[StaggerLee22]

...the city has a ready-made route through the tunnel under the runways at McCarran International Airport that’s perfect for long-haulin

[Cyborgt800]

I agree! I wish they'd come down harder on the cabbies that do this!

It hurts tourism overall....but then most of the cannies that do this have the attitude that they're not OUR tourists.

That's because the cab companies get some sort of government money for bringing these guys in from other countries...Ethiopia mostly. They get paid to bring them here, employ them for three years so they can gain citizenship. I don't know how or why this happens but I do know they don't care about the rules or the image it gives the industry or the city.

So, with all of our own people unemployed, why are we importing workers?

[Exaday]

That's too bad. I've always had good luck with cabbies here. The ones I get always seem to be from Chicago, I don't know what's up with that.

Course I'm a local and only call them to do off-strip work so it must be very different.

[dynimagelv]

there are a LOT of good cabbies here.....and Cyborg appears to be one of them.....long routing is not a new thing, it was going on in full force when I was driving [1972-1979]

there is a lot of money to be made as an HONEST Cab Driver....I know because I made a lot driving....back when the fare from McCarran to the Golden Nugget was $6.95 and the shortest route was out the airport and straight down Paradise Road to LVBS then straight down the Blvd to oakey then down Casino Center to the GN....

The companies encouraged long routing, the Taxi Authority did NOT...fines were stiff....

[irishspy]

It sounds like the owners of the cab companies are the problem. Long hauling is a problem everywhere not just Las vegas. One solution I experienced in a small city (Plattsburgh NY) is they set zones in the city and flat rates were applied. No meters in the cabs and this eliminated long hauling. The Cab companies have to have the city's approval for an increase in the flat rates and prove why they need it. This cut out the BS about fares and independent cabs could not cut in and under price the good cab companies. I know the cab co. owners here would go nuts if that was purposed but that sends up a red flag on how much they are making from long hauling. The tourist is the Goose that lays the Golden Egg and too bad the cabs don't see it that way. Bringing in foreign drivers will be a cancer for cab drivers as it has happen in most major cities. They just want the $$$ and don't care if it ruins the tourist trade because they just pack up and move some other place. People come here so they can escape that kind of crap. Until this problem hits the bottom line on the casinos their won't be much done except sell more newspapers who write feature articles warning about this.

[Cyborgt800]

The companies still encourage it...not in actual words...but they do.

The problem is the honest cabbies have to compete numbers wise with the longhaulers on their shift. So if I take ten rides from the Rio to McCarran for $15 each and everyone else takes them for $28 that's gonna make me have to be talked to for low booking.

It sucks, but that's the way it is.

Thanks to the TA....I have protection from being fired now.. as long as my NUMBER of rides is in the average, they can't fire you. They still try and "coach" and pressure you though to "try other routes/places.

I'm not gonna be doing this much longer, but I still care about the effects, plus I won't compromise my own integrity for a few bucks.

There's no real incentive though for anyone...including the TA to realty stop this Longhauling though...not really. That's because the TA's budget comes from the cab companies mileage! ...get it?

[jjameson922]

It would quit if there was another source of transportation available from the airport to the hotels. I would think it well within the realm of possibility.

[von949]

I am sure that Las Vegas is a place where tourist may not mind being "long-hauled". Not saying that it is right but most would rather be long-hauled along the strip than in other tourist areas in the country(NY, LA). Plus most tourists probably have the extra few $$ to get a last glimpse of the strip before flying out sice they were probably drunk as hell the nights before.

Is it legal for cabbies to ask the customer if they would like a direct route or not to their final destination? I was asked this in Rome while taking a taxi there. The Italian taxi driver offered us several options to get back to the train station.

[orca17]

I always had very good luck with cabbies here. Living here now I don't use them much, but I don't recall ever being long hauled.

[lvoc]

And one of the problems became clear at the recent checkpoint. The clients were unwilling to deal with charging the cab driver on a long haul. Too much trouble and not a bad enough offense.

There is no government program to bring in foreign cab drivers. In fact you would never be able to bring in a foreigner to drive a cab. What is happening is various foreign groups get established and sell it to their own as a good way to make a living.

But I think you would find all the foreign cab drivers already have green cards.