Discussion

• February 28, 2007

  9:05 AM

  Les J writes:

  I have a friend that is about 75 yrs old and is eligible for RTD and Taxi discount pricing. She will call for a taxi and let them know that it is a discount fair and the dispatch acknowledges the information and confirms the price and when she gets to the desitination the taxi driver charges her 4 or 5 times what the discount fair is and deny that there is such a thing as a discount fair. So instead of paying $3 or $4 for a fair she is paying $12 or more so now she can't afford to do what she planned and ends up going back home, at $12 again because she can no longer afford to buy her favorite snack or get her hair done that she has saved for a couple of months to be able to do. Denver Taxi service is no service.

• February 28, 2007

  9:07 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  Denver Taxi Service sucks up here in Longmont, way too expensive and too long of a wait.

• February 28, 2007

  9:15 AM

  a concerned citizen writes:

  Taxi drivers are all rep offs. They will literally go the long way around just to make their meter eat more of your money. They know exactly what their doing. Don't trust them, never will.

• February 28, 2007

  9:48 AM

  Briean writes:

  I cant even begin to tell you the number of times I have been disapointed with cab service in Denver. ITs a joke. I live DOWNTOWN, and still have waited hours for a cab on a regualr weeknight to make a dinner reservation. I dont even try any more on weekends. I am afraid to admit it, but I can speak for several people who have taken a risk of driving after a drink or two, (careful to not drink much, but rather not be in the situation) because there is no alternative to get a cab.
  Is deregualtion the solution? Something has to be. I am glad finally local news is catching on and making some noise about this.
  

• February 28, 2007

  10:04 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  I won't use Metro Taxi anymore because they simply lie--over and over and over. It isn't just the drivers, it's dispatch and the supervisors. I have been left in the dark with my elderly mother more times than I want to count. Freedom Cab is better about the lying, but they have fewer cabs, so their response times are longer. I am left with Yellow, the most expensive. That said, they always show up.

• February 28, 2007

  10:04 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  I won't use Metro Taxi anymore because they simply lie--over and over and over. It isn't just the drivers, it's dispatch and the supervisors. I have been left in the dark with my elderly mother more times than I want to count. Freedom Cab is better about the lying, but they have fewer cabs, so their response times are longer. I am left with Yellow, the most expensive. That said, they always show up.

• February 28, 2007

  10:05 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  I won't use Metro Taxi anymore because they simply lie--over and over and over. It isn't just the drivers, it's dispatch and the supervisors. I have been left in the dark with my elderly mother more times than I want to count. Freedom Cab is better about the lying, but they have fewer cabs, so their response times are longer. I am left with Yellow, the most expensive. That said, they always show up.

• February 28, 2007

  10:21 AM

  Phil writes:

  I used Metro several years ago to get me home from DIA after the bus stopped running. The tab came to $60, and the driver added a nice $20 tip for himself (he also would not take the shortest route as I requested, saying "what if the vehicle broke down")

  When I complained about the tip, saying that I, no he should determine what I tip, he feigned not being able to speak English)

  I asked him to drop me off at an apartment complex about half a mile from where I live, and when we stopped, I grabbed my bag and ran into the complex out of sheer disgust with the poor service. He started yelling, cursing, and circled the block for about ten minutes before leaving.

  I do not feel at all guilty for skipping out on a fare when the driver would not go the route I requested, gave himself a tip of his choosing (33% seems a little excessive), and played the "No Habla" game when called on anything.

  Taxi service here stinks to high hell, imho.

• February 28, 2007

  10:35 AM

  FS writes:

  The last horrible snowstorm, the one where it was 5 degrees, my car had broken down, I tried to call Metro the night before and was told they wouldn't do an advance reservation, I called at 4:30 am, and again at 5:30 am and the taxi never came, at 7:30 I ended up taking the bus-which was what I was trying to avoid, I didn't want my 6 year old to have to stand out in the cold. Metro told me that they "couldn't" make a driver come to my house but if they are required to pick up all calls why was I told this? We need more regulation not less.

• February 28, 2007

  10:37 AM

  Robert R writes:

  I don't own a car and I live in Capitol Hill. When I use a cab, it's usually a short trip and the cabbies' responses vary. When I get good service on a short ride, I overtip. When they play games -- I know the city and how it is laid out -- I undertip.

• February 28, 2007

  11:35 AM

  DLJ writes:

  
  I HAD ONCE LIVED AROUND THE CORNER FROM RED LION HOTEL.
  I GET A DISCOUNT WITH THE CABS AND NEED TO GO TO WORK.
  WHEN I CALL FOR THE CAB IT TAKE THEM FOR EVER TO COME.
  SO A FEW TIMES I WOULD WALK AROUND TO THE HOTEL AND SEE THE SAME CAB I BEEN WAITING FOR ALL OF THEM SITTING IN THE PARKING LOT.
  THEY THOUGH THAT I WAS STAYING IN THE HOTEL AND AFTER A WHILE THEY CAUGHT UP WITH MY GAME.
  I AM BLIND AND SOME TIME WANDERING IF THEY ARE GIVING ME THE RIGHT METER AMOUNT.

