Port Commissioners Urge Uniform Fare Rate for Taxis

San Diego port commissioners Tuesday called for a uniform fare rate for cab companies that serve the airport, with one commissioner warning that it might be necessary to establish a taxi franchise at Lindbergh Field if the current rate system is not changed.

Board Chairman Louis Wolfsheimer called the current system of variable rates “a rip-off.” Under this system, cab companies are allowed to set their own fares, up to a maximum rate, which is changed periodically.

Wolfsheimer warned that if a uniform rate is not established, the San Diego Unified Port District might recommend a taxi franchise at Lindbergh Field, and at the same time do away with most of the 150 cabs from different companies that are allowed at the airport every day.

‘Silly Idea’

“I think it was a silly idea to go to deregulation,” said Wolfsheimer. He added that since the Port District runs the airport, port commissioners also have the authority to set taxi rates for trips originating at Lindbergh Field.

Variable rates, which resulted from local deregulation of the industry 10 years ago, have spurred hundreds of complaints from tourists and local citizens alike, who feel they are being cheated. It is not unusual for a passenger to pay, say, $15 for a ride from the airport to a Mission Valley hotel with one company, and only $10 for a return trip in another cab.

On Tuesday, Wolfsheimer and other commissioners urged the Metropolitan Transit Development Board, which regulates the taxi industry, to institute a uniform rate. The MTDB is finishing a monthlong survey of about 1,500 cab patrons to learn if the public favors uniform rates. Except for a handful of small independent companies, most local cab firms have come out in favor of a uniform rate system.

System Rejected

The subject of using a separate meter for cabs authorized to work at the airport was briefly discussed and rejected. Anthony Palmeri, vice president and general manager of Yellow Cab, warned that a two-meter system is used in New Orleans and has caused more problems than it has solved.

Airport officials said that uniform rates would also help the congestion at Lindbergh Field and improve service. Occasionally, problems arise when disgruntled drivers, hoping for a long haul and bigger fare, refuse to take passengers to hotels at nearby Harbor and Shelter islands.

In addition, officials said that uniform rates would also end the practice of fare shopping at the airport, which slows down the taxi line. Under a uniform system, it would be “first up, first out,” they said.

Subsidy Suggested

Some opponents of uniform rates have charged that such a system would punish seniors and low-income residents, who are currently able to shop around for low fares. However, Palmeri suggested that the MTDB subsidize fares for the poor, like a program in effect in San Francisco. In San Francisco, cab companies turn over a percentage of their fares to a government agency, which uses the revenue to subsidize cab rides for low-income passengers, said Palmeri.

San Diego is the only major city in California that does not have uniform cab fares.