Mile High Cab

Extra! Extra! Read All About It ...

2011-02-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

Another newspaper speaks out for freedom ...

So far, the Colorado Springs Gazette and the Denver Post's Vincent Carroll have sided with State Sen. Ted Harvey and State Rep. Daniel Kagan, endorsing their bill (SB-65) that demands an end to the Public Utilities Commission's aggressive campaign against free and fair competition in the taxi market.

Next up, the Aurora Sentinel, which produced an editorial in support of the bill.

The Sentinel Notes:

"At least two state lawmakers are ready to help protect us from the state agency created to protect us.

State Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, and state Rep. Daniel Kagan, D-Englewood, are chief sponsors of Senate Bill 65, which seeks to loosen the death grip the Colorado Public Utilities Commission has on the metro-area taxi industry.

The PUC has for three years worked to snuff an Aurora start-up company, Mile High Cab Company. It seeks to be a cooperative of sorts of 150 cab drivers.

In one of the most ludicrous rulings ever issued in regards to PUC action — and given the wild things the PUC does, that’s really saying something — an administrative law judge denied Mile High Cab’s request to go into business because it would create too much competition for the taxi industry.

“Wow” comes to mind as an initial response to such a curious statement."

Indeed. Wow. Read the rest of this excellent editorial here.

The Aurora Sentinel

2011-01-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

It's still America, folks!

The Aurora Sentinel has been all over the Public Utilities Commission's rush to kill American capitalism and competition. Another great story from journalist Brandon Johansson.

Mile High Cab eyes legislation to ease startup obstacles

AURORA -- Almost three years after they first unveiled plans to launch a new taxi company, the cabbies at Mile High Cab now hope to hit the streets with their 150 blue taxis as early as this summer, the company’s lawyer said.

Tom Russell, the lawyer for the proposed cab startup, said that if a bill introduced this month aimed at making it easier to start a cab company becomes law, Mile High could launch the new company sometime after July 1.

“That’s the hope,” Russell said. “Mile High Cab has been ready to go for a long time.”

The legislation — Senate Bill 11-65 — is being sponsored by Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch and in the House by Rep. Daniel Kagan, D-Englewood.

Harvey said he is sponsoring the legislation because of the problems Mile High has had with the state’s Public Utilities Commission, which has rejected their application and effectively barred them from entering the market.

Read the full story here.

PUC Under Scrutiny

2011-01-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

Lawmakers Demand Answers from the PUC

Think Mile High Cab is alone in facing unusual rulings from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission? Think it's odd that Commissioners are getting travel money from a corporation and a foreign government? Think PUC delays and holdups that block job creation bears further scrutiny? So does the Colorado State Legislature.

In the words of State Senator Scott Renfroe, after learning how Mile High Cab's 150 entrepreneurs have been blocked from freely competitng in Colorado's taxi market, "You hear a story like the taxi story and you just want to get to the bottom of things."

Well said, sir.

The headlines are mounting and lawmakers are hearing more and more cases where the PUC has been actuing ... unusually. Today's Denver Post headline tells the story.

Colorado legislators seek audit of PUC after year of notable decisions

By Mark Jaffe
The Denver Post

An audit of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which is embroiled in a series of high-profile cases, is being sought by two members of the Legislative Audit Committee.

The request is prompted by disputes over commission actions on energy, taxicab and telecommunication issues, said state Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley.

"We felt it was appropriate to ask for a performance audit of the PUC to see if they are complying with the laws, to get an unbiased source and take this out of the political fray," Renfroe said

and later ....

Representatives for a startup cab company seeking to operate in Denver — Mile High Cab — told the transportation committee Wednesday that the PUC had erected barriers to its entering the market.

The company has been waiting 861 days for a final ruling — more than four times the statutory limit, said Tom Russell, the company's attorney.

"You hear a story like the taxi story and you just want to get to the bottom of things," Renfroe said.

Read the whole story here.

Back in the news!

2011-01-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

Denver Daily: "PUC Crushing Competition?"

The Denver Daily News gets it, another excellent article by Peter Marcus who took notice of Senator Ted Harvey's efforts to reign in the Colorado Public Utilities Commission's power grab as commissioners continue to block competition in Colorado's taxi cab marketplace, even if that means higher fares for consumers ... the people they are supposed to protect..

And Peter Blake in Face The State also gets in the mix, noting that veteran lobbyists for the big taxi companies are already lining up to protect the profits of the big companies. His insightful take is here.

Marcus writes: A Republican state lawmaker believes state regulators are inhibiting competition by rejecting applications for new cab companies.

Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, has introduced legislation that would require the Public Utilities Commission to approve applications for new cab companies if the company can prove that it is operationally and financially fit to provide the service. Exceptions would exist if opponents prove that the public would not be served an advantage by having the new company, or if the new company would be a detriment to the public.

Harvey’s bill comes following a battle between Mile High Cab and the PUC in which the regulatory commission rejected a proposal by the company to open a new cab company in the Denver area ...

Harvey’s bill, however, could give new life to Mile High Cab’s efforts, as well as other cab companies looking to start a new business in the Denver area. Harvey said his Senate Bill 65 is about limiting government control and increasing competition through the free market.

“Colorado government needs to stop the practice of picking winners and losers in the private sector,” said Harvey. “This bill will create a fair playing field and allow the market to dictate who succeeds and who fails.”

Read the full Denver Daily News story here.

Lawmaker Says ENOUGH to the PUC!

2011-01-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

State Sen. Ted Harvey Takes a (Taxi) Stand ...

This just in! State Senator Ted Harvey has just filed a bill in the Colorado State Senate that would strip the Public Utilities Commission of its arbitrary power to block new jobs and stifle competition in the Colorado Taxi Cab market.

Sen. Harvey's stand against "big government" stomping out small business has been reported in Colorado Senate News here. And also in Westword here. And you can hear the Senator speak about the bill here.

At a hearing Jan. 20, a joint meeting of the State House and Senate Transportation Committees will grill the PUC about its role. Is the PUC in power to protect the people of Colorado, or to protect its friends? Is it there to protect competition, or to stamp out new jobs?

You can find a full copy of the bill here.

By the way, since the independent entrepreneurs of Mile High Cab asked the PUC to review their licensing application ... it's been 860 days. Big government in action.

When is a gift just a "gift?"

2011-01-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

Interesting story from Westword:

Metro Taxi's $10,000 for Hick's inauguration payback for opposing Mile High Cab?

November's "Mean Streets" detailed how politicians with ties to existing taxi companies -- Mayor John Hickenlooper among them -- stymied attempts to start new operations such as Mile High Cab.

Now, Metro Taxi, which opposed Mile High Cab, has donated $10,000 to Hickenlooper's inauguration.

Read the rest here.

Bombshell

2010-12-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

Westword article reveals ugly truth of Taxi oligarchy ...

One of the Denver publication Westword's leading writers unleashed a bombshell of an article this week. The cover story "Mean Streets" paints an startlingly stark portrait of the current Denver taxi system, supported by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. Without fair and open competition, taxi companies such as Yellow and Metro are free to abuse drivers, the article reports. Citing an ongoing lawsuit and other legal documents, Warner reveals allegations that taxi company managers not only cheat but also physically beat the drivers who are left with nowhere else to turn.

According to the story: "A total of 21 current and former Yellow Cab drivers, all African immigrants, signed on to (one lawsuit), claiming years of discrimination and abuse. According to the suit, (Yellow vice president Ross) Alexander, as well as Driver Supervisor Michael Rivera and Manager of Driver Operations Wayne Roberson, repeatedly subjected the drivers to verbal attacks, calling them "n----r," "African monkey," "dumb African," "crazy Somali" and "animal."

The article further reports: "Those allegations include claims that Yellow Cab's managers sometimes got physical with the drivers. Roberson reportedly punched a driver in the face, while Rivera shoved one employee in the chest and tried to fight another. Alexander, meanwhile, pushed one African driver over a trash can, swatted another "as if he were a fly," and "punched an African driver until he was unconscious," according to the suit."

So the question remains, why does the Colorado Public Utilities Commission support Yellow and Metro and block a driver-owned cooperative such as Mile High Cab from offering drivers a fair way to earn a living, all while offering customers lower fares and fewer add-on fees? Why is big government against job creation?

"The taxicab companies hired powerful lobbyists," Warner finds. "Denver City Councilman Michael Hancock, for example, was subpoenaed by Metro to testify before the PUC about what he saw as a "saturation of taxis in downtown Denver" — testimony that allowed Russell, in cross-examination, to ask about the $3,250 that Hancock had received from people affiliated with Metro during his last council campaign."

Read the entire article here and prepare to be shocked.

When is a Lawsuit Like Getting Frisked?

2010-12-01T08:57:00.000-08:00

"Smart move, Tom" ...

It was nice to see the smart, funny and on-point political blog Mangy Redbone Hound notice Mile High Cab's fight for free, American-style capitalism in the Denver taxi market. The well-read blog took special notice of Mile High's attorney, Tom Russell, and his quest to call existing cab companies on their claims.

Russell called on the poor-mouthing cab companies to open their books through the legal process of discovery. That would force them to prove that there are too many cabs in Denver (something they probably can't do) ...

The bloggers noted, "Smart move, Tom ... Chances are, the opponents of Mile High’s application don’t want to have their junk groped in public for a reason. They are probably doing just fine financially, and their protests about “harm to the market” are really about protection from market forces so they can achieve supra-competitive returns on their investment."

In other words, the fatcat cab owners of these huge companies complained, "Don't touch my junk."

Read the entire excellent post here. And stay tuned, big news to come ...

Why is Colorado Government Against Jobs?

2010-11-23T15:27:00.000-08:00

Didn't see this one coming ...

Down, but not out ... Cut me, Mick!

Voting 2-1 against a group of independent businessmen seeking to start a new Denver taxi company, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Nov. 23 slammed the door on new competition and backed existing companies that set higher rates and require drivers to pay up to $900 or more each week just to drive.

Commissioners at an afternoon hearing voted to uphold the ruling of an administrative judge, who earlier this year decided that the drivers of Mile High Cab were competent and had a workable business model, but their entry into the market could hurt the profits of existing cab companies. That would include Denver's largest company, Metro, and another company, Yellow, which is part of a multibillion-dollar French conglomerate, Veolia, that also owns the SuperShuttle airport vans and provides drivers for RTD.

In a time when unemployment is high, PUC Commissioners Matt Baker and James Tarpey voted to block drivers who sought to create 150 new jobs in Denver wtih no government assistance. Chairman Ron Binz stood alone and voted against the measure blocking the judge from reconsidering Mile High Cab's case.

Mile High Cab, is down but not out. Attorney Tom Russell is reviewing the decision, and will help Mile High's Board of Directors decide on the next step in their fight.

Front Page News, Read All About It ...