• February 28, 2007

  12:04 PM

  KJB writes:

  I use the Metro taxi service for inclement weather and shopping trips as I do not drive. Out of the last 10 trips, my wait has averaged 40 minutes with 2 extremes at almost 2 hours and another 2 at 10 minutes.

  Denver continues to speak of how they are a "world class" city, while the taxi service is deplorable for those short trips. The short trips is where the money is made as opposed to the few DIA to Denver. Consider someone coming in from the airport and finds the taxi service great. Once at their destination, taxi service is poor until they leave, what impression will that leave them?

• February 28, 2007

  12:20 PM

  fiesty writes:

  I've been pretty disgusted about this myself. My brother was trying to come over to take my son to a movie, while his wife had their car and my husband had ours. He lives a straight shot down the road, takes maybe 5-7 min to get between our houses, and we're right across from the theater. After waiting over an hour (when the dispatcher told us 10 min "tops"), the taxi shows up, and gets on the highway before my bro realizes what he's doing. Then the taxi driver refused to get off at the next exit, asserting that he "knew how to get there". It took the taxi driver 45 min to get to my house, and he had the nerve to charge him almost $60! Worse yet, my son missed his movie time.

• February 28, 2007

  12:39 PM

  sean writes:

  My father-in-law, who is disabled, recently had an experience when he needed to take a 3-mile cab ride to a clinic for some minor surgery. The clinic gave him a voucher for the cab to go to and from the location after his surgery. He called for the cab the night before to arrive at 7 am. The cab didn't arrive until 7:40. When the drive found out that he was in a wheel chair, and was only going three miles, the driver came up with what was certainly and excuse. The driver said that he was almost out of gas, and wasn't sure that the cab would make it that far, and wanted my father-in-law to fill up his gas tank. FOR A 3-MILE DIRVE. My father-in-law told him to forget it, and ended up having to drive himself to the clinic for his surgery. He ended up having to make other arrangements to get home when the clinic wanted to call him another cab.

• February 28, 2007

  1:14 PM

  David Hakala writes:

  "I am left with Yellow, the most expensive. That said, they always show up."

  And that is how things should be. You get what you pay for. So deregulate the taxi industry and let everyone get picked up promptly. That will leave them plenty of time to complain about the cost.

  Now, let's dissect this Yellow Cab lobbyist:

  "'What happens when they deregulate cab services is we have a lot more cabs, but not much more business,' said Bill Imig, a lobbyist for Yellow Cab."

  And then prices fall, cabs strive to compete on how fast they can pick up fares, and how cost-effectively they can move people from Point A to Point B.
  The losers go out of business, leaving only winners.

  What's the problem, Bill?

  Why didn't the Rocky reporter ask?

  "Cabbies are required to pick up all fares under current law, but in a deregulated industry, they'd be free to serve whom they want, he said."

  "He said" in the same story that puts several lies to his paraphrased words. Again, what's the problem?

  Yes, deregulated cabbies would be free to stand up any fares they wished, just as they do now. (Anyone read about the growing number of Muslim cabbies who refuse to transport people who are carrying alcohol, even in sealed boxes?) But unlike now, there would be other cabs who would show up.

  "'Nobody wants to do the little short runs, taking somebody to the grocery store or to the doctor's office," Imig said. 'Instead, they want to go between the hotel and the airport.'"

  I don't think distance has as much to do with it as the perception that hotel guests tip better. You're on a rare vacation, or perhaps on an expense account, so you're looser with your money than someone who takes a short trip every day. The longer the drive, the more likely a driver is to be in an accident, and the longer the haul back to his home turf.

  Higher prices for short trips is one solution that deregulation would enable. Prices would minimize themselves soon.

  Also, cab companies could manage drivers better by assigning long trips only to drivers who have recently completed short trips, with extra credit points for disabled passengers.

  Try that, and you'll see how fast cabbies can turn into Boy Scouts, crawling all over each other to help little old ladies across the street. :-)

• February 28, 2007

  1:26 PM

  Elizabeth writes:

  I had jury duty one morning as was running late. I do not live terribly far from the City and County Building, but I called Metro Taxi so I would be on time. The taxi driver was so incredibly rude, told me I should've walked and to get the hell out of his cab because what, "was he supposed to live off coffee and Big Macs?"!!! I had even tipped him double of what the cab fare was. My goodness.
  I mean, regardless of how far they have to go, isn't that their job??? Needless to say, I've never gotten back in a Metro Taxi again. SO RUDE!

• February 28, 2007

  1:35 PM

  P G writes:

  All cab companies in Denver are not worth the fares we pay them. On several occasions, Metro cabbies have flat-out refused to take me where I want to go (coincidentally, many of them have used the excuse "that's a bad area"). Once, while in route, the cabbie heard a dispatch for an airport run departing from near where we were at (and he answered the call) and he tried to kick me out of his cab so he could try to get to the airport fare. I had to call dispatch and have her tell the cabbie to deliver me to where I was going. She ordered him to deliver me, at the risk of loosing his car. Another time, I was given some cab vouchers for a ride home from an auto repair shop that my car was at. I told dispatch that I would be using vouchers and when we got to my house, the cabbie told me that he would not accept the vouchers and needed cash. I didn't have the $33 fare on me in cash, and when I offered to pay with my card, he threatened to call the police on me for not paying my fare. He refused my vouchers, refused my card (he said because he doesn't get his tip that way) and treated me like a criminal. Luckily, my girlfriend had the cash I needed to pay my fare...needless to say he did not get any tip at all.

