Glendale : Taxi Firms Denied Permits

An intense campaign by competing taxi companies to operate in Glendale ended Tuesday when the City Council voted 4 to 1 to deny permits for Peoples Taxi and Bell Cab.

Both companies were seeking permits to operate 15 taxis each. Only 29 taxis are licensed to operate in Glendale, all owned by Babaeian Transportation Co., which runs Celebrity Cab, Checker Cab, Red Top Cab and Yellow Cab.

Representatives of Babaeian argued that competition among the four companies is enough and that any more would cause an excess of taxis in the city.

Gorgee Enterprises Inc., which owns Peoples Taxi, and San Gabriel Transit Inc., which operates Bell, charged that Babaeian holds an unfair monopoly. They said better service and lower fares would result if the city opened the doors to more competition.