<p>It’s not uncommon to take an Island taxicab from one place to another and pay one fare, and on the way back pay something different. A committee formed by the All-Island Selectmen’s Association is exploring ways to bring uniformity to the taxi landscape.</p>
It’s not uncommon to take an Island taxicab from one place to another and pay one fare, and on the way back pay something different.
“One day you might pay 10, the next day 15, and it’s not posted anywhere,” said Oak Bluffs police chief Erik Blake, a member of a new regional taxi committee.
The group was formed by the All-Island selectmen’s association, an unofficial body that meets quarterly to discuss regional issues; it is charged with exploring ways to bring uniformity to the taxicab landscape.
There are 19 taxi companies on the Island, each licensed by one of five towns. (Chilmark has no cab companies.)
Each town has its own rules for cabs, which vary widely, and yet each cab travels Islandwide, picking up fares in each town. While cabs are prohibited from picking up a spontaneous fare in a town other than their own, they can answer a call from anywhere.
Oak Bluffs selectman Walter Vail is spearheading this latest push for taxi reform. At a recent meeting of the committee, he identified three ways to promote consistency: a universal rate structure, uniform regulations for all towns and taxi meters.
Mr. Vail ran these ideas by the committee.
While they were amenable to efforts that would regionalize the regulations and institute a uniform rate structure, some balked at the suggestion of meters.
“My thought is that whoever thinks it’s a good idea has never had a taxi company,” said Christopher Dacunto, who owns three cab companies in Oak Bluffs: Admiral, Harbor and Tisbury taxi.
He said each meter would cost him $500 to $1,000, a considerable cost for all 21 of his vehicles.
He also wondered how meters would be utilized by Vineyard cabs, which are mostly large vans and carry multiple parties in one trip.
“We are talking four or five fares,” Mr. Dacunto said. He wondered how the taxi driver would charge each party according to his or her destination.
“Before we even talk about it we will have to find out how it works,” he said.
Your Taxi owner Diane Habekost said she could buy a nice new van with the money she’d have to spend on meters for her cabs. She added that the meter would eliminate the taxi driver’s ability to charge less than the usual fee.
“I think you are opening up more problems than solving problems,” she said.
As a part of an effort to reform taxi operations, town officials in Nantucket decided to require taxi meters in the spring of 2013, but later removed that mandate from taxi regulations, according to a town official.
Mr. Blake said he would be in touch with the police chief on that island for an update.
“Tourists have a choice on where to go,” Mr. Vail said. “If Nantucket does things in a way they can understand better or appreciate better, they are going to go to Nantucket.”
The taxi discussion began at the healthy aging task force, Mr. Vail said, where concerns were raised about the obscure regulations governing cabs.
“The elderly don’t know what the rules are,” he said.
Ms. Habekost suggested a website where the public could find out which cab served which town, and what they charge.
“What upsets me is that you are telling us the answers to the problems instead of telling us the problems and letting us solve it,” Ms. Habekost said.
This is not the first time the all-Island selectmen have attempted to standardize the taxi industry.
In 1987, the association endorsed a plan to set Islandwide cab rates, and in 1979, they proposed reciprocal taxi licensing among the six towns. Neither effort was successful.
Mr. Vail said he wanted to minimize confusion for people getting off the boat. He said it would be good if all cabs shared a similar appearance.
“The Island is a tourist destination, and it needs to play the part,” he said.
But Mr. Dacunto was less optimistic on this point.
“I don’t know how you are going to get a uniformity of cabs,” he said. “It’s a resort area and I understand what you are saying, but Martha’s Vineyard is a different place and a lot of things are done differently here.”
An earlier version of this story reported that Nantucket requires meters in taxis; a proposal to require meters was approved in spring 2013 but later rescinded.
Comments
Use an "Uber" like system
Ken Esq EdgartownUse an "Uber" like system which also incorporates ride-sharing. No matter what standard fares from the ferry/airport should be clearly posted.
Can't speak for other drivers
Ed Oak BluffsCan't speak for other drivers but my rate sheet is posted front and center and I'm always happy to give a quote before we roll.
At the end of the article, it
Scott OBAt the end of the article, it's said that things are done different on the island! Well you got at right, and the only thing done differently is the way we get ripped off by most Proprietors on this rock!!!!