  A good piece of advice is when you find a good (honest) cabbie, see if they have a card and if they would mind if you call them directly when you need a ride. When I used to take a cab home from work, an honest cabbie would charge me $5-$6, but at least 2 nights of the week, I would be paying up to $15 because the cabbie decided that the trip from downtown to N Denver required a hop on the highway.

  Although there is regulation, there is no enforcement of those regulations. Your only hope when being treated unfairly by a cabbie is that you call dispatch and get a person that isn't having a bad day.

• February 28, 2007

  2:26 PM

  lindsay writes:

  The service in Denver has been awful for as long as I can remember. I have witnessed elderly and handicapped riders turned away because the driver doesn't want to do a discount fare or a short-hop fare. All Denver taxi cabs need to be more heavily regulated, more along the lines of those in large cities on the east coast, e.g., New York, Boston, etc. This is one industry that doesn't have a clue about self-regulation. Make each driver/car pay for a medallion to even begin operating in the area, enforce "must pick up regulations", standardize fares, tolls, and other "add-ons", and develop the system so that complaints can be phoned in to the regulator as the problem is occurring. Tips should always be at the discretion of the rider. If the driver treats you right, tip well; if they take you the long way or rip you off in some other way, don't tip at all! Denver cabbies need to clean up their act!

• February 28, 2007

  2:40 PM

  Anonymous writes:

  Denver can't even regulate their illegal immigrant population, how do you expect them to regulate the cabbies. More of our tax dollars gone to waste padding some beauracrat's pocket.

• February 28, 2007

  3:30 PM

  Travis Bickle writes:

  You looking at me?

• February 28, 2007

  4:19 PM

  Mamie Watts writes:

  My most recent experience was in Downtown Denver, in two Yellow Cabs. I must look like a sweet old grandmother...both cabbies told me as we drove from one place to another, "This is my first day on the job!"
  The first time I heard this story I gave a really nice tip and wished the young man a successful new career.
  The second time I heard the story from another fellow, I wondered if I was being manipulated. Hummm,

• February 28, 2007

  5:17 PM

  Edward writes:

  I drove a cab about 10-11 years ago. I'd spend the day smoking pot and heroin as I drove fares around. But that's beside the point...

  I got stiffed by a handicapped person who I picked up at the grocery store and dropped off at Sakura Square. This after I loaded her groceries, unloaded them at the drop off and took them to her apartment. I called dispatch to report it and was told this was not the first time she had pulled the same routine. That and a 7AM drunk were the only fares that didn't pay.

  I often got stuck in the five points area doing one or two mile grocery trips for welfare recipients who didn't tip and used vouchers.

  I also delivered children from state sponsored school and day care programs to their homes. That was another voucher situation. No tip. One time I went to drop off a kid about 8 years old and there was no one to be found at his house. I spent half an hour waiting for someone to come home and take responsibility for him.

  The company I drove for is now defunct but was known as the choice for gay bars because Metro and Yellow had so many drivers that refused to pick up fares at those locations.

  Just an FYI, other then paying for my daily habit (about $40) I didn't make a dime after lease payments and fuel.

  Another thing is that the police never cut me any slack. There were numerous times I had to walk a block to pick up some drunk from a bar because I had been warned not to double park or sit in a no parking zone even for a minute.

  The first thing you will be taught in any business class is that the purpose of a business is to make money. Cabbies are not philanthropists. Why not have a government subsidized entity like RTD start a cab service, pay the drivers a living wage based on hours worked, and base the fares on actual operating expenses?

• February 28, 2007

  6:08 PM

  Mark B writes:

  I moved to Denver from Boston about seven months ago. I was first introduced to Denver's pathetic excuse for cab service one week after my arrival, when I decided to attend the Second City show at the DCPA one Saturday evening. Coming from Boston - you know, one of those cities where you can actually hail a cab - I left my downtown apartment 20 minutes before showtime and began walking toward the theater, intending to wave down a taxi at my first opportunity. I can only imagine how ridiculous I looked to the Denverites in their cars as I casually walked up Speer, looking over my shoulder every few steps, waiting to stick out my arm for the next taxi that drove by. Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the box office perspiring profusely after a five-minute sprint.

  I quickly learned that attempting to hail a cab in Denver is always a lost cause, even at 2am on a frigid Saturday night. Why do I mention 2am on a frigid Saturday night? Well, that was the setting for my greatest taxi horror story to date. After a night that ended on Blake Street, my friends and I wanted a warm ride back to one of our apartments, which was perhaps a $10 cab ride away. Rather than wait among the restless crowds outside the clubs, we started walking in the general direction of his place, assuming (yeah, I know) that we would be able to grab one of the empty cabs making their way to the closing bars and clubs. So we walked. And we walked. And we changed streets. And we kept walking. And we were really cold. And finally, like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day (if sunshine were purple), a Freedom Cab appeared and headed straight for us...and the driver proceeded to lock his doors and roll down the passenger side window to ask us (gruffly) where we were headed. Remember, readers, that back at the clubs we were perhaps a $10 cab ride from my friend's place, so now it was more like $7. He replied that he would take us for $20, no less. We were dumbstruck - was this Freedom Cab driver really trying to extort nearly three times the lawful fare from us? He was. The thing is, we were all so happy to see a cab - any cab - that we gladly would have expressed our gratitude with $15-20 anyway, but we sure as heck weren't about to capitulate now. He swore at us and drove away, leaving us in the cold.

