new challenges. And some taxi companies aren\u2019t convinced the city is ready to handle them.<\/p>\n<p>Representatives of Cardinal Cab, among Raleigh\u2019s largest and oldest taxi companies with 80 cars, appeared last summer before the city\u2019s Budget and Economic Development Committee to request the first meter increases since 2006. And to the taxi inspectors housed within the Raleigh Police Department, they\u2019ve requested more city oversight over taxi companies and unregulated private cars and limousines, which they say are increasingly operating like cab companies on the streets.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20695\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi9-771x351.jpg\" alt=\"Limos parked near the 42nd St. restuarant.\" width=\"771\" height=\"351\" class=\"size-large wp-image-20695\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi9-771x351.jpg 771w, https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi9-336x153.jpg 336w, https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi9.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Limos parked near the 42nd St. restuarant.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe face a lot of threats,\u201d said Cardinal partner David Matoke, who runs the company with his brother Kephas. \u201cBut the city is turning its head instead of really tackling what is facing this industry. We want fairness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Higher Rates<\/strong><br \/>\nMatoke said the costs of operating his company have risen 30 percent since 2009. Yet, the city\u2019s base meter rate has stayed $1.95, with $2.50 per mile and a 25-cent, per-minute fee while waiting for a rider. According to an April 2012 analysis by USA Today, Raleigh has the fourth-lowest one-mile taxi fare of the nation\u2019s 60 largest cities, at $4.51.<\/p>\n<p>But since 2006, gas prices have risen at least $1 per gallon. Cars, which Cardinal typically replaces every five years (Raleigh requires them be no more than 10 years old), cost more, and the price of accessories like adding a logo, top light, meter, radio and computer have risen.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20697\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi6.jpg\" alt=\"taxi6\" width=\"750\" height=\"228\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi6.jpg 750w, https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi6-336x102.jpg 336w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The city\u2019s own fees have grown under the 2009 ordinances. A decal for each car now costs $25, up from $15. The cost for a driver\u2019s permit rose from $25 to $150. A criminal record check is $25, up from $10. And a driving record report is $15, up from $10.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s forcing us to cut corners, like cutting hours from employees and laying off dispatching staff to stay afloat,\u201d Matoke said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20699\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignright\" style=\"max-width: 336px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi3-336x207.jpg\" alt=\"Taxis line up on Harrington Street near the Greyhound Bus terminal.\" width=\"336\" height=\"207\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-20699\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi3-336x207.jpg 336w, https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi3-771x475.jpg 771w, https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi3.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taxis line up on Harrington Street near the Greyhound Bus terminal.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Rates would have to double for the company to make a small profit and be positioned to handle more cost increases during the years until another rate increase is approved.<\/p>\n<p>Taxi Taxi of Raleigh\u2019s General Manager Fred Platt agrees that existing fares aren\u2019t fair for drivers, who typically lease cars from taxi companies and keep the majority of rider fees. He\u2019d like for Raleigh to begin charging riders for time stuck in traffic or at stoplights (the meter currently stops), like in Charlotte, or to require an additional fee for carrying more than two passengers, which would incentivize vans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are not making the money they should be making,\u201d he said. \u201cEither the city should increase the rate, or allow the meters to run hot.\u201d By \u201crun hot\u201d Platt means allow the meters to keep charging when the cab is at a red light or stuck in traffic.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More Regulation<\/strong><br \/>\nMatoke would also like the city to consider a cap on the number of taxis or taxi companies in town, and to consider an ordinance that would require limos, black cars and other passenger vehicles to follow the same rules as taxi companies.<\/p>\n<p>Durham City Council caps the number of taxis that can operate in the city at 180, with an annual review process for raising the number. And last December, after lobbying by local taxi companies and despite scrutiny by the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law, it approved an ordinance to regulate shuttle, limo and for-hire vehicles the same as it does taxis. That means requiring permits, background checks and annual inspections.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20693\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi4-771x351.jpg\" alt=\"taxi4\" width=\"771\" height=\"351\" class=\"size-large wp-image-20693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi4-771x351.jpg 771w, https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi4-336x153.jpg 336w, https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi4.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Matoke is fearful that a company called Uber, which uses a smartphone app to connect private drivers with passengers, might come to town. The national mobile app provider for private cars and other passenger transport services entered Charlotte in September and has interest in Raleigh, according to its spokesperson Nairi Hourdajian.<\/p>\n<p>It could enter the market with Uber Black, its high-end car service, or UberX, which offers a lower-cost option and ride-sharing. In either case, drivers are required to meet Uber\u2019s screening process\u2014background checks, insurance verification, vehicle inspections and a city knowledge exam\u2014before they get access to the mobile app.<\/p>\n<p>In other cities, it has met resistance from existing taxi companies and sometimes even city leaders, for enabling private car operators to act like taxis by using its mobile application to field calls for rides.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever the existing frameworks are, we operate within them,\u201d Hourdajian said. \u201cWhat\u2019s most important to us is the fact that there is consumer demand, driver interest and cities with more economic opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20696\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignright\" style=\"max-width: 336px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi7-336x636.jpg\" alt=\"A taxi drives down Martin Street near Moore Square.\" width=\"336\" height=\"636\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-20696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi7-336x636.jpg 336w, https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/taxi7.jpg 554w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A taxi drives down Martin Street near Moore Square.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>No Changes, Yet<\/strong><br \/>\nSo far, no rate increases have been approved in Raleigh, and no further oversight of the industry is being considered.<\/p>\n<p>City police spokesman Jim Sughrue said the taxi inspectors recently compared Raleigh\u2019s rates to those in other North Carolina cities and found them to be reasonable.<\/p>\n<p>The inspectors compared a 15-mile trip in this region to rates in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Wilmington and Charlotte. Raleigh\u2019s fees were only lower than Charlotte\u2019s, and it\u2019s a much larger city.<\/p>\n<p>Mayor Nancy McFarlane, chair of the city\u2019s Budget and Economic Development Committee, is content with that result. After all, Raleigh is best compared to its neighbors, she said. And a lower taxi rate is a benefit for attracting visitors from out of town, or new residents to town.<\/p>\n<p>As for private car regulation or a taxi cap, Sughrue said both were considered several years ago by the City Council\u2019s Law and Public Safety Committee, but the city decided not to regulate.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/taxi_image_s.jpg\" alt=\"taxi_image_s\" width=\"255\" height=\"88\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-7104\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>McFarlane said she is hoping for further guidance on that issue from new city manager Ruffin Hall, who has experience dealing with transit issues in his prior role in Charlotte.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are really in this phase of growing pains,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing more and more things like this as we get larger, and it\u2019s really helpful to see what other cities have done.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"DV-viewer-982990-list-of-raleigh-taxi-companies-and-car-count\" class=\"DV-container\"><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/s3.documentcloud.org\/viewer\/loader.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<script>\n  DV.load(\"\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/982990-list-of-raleigh-taxi-companies-and-car-count.js\", {\n  width: 600,\n    height: 400,\n    sidebar: false,\n    text: false,\n    pdf: false,\n    container: \"#DV-viewer-982990-list-of-raleigh-taxi-companies-and-car-count\"\n  });\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The number of taxis in Raleigh has spiked in recent years, but cab company owners say city regulations\u2014and the city-set fares\u2014haven\u2019t kept pace with the growing demand and costs for taxi companies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24062,"featured_media":20693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15,14],"tags":[1510],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20812"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24062"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}