2010-11-23T13:25:00.000-08:00

Denver Daily News all over Mile High Cab story ...

Today's Denver Daily News isn't letting up on the Public Utilities Commission. Once again, the daily paper is all over the story. Reporter Peter Marcus is digging in to why the state of Colorado is blocking investors from creating new jobs and offering consumers lower prices and better service.

It's a solid story and got top billing in the issue.

Here's some of what Marcus wrote:

Taxi battle still alive?

Drivers looking to open a new company hope for positive PUC appeal

Peter Marcus, DDN Staff Writer

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

A group of immigrant taxi drivers seeking to open their own company say their appeal is still alive.

The Public Utilities Commission today will reconsider several motions concerning whether Mile High Cab can operate in the Denver metro area.

A proposal by Mile High Cab to open a new company was rejected by an administrative-law judge in August. The judge ruled that the new company would damage existing local cab companies. The group unsuccessfully lobbied the PUC to overturn the ruling.

But PUC commissioners today are expected to consider several motions, including whether to force existing cab companies to provide financial records indicating that they can’t absorb additional competition, according to Tom Russell, an attorney representing the group of drivers.

Russell is curious to see existing companies’ financial records and compare any impacts that may have been felt when Union Taxi was able to open in 2009 as a cooperative. Russell says if the issue is really about competition, then existing cab companies should provide records that indicate that a new company would saturate the market and crush the existing companies ...

... The issue has also been politicized, with several politicians and lobbyists weighing in over the past two years, especially over the last several months. Gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo sided with the cab drivers, while Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper agreed that the new company would damage existing cab companies and saturate the Denver market.

Mile High Cab has now targeted Denver mayoral candidate Michael Hancock who has testified in opposition of the new company. Russell has also shown campaign finance documents that show that Councilman Hancock has accepted campaign contributions from Metro Taxi officials. He expects Hancock to receive similar donations from Metro in the upcoming mayoral election.

Read the entire story at the Denver Daily News, here.

Back to the PUC!

2010-11-22T14:02:00.000-08:00

Mile High Cab goes back to the commission ...

The commissioners of the PUC are expected to hear arguments at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23, from Mile High Cab and other cab companies as the case winds its way back through the system.

Be there (1560 Broadway, Hearing Room A) and show your support for the drivers of Mile High Cab!

puchearingthisweek

Michael Hancock Repays Metro Taxi

2010-11-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

Councilman Michael Hancock is Running for Mayor of Denver ...

But we know Councilman Michael Hancock in another way: As someone who testified on behalf of Metro Taxi, arguing against Mile High Cab ... Councilman Hancock testified, under oath, that there are too many cabs on the street already. His testimony helped Metro Taxi. Funny, because Metro Taxi also helped Councilman Michael Hancock, by donating thousands of dollars to his campaign coffers before Councilman Michael Hancock went to the PUC to testify.

Did money influence Councilman Michael Hancock?

You be the judge. Here's a short film, an animated version of Councilman Michael Hancock's actual testimony at the PUC. This is all taken from the transcripts .... enjoy!

Let's Get to Work: All Of Us!

2010-11-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to our new Governor!

Congratulations to our new Governor-Elect John Hickenlooper. Mile High Cab has been happy to hear him talking our language: jobs.

The new Governor-in-waiting told Colorado Public Radio that job creation is job one.

Hickenlooper: "The best thing government
can do for business is get out of the way!"

And here's what he said in his victory address:

"The political campaign is over and the business of putting Colorado back to work begins.

"We will implement a jobs plan that starts with economic development at the grass roots level, empowering local communities by starting with their vision of what works best and building on that vision to make Colorado a national center for innovation in every field from agriculture to energy and technology.

"We want every talented person who wants to open a business to think: "Colorado -- that's where the innovative talent is. That's where I want to live. That's where I want to grow my business.""Now, I know from running restaurants that sometimes the best thing government can do for business is get out of the way."

Wow, we couldn't say it better, and we can't wait to work with the new governor. Mile High Cab is ready and waiting to create more than 160 new jobs in the five-county metro Denver area by creating a taxi company where the drivers work for themselves, not some big corporation, creating even more jobs.

The governor's transition team bears up on those words about jobs creation. It's a bipartisan team that includes former Republican Gov. Bill Owens and former GOP Senate candidate Bob Schaffer.

Just like the Governor-elect, Mile High Cab is honored to have a bipartisan team of political movers behind us, from Democratic Congressman Ed Perlmutter, his opponent, Republican Ryan Frazier, Sen. Josh Penry (R), Sen. Ted Harvey (R), Sen. Chris Romer (D), Sen. Morgan Carroll (D), and Rep. Spencer Swalm (R). There's a bipartisan consensus of leaders in Colorado who want to see Mile High Cab get a fair shot to compete in the five-county Metro area market.

Mile High Cab is all about jobs, Governor. We can't wait to work with your new transition team to help get the Public Utilities Commission out of the way of small business and let the bold entrepreneurs of Mile High Cab create new jobs while offering lower fares and better service

Thank YOU Senator Carroll

2010-10-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

Another state leader gets it ...

It's starting to seem like the only state officials who don't support Mile High Cab's bid to create jobs and bring lower fares and better service to consumers is the Administrative Law Judge at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.

Senator Morgan Carroll, representing parts of Aurora that include many Mile High Cab drivers and potential customers, sent a letter urging the PUC to get with it and back Colorado citizens instead of big companies. Senator Carroll, a lawyer, carefully reviewed the judge's opinion before writing. Thanks, Senator.

Here's what she writes:

"Dear Commissioners:

I am writing because I am concerned with a recent decision to deny Mile High Cab's application to operate in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties. I think that the current law would lead toward the approval of Mile High Cab's application -- not its denial.

Denver cab fares remain higher than most of our counterparts in other big cities, in part due to a history of inadequate choice and competition for consumers. Refusing this application indicates a type of protectionism that is not consistent with Colorado law, policies or the best interest of consumers.

Given the importance of maximizing as many affordable transportation options as possible to our residents and tourists, it is my sincere hope that you take the appropriate measures to reconsider this application."

Wow, right on, Senator Carroll.

You can write a letter in support of Mile High Cab, too. Write to Director Doug Dean here.

Morgan Carroll

Never give up ... never

2010-10-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

Mile High Cab back in the news, case sent back to ALJ ....

An excellent report out by the Aurora Sentinel today, and a great photo of Archie:

Driving in circles: Mile High Cab case goes back to PUC judge

By BRANDON JOHANSSON The Aurora Sentinel

"AURORA -- The fate of proposed taxi startup Mile High Cab is now headed back to the same administrative law judge who rejected the company’s proposal in August.

"A spokesman for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which regulates the state’s taxi industry and was hearing Mile High Cab’s appeal, said the commission opted not to make a decision at their hearing last week.

"Instead, the commission said it did not have enough information to determine whether Mile High’s entry would be a detriment to the public interest and sent the case back to the judge.

"The judge is now expected to further study what impact another taxi startup, Union Cab, had on the market when it launched 17 months ago, said Terry Bote, a spokesman for the PUC."

Read the rest here.

The question is, why does the PUC even care if there are enough, too many or not enough cabs on the road? This isn't electricity and natural gas, it's taxis for Heaven's sake. Even airlines are deregulated, and guess what, you can still get a nonstop from Denver to Phoenix (and for less than the price of a taxi from DIA to Highlands Ranch, we might add).

Let the market decide if there are enough cabs.

We Live to Fight Another Day! Courage

2010-10-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

PUC sends Mile High Cab bid to operate back to judge

From today's Denver Business Journal:

"The Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Friday sent a Mile High Cab Inc.’s bid to run a taxi service in the Denver area back to an administrative law judge for further consideration.

Mile High Cab wants to operate 150 cabs in the counties of Denver, Adams, Jefferson, Arapahoe and Douglas. It filed a Colorado PUC application to start operations in September 2008."

Read the rest of the story here.

Mile High Cab on TV

2010-10-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

He gets it, Fox 31's Jon Bowman on the Taxi Fight ...

From the Fox report:

DENVER - The start-up cab company Mile High Cab has been deemed operationally and managerially fit for business by state regulators.

But an administrative law judge for the Public Utilities Commission has denied the company the right to offer cab service at cheaper rates with better coverage, and with no fees for bags or extra passengers.

On Wednesday, more than 150 current and would-be 'hacks' showed up to support the regulators position.

"We just want to have our American Dream," said Edem "Archie" Archibong, Mile High Business Manager. "We want to have competition. That is what this is all about."
Watch the full video ... here

Or just watch it here:

Huffington Post, Another in Favor of Mile High Cab ...

2010-10-06T14:13:00.000-07:00

Mayor Hickenlooper opposes new jobs?

Huffington Post writer Jessica Corry scratches her head. Why is Mayor John Hickenlooper, a man running for governor in a jobs-starved state, opposed to the 150 new jobs Mile High Cab would create?

Hickenlooper, she writes, actually wrote to the PUC in opposition of Mile High Cab's proposal to create jobs and let consumers ride for less. Corry writes:

"The city's biggest taxi market players, Metro and Yellow, greeted Mile High's proposal with lawyers and lobbyists. This atrocity simply could not be left to stand. And they didn't go low end. They enlisted the support of Mayor John Hickenlooper, the same guy now running to be our state's governor and whom proclaims his commitment to eliminating bureaucratic red tape wherever possible.

"While Hickenlooper has inevitably done a lot of good for Denver, as well as the entire state (and I'd vote for him any day over current GOP contender Dan Maes, if that were my only choice), his decision to write to the PUC opposing Mile High makes one wonder.

"The city needs more cabs. The city needs more jobs. Grab a cab from one of the existing companies and you'll hear the same message again and again. Drivers are tired of being forced to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars each month to lease cabs or operate under a cartel system that give them little freedom or opportunity to grow."

Read the entire excellent post here.

Time Out!

2010-10-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

Commissioners call a halt, Mile High Ruling delayed ...

Mile High Cab got its day in "court" on Wednesday, Oct. 6, with a two-hour apperance before the full Colorado Public Utilities Commission board. The three-member panel heard summaries from staff of Mile High Cab's exceptions to the administrative law judge's findings in a hearing room packed with Mile High supporters.

But after considering several angles and arguments, the panel agreed to recess to review the legal matters and other issues. Commissioners are scheduled to return, possibly with a ruling, at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 8.

You can follow along live, on the Internet, at the PUC's official site.

Or drop by in person at Hearing Room A, 1560 Broadway, Suite 250, Denver.

PUC To Get an E-A-Rful

2010-10-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

State commissioners to hear Mile High Cab case next week ...

Here's the agenda, it's all us! Show up, and show your support!

pucagenda

Wait a Minute, Mister Postman ...

2010-09-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the DMYR ...