  You may be wondering how we managed to get home after all of that. Did we ever find a taxi, or were we doomed to make the frostbitten walk with nary a cab in sight? After all, it typically takes anywhere from one to two hours for a taxi to show up when you call in advance, so it isn't as if we could have just picked a corner and waited. Well, worry not, readers, for we did catch a cab, and we did it by...pretending to be hotel guests. That's right, we made our way over to the new Hyatt, did our best "we belong here" act while telling the concierge that we needed a cab, and voila! We had a taxi at our service within 5 minutes. So, the moral of the story is: if you live in Denver and ever want to see the inside of a cab at any time remotely near to when you actually need a cab, all you have to do is...get a hotel room.

  My humble opinion: Denver will never get over the hump and rank among the great U.S. cities unless and until it increases and improves cab service. I don't know if that will require deregulation or some alternative regulatory scheme, but I do know one thing for certain: the PUC should have nothing to do with it.

• February 28, 2007

  6:47 PM

  Michael O'Connell writes:

  I have been a Metro Cab driver for more than three years. And while the system in place is not the best. I think it works fairly well. From a drivers stand point let me explain to the public that it's not an easy way to make a living. What with an average work week of 70 hours. Driving 90 to 100 thousand miles a year in Denver traffic. I've been robbed twice and not a week goes by that I don't have someone stiff me for a fare. During the summer when gas prices are high it's not uncommon for me to sprnd 90 to a 100 dollars a day for gas, oh this is in addition to a weekly lease that goes for 600 plus. so on a average my first 900 to 1,000 a week goes to expenses. I know lots of drivers who after the end of the week barely make a wage. Deregulate, sure that would work, Oh that is if you don't care about the safety aspets of the car your riding in. How about a subsidy like R.T.D, my best advice is find a honest driver and get his cell number, call him direct and take care of him. REMBER HE'S TAKING CARE OF YOU. I have over a 125 people that call me direct. even with that I still have to take calls from Metro. At times waiting 30-40 minutes for a call as there are too many cabs. But then on a weekend night we could have twice as many cabs on the road and still not have enough.

• February 28, 2007

  9:44 PM

  David Hakala writes:

  This is really an eye-opener for me! I've lived in Denver since 1978 and I've never had a single problem with a cabbie. I don't take cabs often, maybe 2-3 times a year. But when I do it's usually from a nondescript bar and never for more than 10 miles. Yet the cabs have always shown up promptly; the cabbies have been friendly and courteous; and they stuck pretty close to the most direct route to my home.

  The horror stories I'm reading here nearly all seem to involve downtown and LoDo. All but one of the cab rides I can recall taking originated in Glendale, Aurora, and other outlying parts of town. I wonder if competition between customers is at least partially responsible for poor cab service?

  Downtown is full of tourist hotels, which seem to be cabbies' Holy Grail. It makes sense they would vie for those fares at the expense of others. Perhaps cabbies in outlying parts of town see less differences in the desirability of fares and so treat them all with greater respect.

  Again, one solution seems to be some sort of merit system in which cabbies get plum fares based upon their service to short-hoppers and especially the disabled, voucher-using populations. Make that voucher a ticket to a coveted DIA trip instead of a no-tip losing proposition!

• February 28, 2007

  11:09 PM

  George writes:

  I used to be a cab driver in Denver for 3 1/2 years, about 8 months with Yellow after being with Metro before. The stories I heard from clients about poor service and abuse was stunning, but I was victimized by customers 2-5 times per week with customers running off and not paying, or being so drunk or drugged as to pose a danger to me. I was robbed at gunpoint four times during my employment. But the worst was that you had to work 75 to 90 hours per week to make ends meet. The weekly payout to the cab company rose from $450/week to over $700/week from 2001 to 2004 and gasoline was usually $20-30 or more per day. You had to work seven days a week to make ends meet and felt guilty if you took a day off. Business was slow and irregular at best.most of the time. Most weekdays I tried to make $50 net for myself and $150 net on weekends. That said, I often made nothing for myself on weekdays and weekends were less than what I needed to make after putting in a 12-14 hour or more shift ; going through that frustration repeatedly led me to deep depression and dispair which eventually forced me to go into another line of work. I believe that the taxi drivers need to be placed as employees of DRCOG and be paid a livable salary with reasonable hours so that these people can have ordinary lives. There would have to be greater restrictions and overseeing of drivers and the companies would continue their current business model but be a more regulated utility (the taxicab vehicle themselves are often borderline or worse vehicles with danger inherent and regularly breaking down wasting much time) or the cab business needs to be turned over to RTD so they be completely regulated, Drivers would have to be greater regulated and the use of field inspectors would have to be used. The current system does not work as the customers and drivers suffer while the companies enjoy healthy profits.

• February 28, 2007

  11:14 PM

  John writes:

  The possibilities here are so tremendous, it is amazing none of the TV stations have done an investigative series exposing the crisis in this industry for both customers and drivers. Paula Woodward, Brian Moss, Bill Clarke, and your peers, where are you?