Taxi rates on this island are
ChrisTaxi rates on this island are comprable to rates that are seen off island eventhough we pay more for gas, repairs, tires......ect
If you have been following
ChrisIf you have been following Ubar most cities are looking to do away with it.
Uber is a great service and
Ken Esq EdgartownUber is a great service and works very well. The customer knows when and where his ride is and how much it is going to cost before getting in the vehicle. Of course, there are many groups that don't like competition and have fought against Uber and its competitors (Lyft, etc.).
Chris,
Ken Esq EdgartownChris,
I wasn't suggesting using "Uber," but to have a system like it on the Island. Meaning a system where customers could request service and know in advance how much their trip would cost. It would also allow for ride sharing and figure the cost of that. The companies and drivers might be able to utilize this to better plan their trips so that their costs are lower and the passengers get to their locations faster.
Seriously Mr. Vail? No one is
Josh EdgartownSeriously Mr. Vail? No one is going to pick Nantucket over the Vineyard based on taxi regulations...
Check your facts. Nantucket
Jim West TisburyCheck your facts. Nantucket taxis do not have meters. The selectmen there discussed it last year and even put it to a vote but it was taken off the table indefinitely after a rash of complaints from a wide range of people. They still use flat rates.
Also the situation over there is entirely different than here -- they have only one licensing authority so the cabs are all based out of one town. We on the other hand have five different towns that license cabs so each of those companies logically have different rates sheets. An Oak Bluffs taxi will charge someone less to drive someone across town (in Oak Bluffs) than an Edgartown or Vineyard Haven or West Tisbury company.
You would have to implement an off meter surcharge for out-of-town taxis to come and do a local fare in another town, and that just complicates things further.
And I don't know how meters would work for multiple parties sharing a van. Almost every taxi on the Vineyard is a passenger van or a minivan (a majority are still large passenger vans) and they are needed for the large groups of people who need a ride when the boats come in, or the bars close, or jet blue lands at the airport or whatever.
Taxis on the Vineyard are unique from other areas in that they are often required to take multiple parties at the same time -- sometimes three or four parties. While its not always ideal for customers it's completely necessary and it's often the only way that cab companies can make a profit considering the high cost of doing business out here (I.e. gas costs, vehicle repairs etc.).
How would the meters work with separate parties sharing a vehicle? Would you just keep it running as you drop off each party? People would fight over who gets dropped off first and make life miserable for the driver. Bottom line: meters won't work here.
There are things that can be done to improve the taxi industry on the Vineyard. Maybe try establishing a taxi commission or a hotline where people can lodge complaints or have notices in all cabs explaining the differences in the fares for the different towns.
But whatever is done I would suggest starting with small changes and working your way up and I can tell you that putting meters in the cab is a bridge too far. You would be creating problems instead of solving them.
Thanks for pointing that out,
Editor Vineyard GazetteThanks for pointing that out, we've clarified the statement about Nantucket taxi policies.
some cabs are pretty saggy.
Kate Edgartownsome cabs are pretty saggy. but they don't charge less. I once took at cab to Edgartown via Chilmark - an extra hour late at night and two other fares. Cab driver clearly didn't care that my then five year old was very tired and unhappy. Wonder what that would have been on the meter.
My big gripe is the taxi's
RD WTMy big gripe is the taxi's charging double after 2AM. While I haven't been out ofter 2 in decades, I can only think this will make people think twice about whether they should take a cab home after having one two many, or should they just take their car. I don't believe they do it on Nantucket or anywhere else I've been to, and it shouldn't be done here.
It seems like they cab companies in this article, and the commenters are set against any sort of island wide uniform fares because they would lose money, but from the perspective of the consumer I would welcome it. As opposed to a loaf of bread, which I can look at and immediately see how much it will cost me, I have to call each taxi and get a quote, or walk up to each and inquire. As far as offering discounts as mentioned in this article, I paid the same when someone picked my wife and I up at our home as we did when we were crammed into the van with three other groups. So if there's a discount someone we missed it.
The reason prices are higher
Ed Oak BluffsThe reason prices are higher after 2am is because that driver is one of very few drivers on the road at that hour. And the driver is likely working past their normal hours if they're out that late.
I work nights a lot and can tell you that Oak Bluffs last call is 1am, with everyone out of the bars by 1:30am. There is rarely anyone that needs a cab from the bars after 1:45am. We just don't see a lot of business after 2am.