A big thanks to the Denver Metro Young Republicans for a fun evening and some great conversation. We hope you get the word out that Mile High Cab's situation is the embodiment of the "Big Government is Killing Small Business" discussion.

Some of you asked how you can make a difference. Well, talking with friends and candidates is a great start. And we'd love it if some of you want to tell the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to STOP KILLING COLORADO JOBS.

You can always email PUC Director Doug Dean at Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us

And some of you said you like to make a bigger impact by doing it old school, with a formal letter mailed to the PUC. For sure, you can do that as well. Write to:

Doug Dean
Director
Public Utilities Commission
1560 Broadway, ste. 250
Denver, CO 80202

Be sure to reference: Mile High Cab, docket number 08A-407CP

Folks, We Got Trouble, Right Here in Mile High City!

2010-09-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

We'd never call it "snake oil" ...

So when it came time for an administrative law judge to decide if another Taxi company could make it in the Mile High, he depended in part on experts, or as they are known in professional circles "paid opinion witnesses," who could argue the five-county metro area needed another cab company (a cab company that would charge less and offer better service than the big companies). It just so happens one of those paid opinion witnesses was hired by ... the big cab companies.

People paid to provide testimony? That's crazy talk! Only in Denver, right? Wrong ...

Seems just north of the border in Canada, the same paid opinion witness employed here in Denver to "discover" that we don't need cheaper rides and better service found the same thing in Canada. There, paid opinion witness Ray Mundy relied on 17-year-old data and ignored newer data that conflicted with his beliefs, according to a newspaper account.

At least one person challenged him. David Seymour of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy called out Mr. Mundy in this op-ed in the StarPhoenix newspaper in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Isn't the Internet great? You can track guys like this as they go town to town, offering the same paid opinions for whomever is hiring:

Taxi study needs better evidence

BY DAVID SEYMOUR, SPECIAL TO THE STARPHOENIX SEPTEMBER 24, 2010

Following is the viewpoint of Seymour, director of the Saskatchewan office of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

This summer Saskatchewan's two largest cities received and digested report by transportation consultant Ray Mundy of the Tennessee Transportation and Logistics Foundation.

Mundy has been busy in Saskatchewan this year, filing 170-page reports on the taxi industries of Regina and Saskatoon, at a cost of $45,000 and $50,000, respectively. Citizens should consider what's not in the reports before they decide whether they got value for money.

Behind any debate on taxi regulations looms the question of whether municipalities should stipulate the number of cabs allowed to operate, and the prices they charge. The alternative is for municipalities to focus on safety and basic driver competence, and then leave the questions of price and numbers up to the marketplace.

This very question was debated by panels of experts at the International Association of Taxi Regulators' annual conference in Chicago this past weekend.

In Mundy's reports, there is no such debate. Like a child who incriminates himself by denying a misdeed even before being accused, the first sections of each report reveal where the inquiry won't be going. They're entitled, Why Regulate Taxis?, and go on to answer the posed question.

Competition serves consumers well in every other private industry, it seems, but taxis are somehow different. Mundy explains how several U.S. cities disastrously removed controls on prices charged and who could enter the industry in the 1980s. On this he is largely correct, and offers several quotes from studies of that period.

Incredibly, the newest study quoted dates to 1993, and the entire report even fails to mention the quite different experiences and research that have come to light in the past 17 years.

Read the rest of the article here.

Light Shines on Aurora

2010-09-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

The Aurora Sentinel writes about Mile High Cab ...

What's fare is fair: New cab company decries PUC rejection

By BRANDON JOHANSSON
The Aurora Sentinel

AURORA | The brightly colored pages of Edem “Archie” Archibong’s appointment book are rarely blank.

Instead, the neon slips of paper the Aurora cab driver totes around fill up with appointments around the clock.

At 1:45 p.m. last Friday, he was set to drive a client to the airport. And at 4 p.m. he was heading back to the airport to pick someone up. And again at 8 p.m. his purple cab would be motoring toward the airport once again.

“This is what my day looks like, I cannot do them all,” the Nigerian immigrant said in an interview last week in front of his Aurora home. “These are people who called for taxis the previous time and nobody showed up, due to bad service.”

Archibong, who has been driving a cab for Freedom Cab for 15 years, has joined with 150 other cab drivers with the hopes of starting a new cab company called Mile High Taxi that he said would tap into those customers who have trouble getting a ride from the current companies.

Read the rest of this excellent article online here

The Airport Hustle: It's Not a Dance

2010-09-23T18:15:00.000-07:00

How competition could help ...

Did you know drivers for Yellow pay Yellow Cab more than $900 a week to drive the cab. They don't make a dime until The Man at Yellow gets his $900. The only way to come up with that kind of scratch, and make a living, is to hustle those big dollar airport rides

And did you know, drivers pay Metro at least $800 a week?

You know what that means? If you aren't downtown, headed to the airport, you're going to have a heck of a time getting a cab. Drivers don't want to turn away the elderly trying to get to a doctor's appointment. Or a single mom without a car trying to get to a grocery store. But they have to. They can't afford to run neighborhood errands. They need those airport rides.

Plenty of cabs if you're in a fancy hotel waiting for a ride to the airport. But just try to get from Five Points to the Safeway to buy groceries for your family.

Mile High Cab would be different. Charging just $250 to drivers for dispatch service and support, drivers could make just the $900 a week that would go to Yellow and still live a middle class lifestyle. That means drivers can accept local fares and work close to home.

Want a Tale from the Files of the PUC? Okay ...

On March 3, 2009, A worker in Mayor John Hickenlooper's office complained to the PUC (and according to the PUC, it wasn't the first time the Mayor's Office had complained about this kind of issue). The report states the Mayor's Office employee tried to catch a cab to take him about five blocks. The cab driver (Metro) refused and told the employee to walk.

Okay, guy probably should've walked. Be good for him. Neither here nor there.

According to the report, the complaintant "says he has heard similar complaints, especially from tourists. He thinks the cab drivers are simply waiting for airport traffic."

That's not an isolated issue. This happens more than you know.

On Nov. 9, 2009, the PUC received a complaint from a downtown hotel. The hotel said a Yellow Cab driver didn't want to take a passenger on a trip down to Greenwood Village (that's NOT a bad fare, btw). During the ride, the driver complained throughout to the passenger that he was wasting his time on anything BUT a ride to the airport.

The hotel tells the PUC that this kind of airport craving is not isolated. According to the file: "Our taxi line is not an airport only taxi line. We are constantly having issues with taxi drivers at our location that only want to go the airport and are refusing service to our guests for locations other than the airport."

Tell the PUC to let Mile High Cab compete. Give drivers a fair shake, so they can serve you better. Competition would mean Yellow and Metro couldn't push drivers around and force them to hustle for all that extra money. That means better service for you in your neighborhood. Write to PUC Director Doug Dean and tell him to let Mile High Cab into the market.

Strange Things Are Afoot At the DIA ...

2010-09-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

The PUC says taxi service is fine at Denver's airport ...

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission says things are all peachy for travelers at Denver International Airport. And, they say, there are plenty of taxis out there already. Adding the lower fares of Mile High Cab would just make things worse for riders.

Let's look at that.

First, things seem to be far from aok at DIA. From Denver's KMGH-TV 7 this week: "Airport manager Kim Day has put DIA operations chief John Kinney on paid "investigatory leave," officials confirmed. It was the second time in less than a year that Day has placed a department head on investigatory leave. DIA officials won't discuss what motivated the suspension."

Won't say? Read the rest of the story here.

And say, remember last year? Those fees taxi drivers pay to the airport for being allowed to provide needed service to passengers (yeah, you pay for that somewhere down the line) were stolen. Embezzled. Vamoosed. Again from Ch. 7: "Denver police are investigating the embezzlement of $170,000 from Denver International Airport taxi fees. A search warrant obtained by 7NEWS shows the scam went undetected for nearly two years. At least 16 cash collections made by DIA Ground Transportation Department workers between November 2007 and late June 2009 vanished en route from that agency to the airport finance department without making it to the bank."

Think the airport could manage its taxi lot a bit better if it could keep track of the money? Read the rest of the story here.

And while the PUC says there are always plenty of cabs waiting to serve you at DIA, maybe that's changed. Maybe someone should reassess. This aerial photo shows the taxi waiting lot from an old photo. Pretty full. An awful lot of those cabs are ... Yellow. One of the most expensive per-mile companies.

But this photo, taken over the weekend, clearly shows the cupboard is bare. The taxicab holding lot is empty. The airport ran out of cabs on Sunday afternoon. Were you one of the passengers waiting for the opportunity to pay too much for a ride home? Were you one of the people who wondered, "If the PUC says there are already too many cabs, why can't I get one at the airport?"

Demand better from your government. Tell the PUC you want Mile High Cab's lower fares and better service. And like Southwest Air, remember, "bags fly free," no fee for luggage or additional passengers

Denver Daily News: Pressure Mounting on PUC

2010-09-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

Mile High Cab is gathering support and media attention ...

Monday's Denver Daily News has the story:

Drive for new cab company

Pressure mounts for PUC to allow drivers to form new cab service

Peter Marcus, DDN Staff Writer

Monday, September 20, 2010

"Pressure is coming from all sides for the Public Utilities Commission to allow a group of taxi drivers to open a new cab service in metro Denver.

The issue has crossed the political aisle, with both Republicans and Democrats issuing letters encouraging the PUC to allow Mile High Cab, a group of about 150 local cab drivers, to open a new cab service in the area.

A proposal by Mile High Cab to open a new company was rejected by an administrative-law judge last month. The judge ruled that the new company would damage existing local cab companies. An attorney for the group is asking the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to overturn the judge’s ruling.

High-profile unions and politicians have been writing to the PUC, asking it to review the ruling.

State Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, co-sponsored legislation in 2008, House Bill 1227, that eased the application process for taxi cab companies with the intent of “opening the door for greater competition,” he said. Penry is frustrated, arguing that Judge Paul Gomez ruled against the intent of his legislation."

Read the rest of the story here. And be sure to leave a comment on their website telling them you like the job they are doing!

Thanks Denver Daily News for staying on top of this important story.

With Beer, More is Better. Same with Taxis!

2010-09-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

What if the PUC regulated beer?

This weekend in the Mile High City marks the Great American Beer Festival. And what goes together better than Beer and Taxis?

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission says four taxi companies is all Denver needs. Why would we possibly need more, they ask. Well, then, should the same go for beer? The Great American Beer Festival has some 2,200 beer makers on hand, because why? Because More Is Better! More choice, more price ranges, more flavors, more competition!

If you're at the Great American Beer Festival (#GABF) and you've "sampled" more than a few of those 2,200 great beers, you'll want to catch a taxi home. Remember, not all cabs are the same. You can save money, as much as 45 cents per mile, by snagging a Union (orange) or Freedom (purple) taxi, over a Metro (green) or Yellow (duh) cab.

