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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/24/2009 - STAFF REPORTS - 00 Coachella Valley Taxi Study 14 medallion permits away and consider alternatives. Clearly, the time to act on taxi issues is when there are still companies involved and a community has options. Interviews with Larger Taxi Firm Owners Interviews were conducted with all major Coachella Valley taxi firms which had physical places of business outside their homes during the months of January and February, 2007. All other owners of taxi firms wers invited by letter to meet at the SR offices to provide input into this study. Following is a brief description of the major taxicab fimi facilities and their owner's concerns. City Cab Co r ll'«�ll.; �!' 1 {fIr �i ij r,i l� � d�Pf d��<ZdO� Coachella Valley Taxi Study 15 City Cab Co. iF ��I yam, �f �, i •�•. �i gi77 CAa di g52 City Cab Company, owned and operated by Dennis Rosenberg, has a fleet of 22 cars and would be classified as a Category 2, full service taxicab company. As sho,'Nn by these photographs, the fury operates out of a dedicated facility which bouses their'24 " hour dispatch system, company offices, and a large maintenance facility. In addition, there is adequate room to park all vehicles in a protected, fenced area. City Cab generates the most trips of any of the Coachella Valley taxi firms. The fine generated and serviced 6702 cab trips for the month of November 2006. or approximately 10-15 trips per day per allocated taxi permit. This represents slightly more than 16% of the market demand served by all taxicabs in Coachella Valley for the month of November, 2006. City Cab dispatching is performed over a radio network, and the firm has just installed a new GPS based taxi management system. Management is looking forward to additional reports and data which help manage the growth and financial affairs of the firm. TTLF CONSULTING—RAY A. MUNDY,Ph.D. H. Current Regulatory Environment The current regulatory environment is aimed at providing the minimum of safety standards for vehicles and operators. The regulatory agency provides that drivers undergo background checks, drug tests, and that vehicles are certified mechanically safe with properly operating meters. The current regulatory environment does not address vehicle service issues, and one reason is the agency receives few complaints from riders about the service. In an interview with SunLine Service Groups it was agreed that taxicab service is a service of convenience and most persons do not complain about a bad taxi ride (dirty car, scary driver, overcharging)and simply find an alternative for the next trip, other than using taxicabs. This leaves at risk the frail, elderly, or unsuspecting riders who have no other means of transportation and feel they must ride with the taxicab that shows up. There is an absence of a true competitive market in that most persons are subject to the vehicle and driver that arrives after placing a call for service or standing in line at the Airport or a resort. This lack of market choice makes it difficult for the rider to know the true quality of service until the trip is underway, by then limiting the passenger's free market choices. The regulatory agency has little ability to monitor each ride, and lacks a system to be made aware of passenger experiences. The regulatory agency's current scope is limited to providing minimum safety standards for car and driver. In a well-run company, such as City Cab of Palm Springs,the rider experience is monitored by the owner and call takers such that poor service quality is corrected by discipline of the driver or repair of the vehicles. The attention by management to the customer results in a type of self- regulation.The service quality is important to the company in hopes of repeat business, and the company is sustained on a certain minimum volume of business. Economically undesirable trips are provided (generally short trips or passengers that take excessive time to transfet);..twEuty four hour dispatch is available even though unprofitable at certain times,vehicles are kept in service at unprofitable hours and wait times are monitored. Complaints are resolved by management in agreement with the rider. This type of service monitoring is indicative of City Cab's management concern to sustain or increase the number of rides flowing to the company. A company's desire to sustain business is at times counter to the individual taxicab operator. A taxicab operating independently has no accountability and economic factors sometimes outweigh customer service. When an independent operator sees a ride as unprofitable, the trip is avoided or sometimes made profitable through unscrupulous means. While most operators are honest and like to give good service,the ability to select trips can leave a passenger stranded or taken advantage of,particularly