• February 28, 2007

  11:45 PM

  tom writes:

  Denver will be thoroughly embarrassed once the Democratic National Convention gets here. Getting a cab in Denver is a joke. First, call up the cab company, and then if they deem you worthy enough, they'll send you a cab -- to a specific address, no less. Oh, and by the way, make sure you're out there waiting at least 30-45 minutes in case your cab actually manages to show up. I think the answer to this is deregulation. Cabs can basically treat fares like crap because they know there's nowhere else to go -- how many people out there have gone out on a major holiday, wanted to get a ride home, and been told "we have no cars for at least three hours" when you call the cab company.

  As far as I'm concerned, most of the cab companies in Denver DESERVE to go out of business. And perhaps if the cab industry is deregulated, we can actually have a cabbie who showers regularly and actually knows Denver.

  If this situation is left as it is, Denver will be the deserved laughingstock of the country -- what other city do you know of where you can't catch a cab?

• March 1, 2007

  12:20 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  The real issue at hand right now is the people who are trying to deregulate the industry are the same people who are upset that they have been fined or fired from any cab company for bad customer service. They feel that they have a right to drive a cab and charge the person whatever they beleive they deserve. The people pushing for this deregulation are the same drivers who refuse to pick up older ladies for the short trips, as well as any trip other then to the airport, and the same drivers who take the long way, over charge, and then tell you to "screw" off. By deregulating the industry we are putting the public at risk considering you will now have more drivers on the road who have not gone through the series of background checks (personal and driving related) that they are already required to submit in order to drive a cab. These are the same people that cannot pass these tests that the companies give them. We will be at risk for losing conventions if we do not have an organized transportation system from the airport to downtown. Businesses that depend on voucher accounts to get their clients to the airport will suffer. There will be no phone systems to even call for a cab. The service will only get worse if you let these drivers back on the streets and the whole economy will suffer. The cab companies are always trying to improve the service and are constantly fining and firing drivers for poor customer service and there people to call to complain if and only if you get the number of the on the side or back of the vehicle and the time you were in the cab as well. I will always suggest if you find a dependable driver, get his personal number and call him directly. Those are the drivers who are successful because they run their cab like their own personal business with their own personal customers. Regulation is needed and history proves that anything less could hurt the city of Denver greatly.

• March 1, 2007

  12:21 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  The real issue at hand right now is the people who are trying to deregulate the industry are the same people who are upset that they have been fined or fired from any cab company for bad customer service. They feel that they have a right to drive a cab and charge the person whatever they beleive they deserve. The people pushing for this deregulation are the same drivers who refuse to pick up older ladies for the short trips, as well as any trip other then to the airport, and the same drivers who take the long way, over charge, and then tell you to "screw" off. By deregulating the industry we are putting the public at risk considering you will now have more drivers on the road who have not gone through the series of background checks (personal and driving related) that they are already required to submit in order to drive a cab. These are the same people that cannot pass these tests that the companies give them. We will be at risk for losing conventions if we do not have an organized transportation system from the airport to downtown. Businesses that depend on voucher accounts to get their clients to the airport will suffer. There will be no phone systems to even call for a cab. The service will only get worse if you let these drivers back on the streets and the whole economy will suffer. The cab companies are always trying to improve the service and are constantly fining and firing drivers for poor customer service and there people to call to complain if and only if you get the number of the on the side or back of the vehicle and the time you were in the cab as well. I will always suggest if you find a dependable driver, get his personal number and call him directly. Those are the drivers who are successful because they run their cab like their own personal business with their own personal customers. Regulation is needed and history proves that anything less could hurt the city of Denver greatly.

• March 1, 2007

  12:37 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  There are many people to blame here:

  Drivers: obvious reasons

  Companies: not enforcing rules and customers service standards

  PUC: does not even try to regulate what companies and drivers are doing.

  Government/Police: not allowing cabs to stop on a dime to pick up an indivudual trying to hail a cab. Drivers are ticketed for stopping traffic to pick up a passanger.

  Public: looking down on people trying to make a living. Not tipping for good service and not paying fares. Robbing drivers of a days work.

  What goes around comes around and it is just an endless cycle.

  I think we also have to look at supply and demand here as well. Obviously during a snowstorm we don't want to be on the roads, neither do those drivers. Especially if they are running the risk of having their investment involved in an accident. You will not see many drivers then and if you do expect to be over charged. Broncos games you have 70,000 people who have been drinking. Do we want to let these people drive home or have to wait for a cab an extra 30 minutes? Holiday office events are the same way. Some companies host events of up to 1,000 people. Should we let these people drive when the company has called and pre-arranged their guests get home safely? We are all to blame here. Obviously the service could get better but I am seeing a lot of posts where the blame could be put on a number of different people. We are quick to look at the negative but slow to point out that the drivers are the lifeblood of our industry and economy. We forget about the number of people that they do get to their doctors appointments and all of the drunks that they do get off of the street. There are reasons behind every action and we are all to blame.

• March 1, 2007

  12:49 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  Business like to know who their guests/clients are riding with for many reasons. There is nothing stopping business from having an exclusive cab providor and obviously that could create a monopoly considering the power a company such as Yellow already has over this industry. I know my company does business with Yellow as well as many other companies and I am sure others will be quick to follow as well. I would rather do business with a legit company rather then any random driver who hasn't had background checks ran on him.