What I find interesting here
Mr. B ChilmarkWhat I find interesting here is that no work seems to have been done by the paper on getting the fare structure for each company. They have to post them, don't they? Must they be a part of the public record to get a license? Or is the Wild West down at the wharf? You don't know the fare until they have your luggage in the back and lots of other people loaded. And who's getting off first? Now that would worry me, and I think that it should worry tourists and, in a world of Uber, worry the taxi companies themselves.
You should ask for a quote
Ed Oak BluffsYou should ask for a quote before you get in the cab or call a company before you're off the boat.
I tried to take a cab on the
All Green EdgartownI tried to take a cab on the island twice. Both attempts were at the Steamship in VH. One trip would have been to my car in OB in the summer, the other trip would have been to Franklin Terrace in VH. Both times I was turned down by the waiting cab drivers because they were looking for a longer trip. I would advise the towns to regionalize and add meters. There is a reason all major areas use meters. And how stupid and wasteful is it to prevent a cab driver from picking up a return fare because she or he Iicensed in another town on the island.
This article made me do a
Bruce Stone EdgartownThis article made me do a little research. In NYC (per their Chapter 54 Section 20) it is illegal to refuse a taxi hire based on the destination (as long as it is in the 5 boroughs). Also, in the real world, there is a difference between a single hire making multiple stops and multiple hires. Three people leaving a bar together in most places can hire a cab and be dropped off at 3 locations and be considered a single hire; the meter is left running and the total amount due will be the amount the meter says at the last location. The fare would be paid at that time and, the earlier drop offs would have made the payment arrangements with the person that would be last. Multiple fares would be people unknown to each other. I found laws from Australia that state multiple hires are permitted only if both the driver and all the other hires agree. The meter is programmed to handle multiple fares; it is left running and as the driver makes the most direct route for the hires at each stop he presses a button on the meter and the hire departing pays 75% of the normal fare. Each hire pays 75% at their stop. I assume the discount is to encourage the practice as the initial hire could refuse additional ones and the driver would be required to drive only them. I'm not sure if island regulations make any distinction.
The biggest scam is charging
deshandra brown obThe biggest scam is charging multiple fares when going from the same place to the same destinations. Examples:
If a family of 4 goes from a boat to dock st. Edg, they are charged a single fare.
If TWO couples go from a boat to dock st. Edg, they are EACH charged full fare, so the cabby gets paid DOUBLE.
I totally agree,it has
douglas a morrow westport point,maI totally agree,it has happened numerous times to me.
Contray to popular belief no
ChrisContray to popular belief no one is getting rich running a taxi company on this island. The cost of repairs on these larger vehicles to drive multiple parties is costly.
I did the overnight shift for
Jim West TisburyI did the overnight shift for an Oak Bluffs company for several years and I want to clarify a few things. First of all the double fares don't start until after 2 a.m. and that is PLENTY of time for someone leaving the bars to get a ride home at the regular rate. If you've ever in downtown Oak Bluffs around 1 a.m. on a summer night (or a winter night for tat matter) you'll see there are a small army of cabs swarming around the downtown area and they keep circling until everyone is off the streets. Then at 2 a.m. most of the cabbies go home and only a handful of cabs stay out to do the overnight shift, and even then someone working the that shift will still probably only get a handful of calls -- one or two if they're lucky and a majority of nights they wont get any calls at all. A big reason that companies double their fares is to ensure the driver that do the late shift make some money. Remember these are not salaried positions, if you don't get any fares you make no money so a lot of times a driver will stay out until 5 a.m. and make nothing for sticking around those extra hours. The double fares are not some type of money grab - it is a way to help drivers get paid an appropriate wage at an hour when everybody else on the Island is home in bed.
As for the separate fares all companies do, in fact, allow for people in the same group to share a cab if they are going in the same direction without necessarily having to pay separate fares. The people will be charged extra if the different destinations are out of the way but that is not any different from a fare from the meter. And anybody who doesn't want to share a cab can always call one of the taxi companies (any of the taxi companies) and request that a cab come pick them up and then they will not have to share a cab. It's that simple.
A little math.
Concerned Citizen EdgartownA little math.
Assumptions: Summer, 10 person van, 10 MPG, $0.56 IRS Business Millage Reimbursement. $25 Fare SSA Docks VH to Edgartown Town Hall, Distance 7.8 miles, Gas $4.