More is better. Competition means choice. And remember, if it was up to the PUC, the Great American Beer Festival would only have four booths: Pabst, Miller, Coors and Bud.

Any more competition would hurt the other companies, right?

Tell the PUC to let Mile High Cab compete in a free market. Write to Director Doug Dean and tell him lower fares and better service are good for consumers. It only takes a minute, and it could save you money.

More News Coverage, We're Making Some Noise

2010-09-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

Great 8 Newspapers, chain takes notice of Mile High Cab

Laura Hathaway, editor and writer for the Golden Transcript, one of eight suburban newspapers serving several west metro communities, got together with Mile High Cab chairman Edem "Archie" Archibong to learn about Mile High Cab. Her excellent story is running in several papers this week, letting suburban dwellers know that Mile High Cab is here to serve them!

Cabbies still waiting for a chance at new venture
Company wants to expand services to Jeffco

by Laura Hathaway

A two-year battle continues for cabdriver Edem "Archie" Archibong as his dream of creating another cab company in Denver was recently denied by the Public Utilities Commission.

Archibong, along with 150 cabdrivers, wants to create a company that serves five Denver-area counties, including Jefferson and Adams counties, and offers lower fares and more available cab service.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which regulates the taxi industry, said in a July ruling that adding Mile High Cabs to the market would harm the public and existing cab companies because of destructive competition.

Judge Paul Gomez said another company would impede the ability of current carriers to provide safe, economical and efficient service.

Mile High Cab applied to the PUC in 2008 and has been waiting to hear their fate since.

Read the rest of this story by clicking here.

Denver Post Columnist Susan Greene

2010-09-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

One of Colorado's best known columnists weighs in on Mile High Cab

Greene: Cab startup getting burned

By Susan Greene
Denver Post Columnist

POSTED: 09/16/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT

Lisa Reynolds-Nixon stood at East 10th Avenue and Lincoln Street longer than it took to get sunburn before she gave up trying to hail a cab.

"What's wrong with this city? Don't you people have taxis?" asked the skin- product rep from Boston who made the mistake of assuming she could make her sales calls in Denver without a car rental.

Red bikes? We've got plenty.

But on a major street just blocks from the state Capitol, the chances of catching a cab, even in broad daylight, are slim.

It seems curious then that a startup deemed operationally and managerially fit for business by state regulators has been denied its application to launch more taxis in Denver and surrounding counties.

Paul Gomez, an administrative law judge for the Public Utilities Commission, ruled this summer that Mile High Cab's proposed fleet of 150 would harm existing companies' business and "impede the ability of those carriers to provide safe, economical and efficient service."

"When a market is at or near capacity, a homogenous, undifferentiated entrant such as Mile High does not serve the public interest," he wrote.

I wonder which members of the public, and exactly whose interest, Gomez had in mind.

Yeah, Uh, We've Decided Not to Pick You Up

2010-09-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Wow, and you thought you had a reservation? Ha!

BadTaxi! is an occasional series from Mile High Cab. While a Colorado Public Utilities Commission administrative law judge says the five-county metro area is already adequately served by existing Taxi companies, the PUC’s own files show things could be better. Much better.

The following complaint is a real example written by a real taxi customer. Every file in this series is taken directly from the Files of the PUC.

On Monday, Dec. 28th, 2009, A customer tells the PUC that he made a reservation for his mother to be picked up by SuperShuttle at the Radisson Hotel in Longmont at 7 a.m. so she could be at Denver International Airport in time for her 10 a.m. flight. SuperShuttle is owned by the French conglomerate Veolia, a billion-dollar company that also owns Denver's Yellow Taxi.

"We were there waiting and waiting for their arrival," the man tells the PUC. "When the desk clerk informed us at 6:50 a.m. that they would not be making any pick ups. No reason, not that any reason would have been acceptable to leave my mother stranded without a way to get to the airport in time to catch her flight."

"This is totally unacceptable and deplorable service," the customer tells the PUC. "When you depend on transportation to the airport, you expect to be able to rely on a business ... A call to the 800# asking how they were going to get her to the airport resulted in 'Sorry, it's out of my hands,'" the customer complained.

"Any business that runs their operation in such an irresponsible way is incomprehensible and in my opinion, their license should be revoked. I will never trust them again and will spread the word to everyone I possibly can."

Mike Legette, general manager for SuperShuttle of Denver/Boulder told the PUC it was the driver's fault for not using the van appropriately."SuperShuttle dispatch also handled the situation poorly and there are things that should have been done," he wrote.

He agreed to issue a voucher for free SuperShuttle service in the future (but no guarantee the shuttle would actually show up!)

Oh, that 800 number the irate customer called for help. The operator isn't in Denver or Boulder or anywhere around the Front Range ... The call center is in Phoenix, Arizona. Yeah, that's going to help.

Yet the PUC's administrative law judge says there are plenty of cabs in the five-county Front Range area. And those cabs offer adequate service.

Wouldn't a locally-based company offer better service than a corporation based in France? Wouldn't a dispatcher based, say, somewhere in Colorado be more of a help? Wouldn't drivers who actually owned the company tend to care more about their reputation for quality service? Wouldn't competition force Veolia (I mean, Yellow Taxi) to do better?

You don’t have to put up with bad service. Take a stand. If you’ve had a bad experience in a Denver cab, let the PUC know and demand an investigation. You can call investigators at (800) 456-0858 or email a complaint to the PUC Consumer.Complaints@dora.state.co.us

You can let the PUC know you want the lower fares and better service offered by the owner/operators of Mile High Cab. Ask the PUC to hear Mile High Cab’s case and let them compete in a Denver market that can only get better when drivers compete to earn your trust. Write to Director Doug Dean at Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us and reference Mile High Cab, docket number 08A-407CP.

And if you'd like to share your experiences in public, feel free to leave a comment, or post a review on the public service review site Yelp

Look For, The Union Label ...

2010-09-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Transit workers like Mile High Cab ...

Wow, we were surprised, but pleasantly so! Yesterday we learned Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1001, Westminster, has sent a letter to the Public Utilities Commission on behalf of Mile High Cab.

Thank you very much! The Amalgamated Transit Union represents some 180,000 bus, subway and transit workers in 270 Locals. These fine people know the roads and they know the transit needs of the people of Denver. Their words of support mean a lot.

Join them, tell the PUC that you want better service and prices for consumers, and better working conditions for the 150 owner-operators of Mile High Cab.

Here's what the Amalgamated Transit Workers had to say:

Public Utilities Commission
1560 Broadway, Suite 250
Denver, CO 80202

RE: Application of Mile High Cab
Docket Number 08A-407 CP

To Whom It May Concern:

I believe that Mile High Cab should be able to operate a cab company in the Denver Metro Area. Increased competition would benefit the community. Mile High Cab would charge 25 cents less per mile than two of the existing cab companies and also would not charge extra for additional passengers or baggage. Competition of another cab company will benefit consumers. It is in the best interest of the entire community for the PUC to allow Mile High Cab to operate in the Denver Metro Areas.

Sincerely,

Holman Carter
ATU Local Union 1001 - President

Union

Thank You Congressman Perlmutter!

2010-09-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

U.S. Congressman weighs in for Mile High Cab ...

Makes no matter which side of the aisle people are on, what's right is right. Mile High Cab is thrilled to have the support of U.S. Congressman Ed Perlmutter who has written a letter to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission urging commissioners to reconsider a judge's ruling that blocked the new cab cooperative from competing in the Denver metro market.

Perlmutter, a Democrat for Colorado's 7th Congressional District, joins his Republican opponent, Ryan Frazier, in siding with Mile High Cab. It's become a bipartisan issue that has backing of both parties.

Here's what Perlmutter wrote:

The Honorable Chairman Ron Binz
Chairman
Colorado Public Utility Commission
1560 Broadway, Suite 250
Denver, CO 80202

Dear Chairman Binz:

I write on behalf of Mile High Cab, Inc. and my constituents who would benefit from increased taxi service urging the Public Utilities Commission's (PUC) approval of its application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for taxi service in the Denver metropolitan region.

The Colorado Revised Statutes establish several important criteria for the approval of a CPCN. These criteria are established to ensure the petition is capable of service the public and maintaining a healthy marketplace of competition. These criteria are critical to measuring the risk consumers face when purchasing necessities like electricity, water and natural gas.

In his July 20, 2010 decision, Administrative Law Judge Paul Gomez denied Mile High Cab's application. Judge Gomez made clear in his determination that the company's business plan, management experience and industry experience were sufficient for the necessary "fitness" test. Further, Judge Gomez stated the company was adequately capitalized to encounter the known and unknown expenses to be anticipated for a new company. So his decision indicates there is noting inherent to Mile High Cab as an independent business which was sufficient for denial.

But Juge Gomez' denial is premised on the notion the approval of the CPCN would com at the detriment of the public interest because plummeting rates as a result of an oversupply in Denver would result in worsening service and deteriorating taxi maintenance. Yet no evidence was presented which demonstrates this scenario could arise in a medium-sized city like Denver with similar transportation needs and population distribution. Based upon this information, I question Judge Gomez' denial.

The PUC is charged to ensure taxi service exists in the region. Therefore, I believe before denying the petition, evidence should first be presented showing an instance in which a city of comparable size, population density and transportation needs as those of Denver resulted in the complete elimination of the market. If it cannot, I believe lower rates to consumers and 160 new jobs are more important.

Sincerely
Ed Perlmutter
Member of Congress

You can tell the PUC to support better service and lower fares for consumers, too. Just write to the Public Utilities Commission Director Doug Dean by clicking here.

Perl Mutter Letter 2

There's Rude, and Then There's ...

2010-09-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

Rude, dangerous, and downright scary!

The customer says she was headed out for a big night, she was dressed up. She didn't want to get sweaty. She complained, and, she tells the PUC, that's when the woman driving the cab started "being rude."

The customer reached for a cell phone, despite having a hard time hearing over the roar of the wind, and tried to call Metro to complain. These are the customer's words, "She began yelling and cussing at me, asking me why I called the cab company. At first she refused to give me the (cab) number. She finally said "My f****** cab number is 202. What the f*** are you going to do about it? Why the f*** are you calling Metro? If you're hot stick your f******, twitching a** head out the window, you mother f*****"

The customer in this case suffers from cerebral palsy.

"She continued her insults all the while driving at a fast rate of speed," the customer reported. "I looked at the speedometer and saw the speedometer indicate 68 miles per hour. She called someone on her cell while she was driving wildly and told them that she couldn't believe 'these f****** a** people ... She continued calling me names like 'weird twitch a** mother f*****' and several others."

It gets worse. The driver shouts insults at the customer while she's on the phone with a dispatcher. "At that point I truly feared for my safety and I felt the cab company was doing nothing to ensure my safety or to stop this woman from driving like a mad maniac or stop insulting me and calling me improper names so I asked her to please let me out. She again said 'I'll let you out you mother f****** white a** worthless piece of s***.' She cut in front of traffic, took an exit and stopped the cab while still yelling insulting names at me."

