LVRJ: The Nevada Taxicab Authority should be shouting from the rooftops for lawmakers to repeal as many existing regulations as possible that make it harder for the taxi companies to adapt to the increased competition

(Las Vegas Review-Journal) – The Nevada Taxicab Authority still doesn’t have a clue.

As the industry takes a pounding from ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft — a pounding that will continue to become more severe — members of the authority apparently cling to the fantasy that they can return to the days when the powerful taxi cartel had a stranglehold on the local market.

The authority on Thursday voted unanimously to hold off on any changes regarding local taxi rates or surcharges, hoping instead that lawmakers will come to the industry’s rescue when they reconvene in Carson City next month. That’s unlikely to happen. Any legislative effort to hamstring ride-sharing outfits for the benefit of the cab companies will be met with fierce resistance, as it should be.

For the first 11 months of 2016, taxi trips in Southern Nevada fell by more than 16 percent from the same time in 2015, according to authority figures. Revenues for the 16 taxi companies operating in Clark County were down 13 percent over the same period.

The consumers have spoken.

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