when the operator knows there are no consequences or accountability. A driver managed by a company is more likely to behave because there is accountability. A well-run company like City Cab currently has little economic incentive to invest in service improvements or increase the number of vehicles in their fleet since the addition of independent operators continues to dilute business. The increase in vehicles by City Cab has been through the addition of independents at virtually no investment cost by the company. Providing regulation that encourages investment by City Cab and guarantees a certain amount of business,increases trips 5 Coachella Valley Taxi Study �g 1 3 $750 for 2 miles seems high but Ihue so is gas, $10.00 with tip was a new experience for me They should be more polite when taking calls for pick up; They should be willing to 1 4 come in my restaurant for their pickups;my guests should not have to wail in hot/cold lemperalures outside 1 5 A Valley Cab is wonderful 1 5 Overall they have very good service 1 7 Rude on phone At peak limes/season hard to gel a taxi in less than 112 hour,sometimes even longer; 1 10 Dress codes of taxi drivers could be much better Some very sloppy dressed and cars dirty and had smell(smoke and sweat) 1 11 They are prompt in picking up customers 1 12 Overall very good 1 13 Many cabs (all companies) reek of.smoke from drivers smoking when cab not occupied;don't smoke when driving customers 1 14 We have been very pleased with the taxi service with all these companies 1 16 Would like to thank City Cab for their kindness to my patrons.They mull put up with alai Thank you for asking 1 1g [illegible)good services �1 21 So far we thank them;good services 1 23 They are usually very good in responding to our customers'needs. 1 24 They need to talk more positive about nightclubs;not one-time negative issues. 1 25 Goodsennce 10 5 2 _ i 59% 29% Analysis Open ended questions arc impossible to quantify other than being positive or negative- As shown by these results, although there were some very nice comments about specific taxi companies, their dispatchers, or their drivers, the overwhelming tone of the comments were negative especially when it comes to price and appearance. One may argue that this is nothing new when evaluating taxicab companies, but in a tourist oriented community, taxicab service is the first and last impression visitors will have, and therefore a visitors' feeling about their visit could very well be colored (positive or { negatively) by their taxicab trip to and from the airport. f Coachella Valley Taxi Companies: Conclusions Given the above surveys, interviews, and data analysis, it can be determined that f the worsening taxi problems within Coachella Valley are due primarily to the 1 TTLF CONSULTING—RAY A.MUNDY, Ph.D. Coachella Valley Taxi Study 37 HOTELS: + nla # Comments 1 2 The bus system needs improvement! Taxpayers' funding is wasted on ineffective services. 1 3 We used to use Rainbow until they went out of business. Just picked VIP, and they have been very good to our guests;no complaints for all the years we've used them. T� 1 4 Roles seem very high for[his area. Most of our guests don't use much because too costly. 1 5 Taxicab drivers need to he professional and well groomed; they are our city's first impression when our guests arrive at the airport. 1 8 Have tried Ace,Airport(never agam);American(ok), USA(ok) 1 10 We use VIP exclusively and are very pleased with service. 1 14 We could use a little more service in Desert Mat Spring,perhaps a dedicated cab? 1 15 Mike at A Valley Cab is great; he always takes care of me and makes my hotel a priority;Bill is wonderful as well.I never call any other company. 1 19 Palm Springs taxi service Is very rude and should not be in business- 20 City Cab fantastic!Have had problems with Airport Taxi and VIP Express with drivers' very poor attitude 1 21 Answering their phones in a more timely manner and not going directly to voice mail when calling.Big problem with La Quetta Cab on[his matter 1 26 City Cab serves us well. 1 32 At times we have heard comments from guests stating that cab drivers will either refuso or reluctantly accept passengers for short[rips to or from[he airport. 1 33 Bring back Line 31 on weekends. 