Revenues
12 x $25 = $250
Expenses
Driver (Variable)
Millage $4.37 + Gas $3.12 = $7.50
Net Income less direct expenses (Not including driver share and overhead) = $242.50
I'd take that deal and for the record, the cost of meter and installation economic argument.
"Meters must be purchased and installed in each vehicle -- you are often required to have the meters installed by a professional meter shop approved by your local Department of Weights and Measures. There are a variety of taxicab meters available, the average cost being between $200 and $400 each. This doesn't include the installation/calibration, which usually costs around another $100."
At least posted set rates, rather than the shady negotiations that occur when you arrive at the SSA dock in VH.
Your math is all off. You're
Ed Oak BluffsYour math is all off. You're not charged $25 per head. $25 is the base price per party. If a driver booked $242 off of one run they would be the taxi hero of the year.
I drove a taxi for a summer
Cara Slats Boston/West TisI drove a taxi for a summer 17 years ago. My rate sheet was always displayed on my dashboard and I always offered my fares up front. If there was ever a question from the passenger about the fare, I would call dispatch on the radio for confirmation, with the response for the entire van to hear. If I had multiple fares in one van, I would let everyone know my drop-off agenda before we left. Fares after 2am were higher because I would pay more in gas to take someone from Edgartown to Gay Head, with no hope of a return passenger, than I was making after paying out at the end of my shift. I was honest and upfront, as we're the majority of my fellow drivers.
MV is a resort area and, if you travel to other destinations outside of major cities, most taxi services are gypsy cabs. You have to haggle and argue over your fare and how long it takes to get to your destination...and they have meters.
The taxi system on MV worked. It still does. If you need a cab to OB, ask a driver which one in front of SSA goes there (the first 3 are Edgartown direct, next couple to OB and the last few local or up island). Ask what there fare will be in advance. Don't be an ignorant traveler. The system is not broken. The people are. It's a taxi...not a black car limo service. Check your expectations.
I;m confused by the statement
Bruce EdgartownI;m confused by the statement "It's a taxi...not a black car limo service. Check your expectations". I find the real-world definition of a taxicab as "A taxicab, also known as a taxi or a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride." I just don't understand what a taxi is on the island. When I get off the boat why can't I go to the first taxi in line and have it take me (alone) to my home. That is what a taxi is. On this island it doesn't seem to work like that. Is that legal? How does the state define a taxi? If not a taxi, what is it? Are there separate state laws that regulate whatever that is?
Because, Bruce, 1.) that is
Benoit Baldwin West TisburyBecause, Bruce, 1.) that is what is permitted by the controlling legal authority, which is the town, not the state and 2.) the reason it is permitted is due to the supply/demand particulars of the taxi business on the Vineyard, and 3.) you can have a cab take you home alone if you call ahead to reserve one. The supply/demand particulars here do not and will never support everyone who gets off a boat or airplane getting their own cab, so you and everyone else with this concern need to put it out of your minds. You CAN get your own solo taxi, cheap, 100% of the time when you want it. It comes with skyscrapers. Take your pick.
The towns do not license
Ed Oak BluffsThe towns do not license enough taxis for every person getting off a boat to be guaranteed their own taxi, that's why the towns allow taxis to take multiple fares. There are 7 taxis spaces at the boat and in the summer all those taxis will move with separate fares. That means for everyone to get a private cab there would need to something like 20 taxi spaces, and there are currently not enough licensed taxis to cover that. In Oak Bluffs in the summer you have the SSA, the New Bedford Fast, the Island Queen, the Hyline, the Patriot, and the Rhode Island Ferry all coming into town multiple times per day daily. There are not enough taxis on the island, let alone OB to service all those boats with private rides.
7 vans at SSA can carry
Cara Slats Boston/West Tis7 vans at SSA can carry between 70-84 people. You think it would be reasonable to have 70 taxis available for each incoming ferry so everyone could have the red carpet service you so desperately require? It's an island with limited space. If you got what you were asking for, next you would be complaining about the traffic and lack of environmental concern due to the exhaust. Pick your battles wisely, friend.