After finding out the police wouldn't do anything since there was no actual crime, the customer said she was alone and scared in an unfamiliar part of town. SHE CALLED METRO AGAIN for another cab.

"Asked the dispatcher if there was another cab coming. After checking, she said yes, but it would be a while because I was 'pretty far away.'" Eventually, another Metro cab arrived. The customer noticed the windows were down and there was no air conditioning.

The ride to the destination cost $15.

According to the PUC file, Metro investigated. The driver got a warning.

You don’t have to put up with bad service. Take a stand. If you’ve had a bad experience in a Denver cab, let the PUC know and demand an investigation. You can call investigators at (800) 456-0858 or email a complaint toPUCConsumer.Complaints@dora.state.co.us

You can let the PUC know you want the lower fares and better service offered by the owner/operators of Mile High Cab. Ask the PUC to hear Mile High Cab’s case and let them compete in a Denver market that can only get better when drivers compete to earn your trust. Write to Director Doug Dean at Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us and reference Mile High Cab, docket number 08A-407CP.

And if you'd like to share your experiences in public, feel free to leave a comment, or post a review on the public service review site Yelp

Mercy on an Orphan?

2010-09-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

Mile High fights back ...

Readers may remember, when Metro Taxi argued against allowing Mile High Cab's owner/operators from starting their own cab business in Denver -- with lower fares and better service -- they claimed Denver already had too many cabs on the road.

Artist's Representation: Mile High Cab attorney
Tom Russell at work in the courtroom

Then it turns Metro Taxi admitted they didn't know how many drivers they had on the road at any one time, admitting that many of their drivers may be violating, or have violated, the so-called "80-in-8" rule against drivers spending more than 80 hours behind the wheel in eight days. Yellow Cab also has admitted to the same charges.

So if the honchos at Metro Taxi believe there are enough cabs on the road already, maybe it's because they have legions of sleepy, overworked drivers out there struggling to pay their weekly lease rate. Yellow Cabs adds to the oversupply, but they have had the decency not to argue that there are too many cabs--perhaps because Yellow Cab has asked the PUC to give them another 150 cabs!

Mile High Cab's attorney, Tom Russell, has filed a motion with the Public Utilities Commission asking the Commissioners to disregard all the testimony that there are too many cabs on the street. Either the companies opposing Mile High Cab don't know how many are on the road, or it's their own fault that they are out there.

As Russell concludes: "Like the young man who murders his parents and then pleads for mercy because he is an orphan, Metro Taxi should not benefit from its arguments that the taxi market is oversupplied when Metro Taxi has admitted not limiting its drivers' hours and therefor has placed the equivalent of additional taxis on the road."

He adds: "Likewise, Mile High Cab should not be denied entry into the market because Yellow Cab of Colorado has also violated hours-of-service limitations during the time when Metro Taxi has been claming that there are too many taxis on the road ... Mile High Cab, Inc., prays the Commissioners to disregard theis evidence as the fruit of misrepresentation."

Denver Business Journal on Senators' Entry to Fray

2010-09-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

Article highlights political turn ...

This week's Denver Business Journal spotlights the growing political support for the independent owner/operators at Mile High Cab and their bid to compete in the Denver taxi market. The drivers cooperative wants to compete against the four existing companies by offering better service and lower fares.

Penry, Romer say taxi ruling goes against legislative intent

Denver Business Journal - by Cathy Proctor

Two state senators dispute a decision by a Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) judge denying a Denver company’s bid to start a new cab company.

Sens. Josh Penry, G-Grand Junction, and Chris Romer, D-Denver, say PUC administrative law judge Paul Gomez was wrong when he denied Mile High Cab Co.’s application in mid-July. Both lawmakers were involved in 2008 legislation to spur competition in the Denver taxi market.

Gomez’s decision declared that Denver already has enough cabs and that adding more wouldn’t serve the public interest.

But the judge’s ruling goes against the intent of a 2008 law designed to make it easier for new cab companies to start, Penry and Romer said in letters sent to the PUC in response to Gomez’s decision. That law required applicants to show financial and operational abilities, striking down requirements that applicants prove a public need.

You can link to the full article here.

BadTaxi! From the Files of the PUC

2010-09-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

An Interesting Take on Competition

2010-09-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

Blogger Joshua Sharf for Red State on the taxi situation ...

Sharf, A Republican running for State House District 6 (Denver), has reviewed the debate over keeping Mile High Cab drivers out of the market, just because the existing companies would have to compete.

The effect of competition, he says, might be ... dare we say, "Good?"

Here's his take on why the Colorado Public Utilities Commission might want to review an administrative law judge's ruling against letting Mile High Cab into the market:

"With control over the number of available cabs, the fares, and the lease arrangements, the PUC has done little more than to discredit (once again) the idea of central planning. The right answer is to remove the PUC's control of all three elements, and let normal market forces work their magic. If Yellow Cab or Metro Cab drivers find they can't make their leases, Yellow Cab and Metro Cab will find themselves with fewer drivers. Some drivers will leave to join Mile High Cab. I can certainly see where Mile High Cab could even work with finance companies to help refugees from Yellow and Metro who want to work, but who haven't yet set aside enough cash to buy a car. Read his full analysis of the issue here. And you can learn more about Joshua Sharf and his campaign here.

Thank You Senator Harvey!

2010-09-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

Another elected official standing up for his constituents ...

Colorado State Senator Ted Harvey becomes the latest elected official to represent his constituents by asking the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to hear the case of Mile High Cab.

Sen. Harvey writes, to the PUC board:

September 7, 2010

The Honorable Ron Binz
The Honorable James Tarpey
The Honorable Matt Baker

Chairman and Members of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission
1560 Broadway Suite 250
Denver, Colorado 80202

Re: Mile High Cab, Inc.

Dear Commissione Binz,Tarpey and Baker:

I have reviewed the decision in the Matter of Mile High Cab Inc. rendered by Administrative Law Judge Paul Gomez.

Judge Gomez I am certain is a dedicated public servant. However, his decision with respect to this matter I believe is contrary to the intent of the Legislature.

In passing Legislation in 2008 and 2009 the Legislature wanted to open up competition in the cab industry. As a Senator from Douglas County I want my constituents to have more not fewer public transportation options. Currently, it's very difficult to obtain a cab in Douglas County. More competition that benefits communities such as the one I represent is what my colleagues and I in the Legislature intended.

Thank you

Ted Harvey
State Senator

Harvey Letter

On The Air!

2010-09-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it ...

Mile High Cab was the topic of John Caldara's radio program on 850 KOA.

The discussion went on for more than an hour, as Mr. Caldara just couldn't believe how a Public Utilities Commission bureaucrat could find that the experienced drivers for Mile High Cab are capable and financially able to run a new cab company. But that competition would be somehow "bad" for consumers.

Take a listen, the broadcast is in two parts. The first part features Mr. Caldara talking about a Washington Times article about the topic and taking calls. Listen here.

And the second part features Mile High Cab attorney Tom Russell. Listen here.

If You Just Heard Us On 850 KOA ...

2010-09-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

And you want to write to the PUC ...

If you think competition is good for the market and lower fares are better for you, Contact Mr. Doug Dean, Director of the Public Utilities Commission

At ... Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us

Make your voice heard! And follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

If you missed the show, listen to the podcast.

And here is part two of the podcast. (The first twelve minutes is Jon Caldara's conversation with Mile High Cab's lawyer.)

Mile High Cab in the Nation's Capital!

2010-09-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

The issue goes in front of national leaders

Our story captured the attention of a writer for The Washington Times, one of two paid daily newspapers in Washington, DC.

This proves that the fight for more competition, better working conditions for drivers and better service and lower fares for consumers is bigger than Denver. This is a story about the American Dream and about fair and free competition.

There's an image of the front page of the Sept. 6, 2010 front page here on the right.

And below is part of the article.

Don't forget, if you want fairer working conditions for cab drivers, and better prices and service for consumers, especially those in areas outside of downtown Denver, tell the Public Utilities Commission how you feel. Write an email to the PUC Director, Mr. Doug Dean, at Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us.

Immigrant cabbies' startup plan hits bureaucratic curb in Denver

By Christian Toto

The Washington Times

DENVER | All Colorado cabdriver Edem "Archie" Archibong wants is to fulfill the next stage in his immigrant success story — to start his own business.

But Colorado's heavily regulated taxi industry isn't cooperating, causing some local politicians to ask why government is getting in the way of the free-market system.

Mr. Archibong, a Nigerian native and married father of two, came to the U.S. legally in 1977. He joined the Army, where he worked as an optical technician and later started driving a cab to support his family. In 2008, he helped lead a group of 150 Denver-area cabdrivers, many of them legal African immigrants, with plans to start a taxi company called Mile High Cab to serve five Denver-area counties.

In July, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which oversees the local taxi industry, ruled that Mr. Archibong's startup had its financial house in order. The entrepreneurs pooled their collective savings to start the company, eschewing cumbersome bank loans.

But the PUC said Mile High Cab would hurt the public interest.

"While choice is generally a good thing in a market, nevertheless, overcapacity still looms as an issue," the PUC determined.

"Competition is good for us, good for the industry and good for the public, as well," counters Mr. Archibong, 57.

Read the rest of the story, click here.

Great Letters, Keep 'Em Coming!

2010-09-06T08:51:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who is standing up for better Taxi service ...

Wow, this is great, people are writing to the Public Utilities Commission to point out the need for the better service, lower prices and better working conditions Mile High Cab is proposing.

One letter is from a former Metro driver who is being squeezed out of Denver. He's moving to a town where it's easier to make a living: NewYork City!? Something's wrong with this picture.

You can write, too. Contact PUC Director Doug Dean and ask him to review the Mile High Cab application. Support better working conditions, better service and lower prices. Write to Mr. Dean at Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us

Former Metro driver Mark Fossey writes:

I have lived here in Denver since I was 3 years old. I am moving to New York City soon to seek my fortune on Broadway and in cab driving. I drove for Metro Taxi from 1996-2002. When the lease on the cab and the price of cab increased my expenses by almost $1,000 per month I had to quit driving taxis. I was not willing to work forty hours just to cover costs. The only hours that go into a driver's pocket are hours after 40 ... I have been waiting for over a year to go back to cab driving, since MIle High was promising affordable leases. Since they are not going to get the approval of the PUC, I have decided to give a real cab town (NYC) a shot ... Perhaps something will change between then and now, perhaps I can stay here in the city that I love the most.

And here's another letter, Mile High member, Amin Said, who sums the whole thing up beautifully. He's not asking for a handout, just a chance to compete in a fair, open market.