• March 1, 2007

  8:26 AM

  Frank Smuckendecker writes:

  Dear Rocky Mountain News, Public Utilities Commission and Mayor Hickenlooper,

  My father who should stop driving at age 83 finds it impossible to stop because cabs are so undependable in Denver.

  Like the woman in your story, they have left him stranded over and over to the point that he just has to drive himself or call for help.

  It is a great embarrassment to me with friends, colleges and clients visiting from other cities for over and over I have experienced being stranded for hours at various locations including the convention center , hotels and restaurants ..its a night mare, ask a hotel door man they'll tell you. People cannot depend on cabs here, its terrible, and terrible in so many different ways. Its a vital transportation system that has let us down. One of the most important the issues the Public Utilities Commission should take in account is that people cannot depend on taxi service for a night out on the town drinking thus they drive themselves. I have wished someone would do something about it for years and no one has. It just gets worse and worse.
  regretfully,
  Frank

• March 1, 2007

  8:44 AM

  CC writes:

  The Public Necessity burden requirement imposed by the PUC in order for a new cabbie to get in the business is an unreasonable barrier to entry. The practical purpose is to simply protect the existing oligopoly to the detriment of Colorado consumers (and our out-of state visitors). Do away with this burden and allow competition to drive down prices and drive up quality of service!!

• March 1, 2007

  8:49 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  These blogs work.
  I'm very happy to read the front page today and see the PUC is reading and paying attention and will finally "look into the matter". Now only if GW had such checks and balances with his war for profit.
  

• March 1, 2007

  9:15 AM

  R writes:

  The PUC should still regulate cabs, but they should allow any and all new cabs with legal, drug free drivers. Then the PUC can focus on fining companies steep fines so that the companies self regulate to avoid fines.

• March 1, 2007

  10:30 AM

  milloy36 writes:

  I drove for Yellow Cab back in the 70's and I never turned down a fare.
  Every trip was money regardless of how far it was. I ran as many as I could. Our dispatchers would eventually get you a good ride out of the area.
  You drivers need to wake up, or go and get another job.
  If you are rude to a fare you don't deserve a tip at all.
  
  

• March 1, 2007

  10:33 AM

  Chad writes:

  My wife and I recently attended a non-holiday party , and it seemed like a good thing to make the mature decison and call a cab rather than driving after libations. We called Metro Taxi and the dispatcher told us that although there was one 'pickup' before us, the driver should be by within 15 minutes. This was ok and we were thrilled that a cab was coming and we didnt have to drive under the influence. Well, after waiting over 2 hours, and 4 calls back to the dispatcher ("our stop was next" she said every time) we were finally perturbed and finally sober enough to drive, we drove ourselves home. Lousy, lying, misleading company that Metro taxi. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

• March 1, 2007

  1:57 PM

  David Hakala writes:

  "The public should call us about violations and let us know. Otherwise, we won't know these kinds of things are occurring," Dean said.

  Right. And nobody knew about the moldy walls at Walter Reed because nobody told 'em.

  The most annoying thing about bullshit is the author's insinuation that his audience is stupid.

• March 1, 2007

  1:59 PM

  David Hakala writes:

  Any cabbies here who can explain how fining the dispatcher trickles down to the cabbies who are refusing fares and abusing customers?

• March 2, 2007

  8:35 AM

  Kellie Wilborn writes:

  I live in Littleton and for a time I had no car. Bus service in the Denver Metro area is great, unless you want to go to a school event that is not on a regular route, I would have to wait an hour for a bus that went near the kids school, but it was easier than getting a cab!! I tried to take my daughter to her choir performance and the cab never showed up. I waited an hour and a half with her before a neighbor offered us a ride. I had called the cab company repeatedly to find out where our ride was, the response I got was that no one had picked up the "ticket" yet and so no one was coming. My family and I had been stranded at malls and shopping centers on more than one occassion waiting in excess of 1 hour on more than one occassion. While I sympathize that drivers probably don't want to come all the way out to LIttleton for a fare then have to drive back into Denver for more business, I am still a paying customer, and if service to LIttleton does not exist, then the cab company should tell me so, and not string me along as I wait and wait and wait. Reading some of the other posts that say, if you have a problem, just call the number on the cab. Who do you call when no cab ever shows up, and the company knows you are unhappy. There just doesn't seem to be any recourse for not getting a ride when yoy need one.
  Thanks for letting me vent.
  Kellie

• March 2, 2007

  9:10 AM

  Downtown writes:

  If Denver truely wishes to transistion into the Downtown it so often talks about, the cab system needs a major overhaul. Whether this is a product of deregulation or some other initiative, the end result needs to have service as the goal which would need to be accomodated by an inflation of cab numbers.

  After living in Manhattan and moving back to the downtown Denver area it has become apparent just how far away the cab system here is from being a viable form of transportation.

  At 2am in Denver you have a better chance of catching a ride home on a unicorn than you do of getting a cab to come get you.

• March 2, 2007

  10:49 AM

  kathryn writes:

  Denver's cab supply does not meet the demand. Something needs to change. Denver needs to address this serious problem and do something about it.

