Bombshell

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?

"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?

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 ...

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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 ...

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!

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

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 ...

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!

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

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

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 ...

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

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!

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

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

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.

Read more:Greene: Cab startup getting burned - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/greene/ci_16087263?source=rsshomecol#ixzz0zhOZ03XW

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

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 ...

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!

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 ...

Rude, dangerous, and downright scary!

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 August 22, 2009, at approximately 4:55 p.m., a customer called for a Metro Cab to pick her up at the Embassy Suites Airport Hotel. Not a bad response time, only 15 minutes. 

So far. So good. But things go wrong in a hurry, the customer tells the PUC. From the start, all the windows are rolled down. It's hot out. It's windy inside the cab. The passenger asks if the cab is air conditioned. The driver tells her it is not. She says she pretty much expected an air conditioned taxi. Something in decent shape. 

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