My name is Amin and I am a member of Mile High Cab Inc. All we are asking is just for an opportunity. This is a country where dreams come true and the sky has no limit. We are not asking for anything else except for a license from the (Public Utilities Commission). We just want more competition with other companies.

Keep those letters coming. If you want change, you have to ask for it. All it takes is a letter. Let your voice be heard.

Another Civic Leader for Mile High Cab

2010-09-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Aurora needs Mile High Cab, Councilman says ...

Ryan Frazier, Aurora City Council Member
and candidate for Congress

Wow, seems our civic leaders who live in our communities and talk with their constituents know the real score: The five-county Denver metro area needs a cab company that offers better service and lower fares. Read the letter below from Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier. He just sent it to the Public Utilities Commission. Like all of us, he's wondering why better service and lower fares is bad for consumers.

Thank you Councilman Frazier! And folks, you can make a difference, too. Contact your elected representatives, ask them to step up and call on the PUC to hold a full hearing on Mile High Cab. And while you're at it, send a note to Mr. Doug Dean, director of the PUC, at Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us

Here's Councilman Frazier's powerful letter.

The Honorable Ron Binz
The Honorable James Tarpey
The Honorable Matt Baker
Chairman and Members of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission
1560 Broadway, Ste. 250
Denver, Colorado 80202

Re: Mile High Cab, Inc. Docket 08A-407CP Decision #R-10-0745

Dear Commissioner Binz, Tarpey and Baker:

I am an At-Large member of the Aurora City Council. I have reviewed the application of Mile High Cab, Inc., the decision by Judge Gomez and the response to the decision filed by Mile High Cab, Inc.

Mile High Cab, Inc. will provide services that are badly needed to my constituents. It is extremely difficult to get a cab to come to either residences or businesses in Aurora. This makes it difficult for seniors to get to and from their doctor’s appointments or shop for groceries. It poses a safety problem as those who have had too much to drink are unable to get cab service. Mile High’s proposal of more cabs with lower fares and no charges for extra passengers will fill a void that exists in Aurora.

I have reviewed the decision in the matter of Mile High Cab, Inc. rendered by Administrative Law Judge Paul Gomez. I believe that the decision is erroneous and should be reversed by the full Public Utilities Commission. It is in the best interest of the public that you approve this application. Judge Gomez’s own decision states that this group has the management capability and financial resources to do the job. Competition is, by definition, good and this application should be approved.

If I can answer any questions you have with respect to the impact on the City of Aurora please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you,
Ryan L. Frazier
Council Member, At-Large
City of Aurora, CO
Cc: Doug Dean, Executive Director, Public Utilities Commission

frazierletter

Another Candidate for Fair Competition

2010-09-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Big thanks to GOP Candidate Tyler Kolden ...

Mr. Kolden, in a race for State Senate District 32, running against incumbent Sen. Chris Romer (who has also spoken up on behalf of Mile High Cab's press for fair competition in Denver's taxi market). That's Mr. Kolden on the right with one of Mile High's directors.

Mr. Kolden, a Republican, wirtes in a letter to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and Direct Doug Dean:

Mr. Dean,

I recently spoke with a number of members of the Mile High Cab organization and they shared with me their current plight. According to the judge they were operationally and managerially fit to operate but their application was denied because more taxi competition would hurt the public interest.

The task of the PUC is to ensure honest and open competition for the benefit of competitors and the public they serve. As a candidate for Senate District 32, I strongly encourage you to review the Mile High Cab case with that perspective.

Thank you,
Tyler Kolden
Candidate for Senate District 32
Email: tyler@votekolden.com
Phone: 720-239-2175
Website: http://votekolden.com

You can speak up and have your voice heard, too. It's easy. Mile High Cab is a cooperative of owner/drivers who want to create a new cab company. They promise lower fares and better service for customers, and a fair shake for drivers. A PUC administrative judge ruled they have the financial backing and are qualified, but he denied them a license because the competition could hurt the other, big companies (one, Yellow, is owned by a multi-billion-dollar French conglomerate!)

Mile High Cab doesn't want a government loan or special favors. The drivers just want to be allowed to compete. When drivers and consumers get a better deal, how can that be bad for Denver?

Tell PUC Director Doug Dean you want the PUC to let Mile High Compete. Write to him at Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us

Political Might Behind Mile High Cab

2010-09-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Politicians are taking notice ... You are making a difference

On Sept. 2, Colorado State Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry weighed in on the plight of Mile High Cab's owner/operators. Sen. Penry told the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in no uncertain terms that an administrative law judge's ruling against competition and consumer benefits should be reviewed. Read the Senator's letter, then get involved yourself, ask PUC Director Doug Dean to hear Mile High Cab's case. Email him at Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us.

Here is Sen. Penry's letter. Thank you, Senator, for standing up for fair and open competition, for better consumer service and pricing, and against monopolists and protectionism.
---------------------------

Re: Mile High Cab, Inc. 08A-407CP

Dear Commissioners:

I sponsored an amendment to House Bill 08-1227 that changed the application process for taxi cabs and opened the door for greater competition in the taxi cab industry. The amendment, which passed with the support and assistance of other legislators including Sen.Chris Romer, was meant to ease the entrance of taxi companies into the Denver market.

The ruling by Administrative Law Judge Paul Gomez to deny Mile High Cab's application to operate in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties goes against the intent of this 2008 legislation. Our intent with the legislation was to increase competition for the benefit of consumers, allowing greater choice and more efficient taxi cab service in the metro area.We viewed increased competition as beneficial to the public interest, not detrimental to it, as Judge Gomez ruled. We intended for more taxi cab companies to be approved to operate in the metro area to provide this competition, so long as they could prove they were operationally and financially fit to provide taxi services.

I hope the Public Utilities Commission will take this information into consideration as it reviews Mile High Cab's application to operate in Denver. The task of the PUC is to ensure honest and open competition for the benefit of competitors and the public they serve, not to perpetuate the strength and market share of aspiring monopolists.

Sincerely,

Josh Penry

State Senator

Senate District 7

Penry Letter to PUC

The Secret Is Out

2010-08-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

News of taxi companies overworking drivers, in the news ...

It's no secret to drivers for the Big Taxi Companies that they are forced to work scores of extra hours each week just to make ends meet. But to consumers outside the industry, that's not well known. Thanks to some big stories recently, that secret is out. While on one hand a judge at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission says there are enough cabs in Denver already, another hand of the PUC is fining Yellow and Metro cab for having drivers on the roads way more hours than they should ....

This story, orginally from the Denver Business Journal is now running in sister papers as far away as Seattle:

PUC charges cab companies with overworking drivers

Denver Business Journal - by Cathy Proctor

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) thinks some taxi drivers are spending too many hours behind the wheel.

PUC administrative law judges have rejected all or part of plea deals between state regulators and two of Denver’s taxi companies over allegations that cab drivers worked too many hours.

The cases stem from a February 2009 state audit of between 45 and 60 cab drivers waiting for passengers at Denver International Airport. It found some drivers for all three of Denver’s cab companies at the time — Denver Yellow Cab, Metro Taxi and Freedom Cabs Inc. — had violated the state’s rule that drivers limit their work hours to 80 hours in eight consecutive days.

At the time, the PUC permitted the three cab companies to operate a total of 942 cabs in Denver.

“This is a consumer-protection issue,” said Terry Bote, PUC spokesman. “We have no evidence, no data, that drivers are out there involved in accidents because they’re fatigued. But we’d like to make sure that doesn’t happen, and we want to make sure the companies and drivers are following the hours-of-service rules.”

Freedom, which was cited in November 2009 for 29 violations of the maximum-hours rule, based on the audit, faced a fine of $79,500. It paid $39,875, a 50 percent reduction allowable if paid within 10 days of the citation, and the case was closed in December 2009.

“We educated our drivers,” said Max Sarr, Freedom’s operations manager. “Instead of making them pay for the fine, we educated them and told them that if it happened again, they would have to pay the fine. I’m not worrying about my drivers working over hours.”

Metro Taxi and Yellow Cab chose to negotiate plea deals with state regulators involving thousands of dollars in fines, grace periods and periodic reviews of drivers’ hours.

But on Aug. 20, Administrative Law Judge Mana Jennings-Fader rejected Metro Taxi’s entire plea deal. Metro Taxi can appeal that decision to the full commission, pay 50 percent of its original $148,500 fine within 10 days, or try to hammer out a new deal in a Sept. 30 hearing before Jennings-Fader.

Kyle Brown, Metro Taxi’s general manager, declined to comment about the decision, citing pending litigation, but insisted the company’s cabs were safe. “We are safe, we’ve been safe for the last 25 years and nothing bad has happened due to an hours-of-service-related incident.”

Metro Taxi was charged with having between 10 and 20 drivers violate the maximum-hours rule 54 times, according to the Aug. 20 decision.

The plea deal called for Metro Taxi to pay a $40,000 fine, with the remaining $108,500 fine suspended as long as the cab company agreed to prevent drivers from working too long and to submit quarterly reports of driver hours.

In return, the PUC staff offered to give the company a grace period of 18 months after the commission approved the deal. During the first six months, the state wouldn’t issue citations against Metro Taxi, if its drivers were found to be working too long. During the remaining year, state regulators might issue citations, depending on how hard regulators believed Metro Taxi was working to comply with the plea deal, according to the decision.

Jennings-Fader wrote that the plea deal “is not just, is not reasonable and is not in the public interest.” The judge also noted Metro Taxi had 16 violations of the rule in 2004 and paid a $2,200 fine.

Another administrative law judge, Harris Adams, ruled Aug. 17 on the plea deal between state regulators and Yellow Cab.

Adams allowed a $50,000 fine against Yellow Cab to stand, with an additional $115,000 suspended, if Yellow Cab files quarterly reports with the PUC about drivers’ hours for 18 months. But he rejected an 18-month grace period from future fines that the cab company and PUC staff had negotiated.

Yellow Cab had been charged with 60 violations of the rule by three drivers audited at DIA in February 2009, according to the decision.

“Denver Yellow Cab has accepted the settlement agreement as modified by ALJ Harris Adams and will abide by its terms,” said Richard Fanyo, the attorney with Dufford & Brown PC who represented Yellow Cab before the PUC.

Fanyo said Yellow Cab now has better information on drivers’ hours than it did in February 2009, and has a system to check its drivers’ log sheets. Drivers who may be violating the maximum-hours rule are called in for a talk, and could be subject to firing or fines, Fanyo said.

Fanyo said Yellow Cab’s taxis were safe, due to the new monitoring system and the driver training programs.

Tom Russell, an attorney for Mile High Cab, which is fighting for state approval to become a new Denver-area cab company, said having drivers log too many hours on the road contributes to the belief that Denver has too many cabs. Fanyo rejected that assertion.