• March 2, 2007

  11:15 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  It's the "we need to do something" mentality that has created this problem.

  There needs to be competition and rates to match service. We need deregulation.

  I would have no problem paying more for a prompt, clean taxi with an English speaking cabbie that knows his way around town and is a safe driver. A driver who doesn't need to play games because he makes enough money being honest and working hard.

  People look to the government to make goods and services an entitlement, but it never works out that way. Government always does more harm than good.

• March 3, 2007

  7:15 PM

  jamal writes:

  I am a cab driver. I come from Ethiopia 20 Years ago. I come to american by choice. I am very happy to be here and I am also happy to have children that is american and coloradains.I want to let you know that I pay $500 per week to the yellow cab. the car belongs to me.I pay for the gas that I use to work. I also pay the shop bills. I have been driving for seven years.I always use my car for taxi.When I use my car I am Avoiding to pay $640 a week. I like to serve the public but I never had the aportunity.the cab compaies are the worest people to work with. they are not a human kind. Have you ever fired by a manager and then pay money to rehire by the same manager.I as a new american citizen feel this people are living in year 1800. they are (mavia mop ) who take advange of those who don't speak english.I want to ask every us citizen to lobby so the cab companies will search thier books past ten years.then you will see the worst in their books.
  

• March 3, 2007

  7:17 PM

  jamal writes:

  I am a cab driver. I come from Ethiopia 20 Years ago. I come to american by choice. I am very happy to be here and I am also happy to have children that is american and coloradains.I want to let you know that I pay $500 per week to the yellow cab. the car belongs to me.I pay for the gas that I use to work. I also pay the shop bills. I have been driving for seven years.I always use my car for taxi.When I use my car I am Avoiding to pay $640 a week. I like to serve the public but I never had the aportunity.the cab compaies are the worest people to work with. they are not a human kind. Have you ever fired by a manager and then pay money to rehire by the same manager.I as a new american citizen feel this people are living in year 1800. they are (mavia mop ) who take advange of those who don't speak english.I want to ask every us citizen to lobby so the cab companies will search thier books past ten years.then you will see the worst in their books.
  

• March 4, 2007

  1:18 PM

  Ruth A Golden writes:

  I was a driver years ago. The company is no longer in business. One thing I never understood is that the airport "holding lot" for cabs contains 300-500 cars at any given time. Moral of this story: if you want a cab in this city you need to be at the airport! I went up there once with a fare and was told that staying there would mean a 3-5 hour wait for a return fare and I would pay out of pocket to "get out of the lot". You have to buy tokens to put in a machine. Seemed BAD business sense to me to waste all damn day there waiting for a fare so I drove back to town directly and worked from the dispatch. I fail to understand why hundreds of drivers would take a car up there to sit around for hours waiting for a fare.

  In being prepared to drive and getting a license, we were NEVER informed by the company or the licensing(herdic) office that there was a regulation about how long a fare could be kept waiting. If the driver's don't KNOW about it, how can they be expected to comply? Further, if the drivers are INDEPENDANT contractors, and "their own boss" as advertised in today's classified for drivers wanted, how can they be forced to do anything? Even if they are told, many will find some excuse or another to justify not providing good service to a customer, or not going after a short trip fare from the grocery store. So, even with the government getting involved and writing some kind of rule or reg, I don't see how it can be enforced. Kind of like that stupid smoking ban.

  My taxi hell experience was December 23, 1998 when I was waiting in the lobby of the Sandos Westside Health clinic for three hours for a yellow cab to transport me to Denver Health Emergency room. I was told that I had an emergent condition and must be seen imediately, but that an ambulance might not be covered by my insurance. Three calls were made to Yellow cab, three dispatch excuses made about traffic, christmas shopping season and so forth. I finally made it to DHMC through a family friend and after several tests was shown to have a pulmonary embolism(a blood clot in my lung). Definately a life threatening condition! I suppose it's a good thing the cab never came and I didn't stroke out in the car. They probably would have charged me the fare to the hospital anyway! AND expected a tip!
  Three reasons why Yellow cab NEVER showed up to take me to emergency: I was using a voucher for fare, I was on the westside(the hood) and I was NOT at DIA!

  I like the suggestions made here about re-tooling the taxi system completely. Make it so that everyone wins with better service, livable wages, regulated hours worked, BACKGROUND CHECKS(who ever said this takes place now is sorely mistaken), checks for illegals and making sure EVERYONE has a legal right to work in the US, licensing exams that include customer service skills as well as knowledge of city streets. Regulate drivers for good performance and give rewards accordingly. Offer video surveillence in all cars and police protection to protect drivers from theft and assault. We have laws to protect bus drivers, might they also apply to taxi drivers?
  If lawmakers want to get involved in the situation, try, for once, to make laws which actually "fix" the problems, not make more enforcement conumdrums.
  

• March 4, 2007

  1:33 PM

  Ruth A Golden writes:

  Thanks Tom: "And perhaps if the cab industry is deregulated, we can actually have a cabbie who showers regularly and actually knows Denver."

  While we're on the subject, can't we also instigate a smoking ban in their car and regulate what music they have playing? Some customers don't happen to like ethic offerings! Nor would they like to breath second hand smoke!
  