1 36 Twenty Nine Palms Top's taxi is now the only taxicab c0 in this [own It mea6s.not good service.You should have questions about prices(comparing),etc. 1 38 Some companies have over charged guests, e.g., $35.00 from airport which is less than mile and a half. Only City Cab you can count on to not be anti-gay;many cab drivers have no change 39 thus lake advantage of guests;do not want to fake guests to WMM Sands and some are very anti-gay. There have been this year so far 4 complaints of taxi drivers being rude;no change and not taking guests to WMM Sands, 1 44 Peak hmes•long wait or no arrival.This happens frequently on holidays. Generally, _ service Is good except for that. 4 7 7 22% 39% 39% RESTAURANTS: + nla # Comments fThe one bad experience was when one of our regular customers who is legally blind 1 1 was taken for a ride instead of straight home He refused to pay the driver, he was very upset.I don't remember the company. TTLF CONSULTING—RAY A. MUNDY, Ph.D. ,qM PRCIFIC-CEMFUTER-P.EPRIR-FSCR PHONE NO. : 75� �51 4573 Oct. 08 20177 34:47AM PZ City Cab 668 5, Eugene Road Palm Springs, CA 92264 Phone: 760,416.2594 & Fax: 760.416.2440 Oct 5, 2007 TO: Naomi nightingale Sun line Transit Agency 32-505 Harry Oliver Trail Thousand Palms, CA 92276 Phone: 750.343.3451 Fax: 760,343.3097 RE: vehicle registrations and fleet size Dear Mrs, Nightingale I must say I am very sorry that our first communication we are having has to be one relating to a problem and not one of just saying hello and welcoming you as the new taxi administrator. Yet it was not my intentions since I have left numerous requests for a meeting on your answering machine which have gone unanswered In reply to your letter dated seot.26, 2007 lets starts with the request by you for kiddl23 inc, to register the vehicles used by city cab in 'the everyday operations of doing business to be registered into kidd123inc. Name. I went ahead and contacted departments of motor vehicles at the main office in Sacramento I was told that since kidd 123 INC. Has filed a fictitious business name statement'kidd123ip+c77 ,.. , Doing business as city cab I would have to register the vehicles into the name 6f'a city cab, On Wednesday the 2' of October I had a conversation with Lisa Copeland, I informed her about the conversation with the dept. of motor vehicles I had. She told me that what I was told by the department of motor vehicles was unacceptable unless I registered the way you stated in your letter that city cab would not be given an operator permit for 2008. Lisa then asked me to have my attorney call her. I did not see a reason to get my attorneys involved at this time especially at a cost of $500,00 per hour. I decided to go around the HMV and called the automobile club and told them of.the problem I was having_ To solve zhe problem I was told to make kidd 123ine, The registered owner doing business as city cab. Yet to get all 22 cabs changed over I need more time also City Cab has (2) cabs financed and unless those vehicles are paid off the registered owner can not be changed. Please advise me on what to do next. Next lets deal with the problem of sunline not having my social security number, Well, my social security number is yet as for writings it on my application that I cannot due since as you must know Sun line already has it_ Ch, by the way Sun line has also had my social security number on file since 1996. 'FOM PRC1FJC-COMPLJTEP.-REPP1R-PSCR PHONE NO• : 793 251 4573 prt. 012 2307 74:40RM Ps Lastly the number of cabs city cab needs to take care of the public needs when requesting a cab. Please understand that if you look a{ the Dr_ Mundy you wifl notice that city cab is a ful( service cab company with a large cverhead and we must be able to capitalize on the bussiness when its here. City cab has not or do we plan on causing the problems of the past, (to many cabs)yet the public thaterV S2no efFicient taxi service and city cab has alway prided it self on doing feel it is in the best interest of the taxi riding public to add a few more cabs to our fleet. Sincerly oENNIS ROSE NBERG PRESIDENT CITY CAE PRIORITY NOTICE Account Fxecuirve (ext 22) 32107 West Lindero Canyon Load#126'Westlake Village, CA 91361 Tera Bridgeford TEL(818)889-0006 FAX(818)889-9847 Customer Service Representative 762658 Michele Madrigal(ex 12) NOTICE OF BINDING Policy Number _ Insurance Mercury Insurance Company C In Issue Company Number of Units Named Insured Kidd 123, Inc.dba: City Cab W C�Binding The terms of this binder may differ from the original application furnished. i Policy Term From: September 21, 2007�] To! September 20, 2008 J Coverages Limits Automobile Liability $350,000 _ Subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Policy THIS IS YOUR INVOICE FOR THE DOWN PAYMENT Direct Billed,by Insurance Company To be Paid Over 9 Installment(s) __-TotalAnn sal � -town Payments Total Annual Premium $71,604 $17,901 0 Inspection Fee: - • GA/Surplus lines fee: - State SL Fee: State Tax, - _ _ Down Pavment Due: j TOTAL ANNUAL DUE:I $ 71,604-00 $ 17,901A0 September 20, 2007 First Installment due in 4 30 Days. I We Value Your Business and want you to feel confident that insuring with us will always mean friendly superior service. Coverge Bound When Signed By Broker: Thank You For Your Business. vs 2107 Print Date 9/21107 --ga M DBA CITY CAB MU 668 S.EUGENE RD. PALM SPRINGS CA. 92264 TELE.760-416-2594 August 1,2008 TAXI ADMINISTRATION OFFICE c/o SUNLINE REGULATORY AGENCY ATT:Naomi NIghtengale 32-505 Huffy Oliver frail Thousand