City taxi oversight isn't as strict as police, some owners would like

By Jodi Rogstad
jrogstad@wyomingnews.com

CHEYENNE -- Joe Elkins tries to run his business by the book.

Since opening Better Checker Cab in March 2007, he said he has invested a lot of money in vehicle insurance and repair. He posts his fares on the doors of the cabs, along with the Better Business Bureau decals.

Though business is busy all day long, he can't afford to add cars to his fleet of three.

So Elkins gets really steamed when he sees his competitors taking shortcuts on insurance and other regulations.

"All I want is a level playing field," he said.

City officials acknowledge there is little oversight and few regulations governing the six taxi companies licensed to operate in Cheyenne.

Cabs aren't registered or inspected. Even though the state seeks proof that a taxi company has a $500,000 commercial insurance policy, no one checks individual cars in the fleet for coverage.

In a few months, the Cheyenne City Council may be looking at changes to codes to allow the city to more closely monitor taxi companies.

Cheyenne Police Chief Bob Fecht said the current ordinance has a few regulations: fares must be posted, owners must prove they carry a commercial insurance policy, and taxi drivers are subject to a background check before they can get their license to drive a cab.

"But nothing says 'Mister cab owner, you have to prove that your vehicles are in good working order," Fecht said. "I think, honestly, there should be standards. More specifically, it places the burden on the cab company."

To date, the ordinance, drafted by Lt. Monti

Allsop and Sgt. Jim Olsen, proposes the following:

n Documents must be displayed in a conspicuous place in the cab: A copy of the business license, the driver's city license -- which would now take the form of a photo ID -- and the insurance form would have to be posted.

n Annual cab inspections: These would be as similar to those that police cars get every few months. The cab would get a below-the-hood and undercarriage inspection to see that everything is working and roadworthy. The mechanic also would do a test drive to check the accuracy of the odometer. The inspection would be at the cab company's expense.

Allsop's goal is to have the new regulations in place before summer, the start of the tourist season. That's because three or four gypsy companies started up just before Cheyenne Frontier Days, he said, and disappeared as soon as the rodeo ended.

Until then, city officials will review the draft ordinance, and Allsop will arrange a meeting with the cab owners so they aren't "blindsided" by the new rules.

"No one's paid attention in the past," Allsop said. "Now it's time to pay attention to make sure the motoring public is safe and those riding the cabs are safe."

For some time, Elkins has been sounding the horn on the "blatantly illegal" practices of other companies.

For instance, Elkins says he knows of other companies that boost their fleets by taking out personal auto insurance on the extra cars. This was a common practice at one of his previous employers -- a real money saver, since commercial insurance runs $300 per month per cab.

"If the best I can do is bust out with three cabs," he said, while others are running five or six by breaking the rules, "how can I compete with that?"

With his camera always handy, he has photos of a cab with two different license plates -- one in the front, one in the back. He has photos of eight-passenger vans without a federal license. There were unmarked cabs.

There was even a cab with a car rental sticker on the back and another with Colorado plates.

Before the city grants a taxi license for $110 a year, the owner must bring in a document from the Wyoming Department of Transportation that states that the company meets insurance requirements.

What that means is the underwriter reports to the state what sort of insurance policy the owner has on the fleet, said Rayette Reece, an operating authority specialist for WYDOT. That's a minimum $500,000 policy for bodily injury and property damage.

But that's as far as insurance assurance goes.

The letter of authority is per fleet. There's nothing "to make sure every vehicle they own is actually insured or they're not doing something they shouldn't be doing like switching plates," Reece said.

When the commercial insurance policy lapses, the insurance company notifies the city clerk, who then puts the cab company on notice.

WYDOT does send out a compliance officer when there are complaints. As to how many there are in Cheyenne, Reece said they don't log the complaints because they don't get that many.

"Some of the other cities, we have major problems with taxi companies, but not so much in Cheyenne," Reece said.

Fecht said after the council votes on taxi standards, the police likely would draft an ordinance on licensing tow-truck companies.