• March 10, 2007

  7:51 PM

  Douglas Benefield writes:

  I cannot believe what Im reading here I drive for Metro Taxi and I take pride in what I do I will pick up anyone anywhere and I dont care if they are 110 years old and in a wheelchair I take them the shortest route or the one they prefer and am happy to do so so what if they are going to the grocery store or back home from there and the meter reads 4.10 thats another 4.10 to put diapers on my babies or feed them Some cabbies obviousley dont realize that a few of those short fares add up to just as much if not more than the long ones and if you keep a clean good smelling cab and treat your passengers like they are the most important thing in the world(which they are thats where your money comes from)they tend to tip you quite well alot of my short trips where the meter reads that under 5.00 range tend to pay 15.00 or 20.00 bucks simply because or at least they say that I am the best cabbie they have ever had Anyways story is dont judge us all by the actions of a few some of us are real men and take much pride in what we do report the jerks that are ripping you off and being rude and maybe we can get all the sissies that are making us all look bad off the road after all how do the cab compianes know what there drivers are doing if you dont tell them And something that really ticks me off alot of fares are telling me that alot cabbies are asking them for money up front before they start the trip do you realize how rude that is its like calling your customer a bum or a thief you should be ashamed of yourselves and so what if they dont pay when you get em there I just laugh if they needed a ride that bad so be it and what did it really cost a little time and some gas if someone running off on you hurts you that bad then you need to do something else for a living get out and stop making us all look bad I could go on and on but I wont Someone is waiting for a real Cabbie to pick them up gotta go bye

• March 10, 2007

  11:28 PM

  Metro Taxi and Yellow Taxi writes:

  As a former driver for both companies. It's a terrible job. Work 14-16 hours a day. Pay the cab company $640 a week to use their car. Get about 20 customers a day. Average wait time for the "Bell" (customer) is about 30-45 minutes. Average trip is about $10 with tip. Ok, subtract gas $25, lease $91, and food $5.00 per day. Grand total of $79. Wow, yeah..only people making money are the cab companies.

• March 10, 2007

  11:46 PM

  Corruption at Yellow and Metro writes:

  As a driver, I've seen managers and dispatchers taking bribes from the drivers to get airport fares. One good example, I was at the taxi stand at the convention center, and a supervisor from the Metro taxi stops by and says, " you want some good fares?", I said "ok". He rips couple of pages from a handout he was holding, and says, " these are all airport fares, time calls" (people wanting to go to the airport at certain times). " Just give me $250, and it's yours, my regular drivers are off today." And of course I paid, and let me say, I made about $600 that day, just on about 10 airport fares.

• March 18, 2007

  8:06 PM

  Ernest writes:

  I have been trying to start my own Taxi cab almost over two years now, the name of my company is ER EXPRESS INC, I have been in the spot light in the Denver news paper, about getting my company started, ask the P.U.C. if I can operate a total of 20 vehicles and willing to pay my drivers hourly rates in the Denver Metro Area, the P.U.C turned us down. I can’t believe how the Public Utilities Commission (P.U.C.) has the system set up in the transportation business. Anyone who wants to start up their own taxi service or transportation service. Has to go to the P.U.C. and the other transportation companies or Cab companies for permission to start up a business, and try to demonstrate or convince them that your company will not harm the other transportation companies. If they all feel like you are a threat to the transportation business they will not let you in the transportation business. I am asking the public for support from the public to allows me to start my own taxi cab company please support ER EXPRESS INC. It is free market and the land of opportunities. I want to know if we live in the society of freedom land or is American changing to a different direction. This is not the American way AT ALL. You should be able to do your business if you live in America. I am very disappointed to the P.U.C. allowed the other Taxi Cab , to monopolized the free market Country. Please any support from the public will be nice to get this new exiting taxi cab company and will do the public work not just for the money but helping the communities, please visit our site at.
  www.erexpressinc.com
  erexpress80017@yahoo.com

• March 26, 2007

  9:20 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  I think if you look at the kind of people who are trying to push this pro-taxi you will see higher prices and less customer service. Pro-taxi is consisted of nothing but the drivers that people on this blog are complaining about. I agree the system is broke but you are supporting the wrong drivers here.

• March 26, 2007

  9:20 AM

  Anonymous writes:

  I think if you look at the kind of people who are trying to push this pro-taxi you will see higher prices and less customer service. Pro-taxi is consisted of nothing but the drivers that people on this blog are complaining about. I agree the system is broke but you are supporting the wrong drivers here.

• November 12, 2007

  9:33 AM

  joe smith writes:

  In my life thus far, I have gotten great luck from drivers of cabs when I needed them. If you want to call it Iuck at all.
  Bottom line is... I think you whiners are a bunch of no nothing idiots.
  In the last 5 years, I've spent over 100,000 dollars in taxi cab service. How about you? How much have you spent on taxi service in a year? I bet you've spent more at Hickenlooper's bars than you have on cabs!
  I bet you've spent more on pizza deliver in a month than you have on cabs in a year!
  The pizza in Colorado sucks far more than the cab service, that is, by the way, completely oligopolized and supported by your votes!
  When I here you whine, I just have to laugh at you silly people. Inform yourself. Get real! Get natural!
  Look past your xenophobia and bigotry and take a stand against the true problem with the cab industry...YOU!