“These are events that occurred a year and a half ago, all based on DIA,” Fanyo said. “That’s old news. It’s just coming out now because the administrative process takes a while.”

Senator Chris Romer supports Mile High Cab

2010-08-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

State Senator Chris Romer has written to the PUC supporting Mile High Cab's application.

Senator Romer, a member of the Senate's Transportation Committee, writes that "The intent of the Legislature is passing HB 1227 was to open the taxi cab market to new cab companies and offer greater choice to consumers, rather than create only a single new cab company." See his letter here.

Romer, a Denver Democrat, represents Senate District 32, a district that includes parts of Jefferson and Denver Counties.

Mile High Cab has applied for authority to operate in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties. The 150 Mile High Cabs would be one additional cab for every 16,000 persons living in these counties and one more cab for every 25 square miles.

If you support lower fares, better service, and more competition in the cab business, please let the PUC know. To send email to the PUC, click here

9news talks to drivers about high lease rates and illegally long hours

2010-08-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

What happens when Taxi companies charge drivers high lease rates?

Apparently, drivers drive way too many hours, according to the Public Utilities Commission. Denver's Channel 9 reports that all three corporate cab companies, excluding the driver's cooperative of Union Cab, stand accused of violating the so-called "80-in-8" rule, meaning drivers have been found to be driving more than 80 hours in eight consecutive days.

To be fair, it's not the driver's fault. Facing weekly lease rates of sometimes more than $900, drivers have to work long hours, since they don't make a dime until they pay The Man. But is that safe? Having drivers on the road so long? And is it fair to the drivers and their families?

Since Mile High Cab is owned by the drivers, they just need a weekly lease rate that pays operating expenses. They don't have to pay off shareholders, or in the case of Yellow Cab, a corporation based back in France. Mile High drivers would pay only $250 a week, so they can make a living driving legal hours.

Why wouldn't that be better, PUC?

Mile High Cab Back In the News

2010-08-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Denver Daily News writes about Metro Taxi violations ...

Cab drivers want new company
Say alleged violations against Metro Taxi is indication that Denver needs new company
Peter Marcus, DDN Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 24, 2010

A group of taxi drivers seeking to open their own cab service is using recent alleged violations against Metro Taxi as an example that the Denver area could use another company.

Mile High Cab, a group of about 150 local cab drivers fighting to open their own service, points out that Metro Taxi is currently facing 54 alleged violations for allowing drivers to work more than 80 hours in eight consecutive days.

The group of drivers says if companies like Metro Taxi are violating the so-called “80-in-8” rule, then that is an indication that there is not enough cabs on the road, but instead too many tired drivers.

A proposal by Mile High Cab to open a new company was rejected by an administrative-law judge earlier this month because the judge ruled that the new company would damage existing local cab companies. An attorney for the group is asking the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to overturn the judge’s ruling.

To read the rest of the story, click here.

Can You Hear Us Now?

2010-08-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Mile High Cab is riding the airwaves ...

Listen to Mile High Cab on community radio station KGNU, Monday morning drive time. Link is here.

And on Saturday morning, Mile High Cab was on the Jeff Crank radio show in Colorado Springs. Link is here.

Asleep At The Wheel?

2010-08-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

METRO CAB ADMITS DRIVERS ON THE ROAD TOO MANY HOURS

Denver’s largest taxicab company, Metro, already attempting to block a driver-owned taxi cooperative from serving Colorado customers, has admitted to violating state rules at least 54 times by allowing its taxi drivers to work illegally long hours.

A state administrative law judge on Friday rejected a plea bargain worked out between state auditors and the company, and instead ordered a full hearing.

While Metro Taxi claims the five-county Front Range market is adequately served by the existing four companies, documents filed Friday with the state Public Utilities Commission show Metro has admitted to 54 violations of the so-called “80-in-8” rule.

The rule prohibits drivers from working more than 80 hours in eight consecutive days.

A startup company, Mile High Cab, is seeking to enter the Denver market, offering lower fares, better service to the suburbs, and eliminating surcharges for extra passengers or bags. A PUC judge earlier this year denied the 150-cab license after hearing from Metro and others that there are enough cabs already in Denver. The judge ruled that the lower prices and competition might end up harming consumers.

“What you have is Metro saying there are too many cabs out there already,” said Tom Russell, representing Mile High Cab. “Sure, if your drivers have to work too many hours in order to pay the company the $800 weekly lease rates Metro charges them. Nobody wants to work that much, but they have to. The result is you have exhausted drivers on the roads. And, as the PUC recognizes, that’s a risk for everyone.”

Russell says Mile High as a cooperative would charge its drivers around $250 a week. That would allow them to make a decent living working a safe number of hours.

“We heard testimony from Union Taxi’s drivers that their lower lease rate allowed them to take their children to school, go to religious services, continue their educations, and, most importantly, get enough sleep,” Russell said.

In a ruling issued Friday, Aug. 20, state Administrative Law Judge Mana Jennings-Fader found Metro agreed to a plea bargain in which they would pay $148,000 in fines. But state PUC staffers agreed to forgive $108,000 of that if Metro paid $40,000 up front and abided by the rules going forward. Metro faced a maximum penalty of $248,000, the ruling states.

Metro also agreed to file quarterly monitoring reports to the PUC, but the company asked for a 180-day grace period, claiming it first needed to learn how to monitor its own drivers. The proposed settlement also bars the state from imposing penalties on any future 80-in-8 violations that Metro self-reports.

And, in the proposed settlement, the state agreed Metro didn’t have to report on any driver who drove an unsafe number of hours if he no longer worked for the company. The judge found that meant that Metro could monitor its drivers, release any who had broken the rules, then simply not report the violation.

Jennings-Fader rejected the settlement as not in the public interest. The judge ordered a hearing Sept. 30.

“The existence of the 180-day grace period undermines Metro Taxi’s incentive to file accurate quarterly reports because, for the duration of the grace period, Metro Taxi is shielded from civil penalty assessments even for violations of the 80-in-8 Rule that Metro Taxi does not report and that Staff uncovers during an audit,” the judge ruled. “The proposed process is not just, is not reasonable, and is not in the public interest because it may hide from the Commission and Staff the very information the quarterly reports are designed to reveal.”

Russell said Denver’s biggest companies, Yellow and Metro, charge such high weekly lease rates that their drivers must drive long hours just to meet the charges, let alone make a living wage. Drivers are contractors under the system, so they don’t get paid overtime for working 12 to 15 hours a day. And because of the pressure to bring in the weekly fee, drivers jockey for lucrative airport runs at the expense of service in area neighborhoods and suburbs, Russell said.

“The fact is, Denver as a market is underserved. Is it too easy to get a cab in Denver? Is it too cheap? No. It’s a market that would benefit from more cabs and from a company that rewarded its drivers with fair treatment and didn’t demand these unsafe working conditions,” Russell said. “Metro says there are enough cabs on the road. Well, apparently they feel that way because their drivers are on the road way too much to be operating safely. Is it going to take a driver falling asleep at the wheel and hurting someone to finally prove that?”

Mile High Cab is continuing its quest to put more cabs on the road and offer consumers lower fairs. The owner-operators have asked for a hearing before the full PUC board.

Hear Mile High Cab: The Interview

2010-08-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Representing Mile High Cab, Tom Russell on the Mike Zinna show ..

Mike Zinna is an up and coming radio talk show host on FM 101.5 in Denver, a talk radio station called "The Truth."

Tom Russell talked with Zinna in a high energy discussion about Mile High Cab being blocked from competing in a free and open market, blocked by a judge who feels competition is somehow bad for consumers ... Yeah, Zinna had trouble getting his head around that one too! Listen to the show here. And check out Zinna weekdays from 4-7 at www.truthdenver.com or FM 101.5.

Listen UP! Mile High Cab on the Radio!

2010-08-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Making noise ...

Mile High Cab attorney Tom Russell will be riding the airwaves this weekend. Don't forget to tune in and listen.

Tonight, Friday, Aug. 20, hard-hitting talk show host Mike Zinna has Tom in studio to talk about why the state of Colorado thinks you should pay more for less service when it comes to taxicabs in the five-county region. Should be entertaining ... 101.5 FM, 730 p.m. ... or listen online at http://www.truthdenver.com/

Then tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 21, Colorado Springs host Jeff Crank will "Crank It Up" with Tom on his show from 8-10 a.m. on AM 740 ... and if you're not in the Springs, you can listen live at http://www.kvor.com/

Spread the word, share with friends. Why should drivers be forced to work for someone else instead of starting their own company? Why should consumers have to pay more for less service? What does the Colorado State Government have against creating 150 new jobs?

Ask your local representative and write to the PUC by clicking here.

We're a National Issue!

2010-08-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Nationally Distributed AOL News Writes About Mile High Cab

Here's what AOL writer Bruce Kennedy wrote:

Need a Taxi? Drivers Want To Expand Demand for Cabs

By BRUCE KENNEDY

They're usually considered either a luxury or a necessary evil belonging to America's older and larger cities, where traffic is insane and parking nonexistent. But some observers believe taxi cabs could become an important and much more visible part of the U.S. transportation landscape in the near future.

The growth of the taxi industry, however, isn't anticipated by everyone. A group of veteran taxi drivers in Denver, who have worked for several of the city's established cab services, now want to start their own company. But the proposed, employee-owned company, Mile High Cab, recently had its application rejected by Colorado's Public Utilities Commission, which oversees the state's taxi industry.

Tom Russell, the attorney representing Mile High Cab, says the judge in charge of the ruling concluded the company was financially and operationally sound -- but that the additional competition would hurt metro Denver's existing cab companies and, by extension, the public interest.

Mile High Cab is appealing the ruling. "The term the experts in this case ... and the judge used is 'derived demand'," says Russell, "that there are only so many people who are going to want cabs, and that that number is a more-or-less fixed demand. Mile High Cab very specifically believes, and has as a part of its business plan, efforts to expand the demand for cab services. We think that if there's better service, then more people will want to use taxi cabs. Our point is, competition benefits the public in all sorts of ways."

Short Fares Won't Pay for High Leases

Russell says Mile High Cab is also looking to reduce a cost that is the source of constant complaint and worry for many taxi drivers across the U.S.: their weekly lease. Most taxi drivers contract cabs from their companies and pay the company a weekly lease fee. In some cities like New York -- and even in Denver -- that lease fee can cost a cabbie $800 or more per week -- or over $40,000 a year. The result is that many taxi drivers work long hours and sometimes seven days a week, trying to eke out a profit.

For many cab drivers, "you work six days for the company and one day for the job," says Edem "Archie" Archibong, a cabbie in Denver for 15 years and chairman of Mile High's board. "The first six days you are working for the company, the last day you work for yourself." Archibong says the need to make the weekly lease means cabbies spend much of their shifts looking for big fee rides -- particularly to and from airports. "Drivers who have to pay the really high lease rate are disinclined to take short fares," says Russell. "If the driver's been waiting at a cab stand for a long time hoping for an airport ride, and you just want to go a mile-and-a-half, it creates a disincentive for the driver."

