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Chapter 4: Getting around the city
4.3 Cabs are an option The taxi cab industry in Las Vegas is very tightly regulated by the Nevada Taxi Cab Authority. You can catch a cab outside the baggage claim area at the airport ...or at the main entrance of any hotel. You'll see a line, but it usually moves very fast. A little known fact is that Las Vegas cabs are prohibited by law from stopping for a customer on the street ...even if the cab is empty! Taxis may only pick up at hotels and established pickup points. If you are going to and from points on the strip, it is far cheaper to take the (No. 301 or 302) strip bus than a taxi cab.
In order to have more cabs available on the weekend and during peak times, some cabs are time restricted to Friday to Sunday ...or Noon to 2 a.m. operation. To cut down on crimes against cab drivers, cameras are installed in all taxicabs Cab fares in Las Vegas When you enter a taxicab, the driver will start the taximeter (referred to as the "drop") and an initial charge of $3.25 will register which includes a 25¢ temporary fuel surcharge. (The 20¢ fuel surcharge was increased to 25¢ on April 26, 2005.) If you are picked up at McCarran International Airport, an additional airport surcharge of $1.20 per trip will be added to the taximeter. After the initial "drop" the taximeter will automatically assess a fare of $2.00 per mile ($.25 for each 1/8th of a mile traveled). If the taximeter senses that the taxicab is moving less than 8-12 MPH, the taximeter will assess a charge of $.25 (twenty cents) every 41 seconds ($22.00 per hour waiting time). That is why the taximeter continues to accumulate charges even when the taxicab is not moving. Once the taximeter senses that the cab is moving greater than 8-12 MPH the fare is calculated on the actual distance traveled. Most Las Vegas strip hotels are two to five miles from the airport. So using the above formula, the cab fare (from the airport) should be between $8.45 and $14.45 ...up to a couple of bucks more if traffic is slow and "waiting time" is assessed." Cab fare from the airport to a downtown hotel is about $5 more.
Variables as traffic, traffic lights and pedestrians can add quite a bit to the average cab fare. Most cabbies are honest, but there are some that will take the long haul "scenic" route ...or through the tunnel connecting the airport to I-15. If three or more people are traveling together, it is cheaper to take a cab rather than the airport shuttle. Nevada law provides that up to five passengers can ride in a taxicab for the one price listed on the taximeter. Passengers cannot be charged individually. Five passengers are permitted, as long as the driver does not carry more than two passengers in the front seat of the taxicab. Las Vegas taxi cabs do not accept credit/debit cards as payment. As a taxi rider in Clark County Nevada, you have the right to dictate the destination and route used by the driver. Ask the driver to take the most direct route to your hotel. A taxi driver may not refuse even a very short trip. No smoking is allowed. You are entitled to receive a receipt if requested from the driver. Unless you wish to give a tip, pay only the amount displayed on the taximeter. (For good service, tip a dollar if the fare is under $10.00, otherwise $2.00.) Those are the rules. If you have any complaint call the Taxicab Authority at: (702) 486-6532 (staffed 24 hrs.) Their office is located at: 1785 E. Sahara Avenue, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV 89104. They have a staff of Investigators who respond to public complaints. In order for the Taxicab Authority to investigate a complaint, you must include in your statement: Your name, date and time of incident, where it occurred, the cab company and cab number. It is also helpful to include the driver’s name and driver’s Taxicab Authority Permit number if you can get it.
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Factoid: Six and a half million people visit Las Vegas for the first time every year! Factoid: Sixteen of the twenty largest hotels in the world are in Las Vegas. |
Las VegasYellow Cab Co. - (702) 873-2000