I am too busy running my cab
Benoit Baldwin West TisburyI am too busy running my cab company to teach you Journalism 101, Gazette. Who, What, When, Where, Why? Was this article about a public meeting? WHEN and WHERE did this meeting happen? Where can I obtain the meeting minutes of this toothless taxi committee, which has apparently already met three times this year? When and where is this clown show meeting again, so I can be there to pop its shiny idiot balloons? This is the third attempt at all-island regulations in six years by one or more selectmen ignorant of their own town's regulations, never mind the other island towns' regulations, and forget about any one of them knowing anything about the long history of taxi regulation in the real world. This effort will fail as miserably as the previous ones, because, quoting Mr. Vail reading his notes on October 9, 2014, "in any event, the all island selectmen felt the need to protect local control." Okay, all island selectmen--when you find a taxi that operates exclusively locally, have the town it's in control away. Otherwise, do what you should have done decades ago: create a Dukes County Taxi & Livery Commission, cede your MGL c.40 c.22 authority to it, or shut up and stop wasting everybody's time AGAIN. Residents and visitors do not care about your pathological need to (mis)manage your share of the square mileage here. They just want a taxi, wherever and whenever they need it, at a fair price, in safe condition.
Growing up on the island, it
erica edgartownGrowing up on the island, it is a known fact that the "rates" and charges by taxis are inconsistent and too pricey. I definitely learned my lesson taking taxis on the island and promote others not to support sketchy services. if things were fair and transparent that would be one thing, but to be charged THIRTY dollars to go from downtown edgartown to downtown ob in a van of six people and I paid thirty for myself is WRONG. The system you are defending is because you are making money ripping people off and taking advantage of them. As a customer, once you're in the taxi there is no way out and you feel trapped. Also, calling ahead and getting a "quote" isn't always accurate. Everytime I have done that the quotes have never matched what I actually paid. Maybe if you were a little less greedy you could see that it would benefit you in the long term, providing a service that people can depend and trust. the way things currently operate is sketchy and untrustworthy. no sane person would want to support any business like that.
Taxis on the island have been
Obvious VHTaxis on the island have been way too expensive forever. There also are way too many shady and dishonest drivers, who think of new ways daily to steal from the company they work for as well as the customer to make as much $$$ as possible. They will over-charge rates and make up unreasonable add-ons, not call in multiple fares and pocket pocket pocket all they can get away with. Of course they are not wanting meters. Too much accountability! And what a lame argument that they wont work with multiple fares. The smart tech folks can figure out that programming in a NY second. PS: To tourists and everyone else: Check out the VTA fares...they may not take you to your door, but for the huge money you will save it will be quite close enough.
I don't know why you assume
Ed Oak BluffsI don't know why you assume meters will make the taxis cheaper. Chances are they will increase prices.
I worked for a cab company
Katharine Vineyard HavenI worked for a cab company based out of Edgartown this summer. The following comments are based on my experience
1- each town approves the rates charged by each specific taxi company.
2- the only way for the driver to make any money is to take multiple fares. (50/50 split with company plus driver pays for gas @ approximately 12 miles per gallon. Therefore a run between Edgartown and VH costs $22. The driver gets $11 of this. Subtract the cost of 1 1/2 gallons of gas [can only pick up fares in town of licensure] and the driver nets $5.00 for 45 minutes work. Drivers makes less than minimum wage.
3- I have observed drivers refuse fares because they weren't making enough money driving it. This was especially the case in OB where drivers could charge $12 for a run to VH. I was especially infuriated one day when an elderly man, his wife and their daughter were stranded at the Island Queen and 1 OB cab rolled up his windows and locked his doors and the other drove off.
Meters would do nothing to change any of this.
Perhaps a better cure would be to offer improved regulation of fares and have all taxis post in the passenger areas both their fares and a phone number to contact to report overcharging to.
I have traveled in many US
Not a taxi fan VHI have traveled in many US cities and towns and over 40 countries and never paid the per mile rate the Vineyard system offers esp in Tisbury where a 1.5 mile ride costs about $15 for 2 or 3 people plus more for a 200 yd dirt road and more for a dog. So I walk or take the bus or get a ride. Meters work the world over. Multiple fares of unrelated people are offered out of Boston Logan airport when cabs are in short supply. The first person pays the metered rate. The meter is then reset for the second fare and it is paid at destination and so on. I think the taxi companies should look at the fares they could get under a fair and open system rather than the jungle of options offered currently that leave a bitter taste with the riders who often opt not to use cabs
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