There's a movement among some cab companies like Mile High to establish lower lease rates for their drivers -- and to take their business outside of the traditional airport, hotel and downtown markets. Eric Morris, a researcher at UCLA's Institute of Transportation Studies, says taxis provide desperately-needed mobility for three important but underserved groups: the elderly, the disabled and the poor.

Breaking the Cycle of Suburban Car Culture

"People believe mass transit is an option, but taking mass transit is very physically demanding for the elderly," says Morris, who also writes a column for The New York Times Freakonomics blog. "Taxi service is a really important lifeline for people unable to use the transportation system. And taxis are surprisingly important for poor. Once in a while they have to take a trip via taxis. It's also a lifeline service for them."

Archibong, who has a steady clientele of children and elderly he takes around Denver, says low leases would allow cab drivers to reconsider the smaller calls and to still be profitable.

"You make money from smaller fares because once you start responding to them, they keep coming," he says. "You work for eight or 12 hours, and by the end of the day you make about maybe $130, you give $30 to the company and keep $100. It's that simple. But right now everyone is queuing for $50 [airport fares]. If you're lucky you'll get a couple, and even if you get a couple, you won't make your lease."

An influx of taxis could also help break the cycle of the U.S. suburban car culture. "People don't think, for example, 'Oh I can go out and if I drink too much I'll just take a cab home,'" says Russell. "People think instead, 'Well, I'd like to go out, but it's going to be so hard to get a cab, so I'm not going to try it.'"

"I think there's definitely a need for cab service in outlying areas, especially as time goes on and the population ages," says Morris. "There's a huge role for cabs and other transportation-for-hire services. It's especially important in the suburbs, where you have very few options to driving."

Real People React ...

2010-08-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

Do You Think Competition and Lower Taxi Fares are Bad?

Mile High Cab only wants to compete, but the state Public Utilities Commission feels competition, and lower fares for consumers, is bad for the big companies that have a lock on Front Range taxi service.

One reader has had enough, she took the time to write to her state senator and she shared the letter with us.

If you're tired of big government blocking free enterprise, better service, and a fair way of doing business, contact the PUC at Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us

Here's the letter one fed-up reader had for her Senator, Thanks!

Dear Senator Mitchell,

This brief letter is to alert you to a worrisome free market situation in the Denver metro area and, as a member of your district, to recruit your assistance.

According to the Denver Business Journal, "Mile High Cab wants to operate 150 cabs in the counties of Denver, Adams, Jefferson, Arapahoe and Douglas. It filed a PUC application to start operations in September 2008. Administrative Law Judge Paul Gomez, tasked with hearing arguments and recommending a decision to the commissioners, denied the application in mid-July.

"He said adding a new cab company — one that offered essentially the same cab service as the four existing companies — would drag down all the cab businesses and result in lower service for customers, he said.

'When a market is at or near capacity, a homogeneous, undifferentiated entrant such as Mile High, does not serve the public interest,' the ruling said."

Senator Mitchell, as you know, in America free enterprise is a widely-held tenet of our American liberty. When Judge Gomez determined that Mile High Cab would be "hurting" competition by starting business in several Denver-area counties, he demonstrated his obvious lack of knowledge of, or respect for, laissez-faire. I appeal to your sense of the free enterprise system in America, and ask you to encourage the PUC to overturn Judge Gomez's ruling regarding Mile High Cab, allowing the spirit of American business to continue to take its course as it should. We owe it to the citizens of our city, state and country."

What a great letter. Thanks for your support!

The Word Is Spreading ...

2010-08-17T18:16:00.001-07:00

Read What The Denver Post Wrote About Mile High Cab:

BUSINESS

Taxicab startup appeals Denver roadblock

By Greg Griffin
The Denver Post

A startup taxi company owned by drivers is trying to win approval to launch service in the Denver area but may face an uphill climb.

An administrative-law judge recently denied Mile High Cab's application to operate a fleet of 150 taxis in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties.

Judge Paul Gomez wrote that Mile High's entry would harm Denver's existing cab companies economically and "impede the ability of those carriers to provide safe, economical and efficient service."

Mile High this week filed an appeal of the decision with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which regulates taxi service in the state and will make a final ruling.

There are four cab companies in the Denver area authorized by the commission to operate 1,262 taxis. Gomez agreed with experts for Metro Taxi, Denver's biggest cab company, who concluded Denver's supply of taxis is at or above capacity.

"When a market is at or near capacity, a homogeneous, undifferentiated entrant such as Mile High does not serve the public interest," Gomez wrote.

An attorney for Mile High said its entry would benefit the public. Mile High would charge 25 cents less per mile than two of the existing cab companies, would not charge extra for additional passengers or baggage and would offer superior customer service, said attorney Thomas Russell.

"Competition of another firm is good for the public interest. . . . There's widespread dissatisfaction with cab service in the Denver area," he said. "If there are too many cabs, how come everyone has to wait so long for one?"

In 2008, Colorado lawmakers eased restrictions on new entrants into the regulated taxi market. Companies must prove they have adequate financial and managerial resources, but they no longer have to show a need for their services. Still, new service can be barred if existing taxi operators prove it will be a detriment to the public interest.

The PUC last year allowed Union Taxi to launch service with 220 cabs. Two other startups have applied with the commission to launch service, and Denver Yellow Cab has requested approval to add 150 taxis. The commission has not yet ruled on those requests, spokesman Terry Bote said.

Greg Griffin: 303-954-1241 or ggriffin@denverpost.com

Mile High Cab to Challenge Ruling

2010-08-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

Judge Rules Against More Front Range Cabs, Lower Fares

Taxi Drivers Challenge Ruling That Blocks Entrepreneurs and Stifles Competition

DENVER – It may seem that more taxi cabs and lower fares would create jobs and offer consumers lower fares and more convenience. But a Colorado government official says no, claiming lower prices and competition are bad for the residents of Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties.

Some 150 experienced taxi drivers seeking to form an employee-owned company, Mile High Cab, are asking the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to overturn an administrative judge’s ruling and let them operate in the five-county area and compete in a free market. Taxi service is tightly regulated by state government, and the judge’s ruling blocks fair market competition.

Mile High Cab wants to provide 150 additional cabs – about one for every 16,000 people in the five-county area, or one every 25 square miles. But while state Administrative Law Judge Paul Gomez finds Mile High Cab would be financially stable enough to compete – even with its proposed lower fares and no extra charge for additional riders or luggage – he claims competition might challenge existing companies, and that might be bad for consumers.

“The administrative law judge concluded that Mile High Cab is financially and operationally fit. But, the judge says that more competition will hurt the public,” says attorney Tom Russell, representing Mile High Cab. “The judge has the law and the evidence wrong. Mile High Cab will offer lower fares and better service. These veteran cab drivers just want a chance at the American dream. They aren’t asking for favors or government bailouts, they just want government to get out of the way and let them compete in a free market."

A 2008 report prepared by the PUC’s staff finds Denver’s two biggest cab companies, Metro and Yellow, charged more just to get into the cab than the average rate of companies in 14 comparable large cities. And one, Yellow, also charged a higher per-mile rate than the average. In addition, the study found many Front Range cab drivers complained existing companies set taxi lease rates so high that they had to drive 12 to 14 hours a day just to break even.

The PUC’s 2008 report states there have been ongoing state “policy efforts to expand the number of companies serving the Denver Metro area and to expand the number of authorized vehicles.” Yet the judge’s ruling would bar a willing startup from entering the market.

Mile High Cab is challenging the Administrative Law Judge’s ruling that competition in the five-county taxi market is bad for consumers. Lower rates and more cabs would help riders across the metro area, from Adams to Arapahoe to Denver counties. Russell and drivers are available for interviews. The story offers readers, viewers and listeners an intriguing view into the misunderstood world of taxi companies and drivers.

A copy of the Mile High Cab challenge is attached. Mile High Cab operates a blog at www.milehighcab.blogspot.com. Follow Mile High Cab on Twitter at www.twitter.com/milehighcab

Mile High Cab

Extra! Extra! Read All About It ...

The Aurora Sentinel

PUC Under Scrutiny

Colorado legislators seek audit of PUC after year of notable decisions

Back in the news!

Lawmaker Says ENOUGH to the PUC!

When is a gift just a "gift?"

Metro Taxi's $10,000 for Hick's inauguration payback for opposing Mile High Cab?

Bombshell

When is a Lawsuit Like Getting Frisked?

Why is Colorado Government Against Jobs?

Front Page News, Read All About It ...

Back to the PUC!

Michael Hancock Repays Metro Taxi

Let's Get to Work: All Of Us!

Thank YOU Senator Carroll

Never give up ... never

We Live to Fight Another Day! Courage

Mile High Cab on TV

Huffington Post, Another in Favor of Mile High Cab ...

Time Out!

PUC To Get an E-A-Rful

Wait a Minute, Mister Postman ...

Folks, We Got Trouble, Right Here in Mile High City!

Light Shines on Aurora

What's fare is fair: New cab company decries PUC rejection

By BRANDON JOHANSSONThe Aurora Sentinel

The Airport Hustle: It's Not a Dance

Strange Things Are Afoot At the DIA ...

Denver Daily News: Pressure Mounting on PUC

Drive for new cab company

Pressure mounts for PUC to allow drivers to form new cab service

Peter Marcus, DDN Staff Writer

Monday, September 20, 2010

With Beer, More is Better. Same with Taxis!

More News Coverage, We're Making Some Noise

Denver Post Columnist Susan Greene

Greene: Cab startup getting burned

Yeah, Uh, We've Decided Not to Pick You Up

Look For, The Union Label ...

Thank You Congressman Perlmutter!

There's Rude, and Then There's ...

Mercy on an Orphan?

Denver Business Journal on Senators' Entry to Fray

BadTaxi! From the Files of the PUC

An Interesting Take on Competition

Thank You Senator Harvey!

On The Air!

If You Just Heard Us On 850 KOA ...

Mile High Cab in the Nation's Capital!

Great Letters, Keep 'Em Coming!

Another Civic Leader for Mile High Cab

Another Candidate for Fair Competition

Political Might Behind Mile High Cab

The Secret Is Out

Senator Chris Romer supports Mile High Cab

9news talks to drivers about high lease rates and illegally long hours

Mile High Cab Back In the News

Can You Hear Us Now?

Asleep At The Wheel?

Hear Mile High Cab: The Interview

Listen UP! Mile High Cab on the Radio!

We're a National Issue!

Real People React ...

The Word Is Spreading ...

Taxicab startup appeals Denver roadblock

Mile High Cab to Challenge Ruling

By BRANDON JOHANSSON
The Aurora Sentinel