palms ca. 92276 DEAR MRS NIGHTENGALE SO I COULD BETTER DETERMINE THE EFFECTS "CITY CAB 15 HAVING TO ENDURE" DO TO THE TAXI ADMINISTATIONS ABILITY TO CONFISCATERID THE 4 VEHICLE PERMITS. I DECIDED TO LOOK OVER THE COMPANIES END OF THE MONTHS FINANCIAL STATEMENT. ALARMINGLYAFTER DOING SO I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT BEYOUNDA SHADOW OF A DOUBT CITY CAB IS LOSING ITS'S CUSTOMER BASE TO THE OTHER CAB COMPANIES. "THIS I HAVE TO WRITE WILL BE VERY HARD TO CORRECT". BUT IF CITY CAB CAN HAVE A MEETING WITH YOU AND MR- OGELSBY I FEEI,THAT DURING THAT MEETING THE DOCUMENTS CITY CAB WILL BRING WILL BE ENOUGH TO FAVOR THE ADMINISTRATIONS [DECISION IN FAVOR OF CITY CAB, AND THUS RESOLVE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN THE STAFF AND I AT CITY CAB HAVE BEEN TRYING SO HARD TO AVOID. SINCERELY YOUR DENNIS ROSENBERG PS. PLEASE BE ASSURED WHEN I TELL YOU MY WORD IN BUSINESS I HOLD AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL SO WITH THAT BE ASSURED THAT WHEN WE MEET YOU WILL NOT NEED LEGAL COUNSEL PRESENT " I COME BEARING JUST MY MORAL ARGUMENTS" Cc Mr- Oglesby . '+"�aaa.'..1°AAAY$.'..'F '•...�,.r.µl ,jj r' .i:'. :+T:!4M1rwNP'A.1'Y! e,i..:;.iF .�FFiM r'r iyN•:+.-r.'M"'i yr• S. nAgnMM1(,.pl1l W+Mi� NPY A�i b�r= aA�'�All k NF ~ F . Iq unr} J F + DRA CITY CAB 663 S EUGENE RD. PALM SPRINGS CA, 92264 TELE 760-416-2594 September 2.2008 TAXI ADMINISTRATION OFFICE c/o SUNLINE REGULATORY AGENCY ATT:Naomi Nightengale 32-505 I•lorry Oliver Irail Thousand palms Ca- 92276 Dear Mrs. Nightengale, I'm writing this letter on behalf of KIDD 123 Inc.who has invested on enormous sum of money into City Cab. I contend that whoever is in Charge is lying, and can lie without a conscious. The fact is, 27 cars were listed on my application, and we both have proof. It can be collaborated by looking at the insurance binder you received proving auto coverage of 27 cars dated September 20, 2007,well before the final application deadline That was so easily extended for the rest of the industry. Twenty-four of the twenty-seven cars were listed last year as part Of our fleet, I listed those 24 cabs PLUS the three cobs that were independents. Hopefully I don't have to make you aware of your awn ordinance, but it states that only 25%of our fleet can be older then seven years AND 25% of our fleet can be independents. As you'll notice, the independents had older cars. In order for City Cab to meet the boundaries of the new ordinance that meant that City Cab had to have 75%company owned cars"arirfi 7,,W,,•;, of the fleet had to be less then seven years old.That's why I contend the three cars you have in question were purchased by City Cab to upgrade the fleet by replacing existing vehicles of City Cabs and meet new standard set forth in the ever so changing taxi ordinances. Mrs. Nightengale before I forget to write this ,I would like to bring to your attention to the fact that in the application there was never a request for vehicle registrations to be included look at #37 and I Quote "please attach fleet and drivers list" and if you look at the lists CITY CAB turned in you will seethe information listed was total number of vehicles along with vehicle make, model year,and Cab number. I am having a hard time trying to understand your thinking why have you singled the one cab company that has always looked at the taxi ordinances with the utmost respect and shaped a cab company doing just that. "if for some reason CITY CAB has strayed from such you can bet your life it was by accident and not intentional". 1 have done just about all I can do to try and correct this matter without bringing it to public or even a more drastic approach taking it thru the legal system. I have sent you numerous letters asking to meet with you and all I have heard from you was silence. I have sent letters asking for the direction CITY CAR should take as for as the upgrading of its taxi fleet, and yet all that was heard was silence, this was the case last season and thus CITY CAB had to make a bad choice which was to purchase new vehicles when in fact latter to find out it was not necessary, and would you pu rr ,P MEN Believe me when I tell you that CITY CAB had no other choice but to buy more new vehicles thus making sure that what ever the taxi administration decides CITY CAB would be prepared for. The staff here at CITY CAB has always tried their best io look into the future and correct any troubles we might face. Yet as for as having so little time to fill out the new operators application CITY CAB is going to have to ask for more time. Thank you Dennis Rosenberg KIDD123INC. dba CITY CAB CC: Michael I-L Wilson(Councilmember) �� Charles--Mgd"England(Chainnan of Wallninee) Alan Scman (Councilmember) Don Adolph (Mayor) Ed Monarch(Cot ncilmember) Robert Spiegel(Councilmember) Eduardo Gtucia(Mayor) Roy Wilson(Supervisor) Mikel Oglesby(General Manager of Sunlinc)