Additional cabs to be on streets for February events

Las Vegas Sun

Taxis are seen queued up at McCarran International Airport on Friday, March 22, 2013.

Extra taxicabs will be rolled out next month when three major traffic-generating events arrive.

The Nevada Taxicab Authority today approved additional permits, known in the industry as “medallions,” for the weekend of the Super Bowl and during the International Builders’ Show and the MAGIC fashion trade show.

The authority’s board unanimously approved four additional cabs for each of Clark County’s 16 companies for the Super Bowl and for the National Association of Home Builders and Kitchen & Bath Industry shows. The two trade shows run simultaneously, beginning immediately after Super Bowl weekend and continuing through Feb. 6.

An estimated 75,000 people will attend the two shows. Taxicab Authority staff said 275,000 people were expected to be in Las Vegas for Super Bowl weekend, but they added that most of them will be drive-in visitors with their own transportation. Last February, nearly 11,000 people a day took cab rides from McCarran International Airport. On average in 2013, 9700 cab rides a day were loaded at McCarran.

The board also unanimously approved six additional cabs per day for MAGIC, which runs Feb. 18-20. The board was told that trade show has higher-than-average cab ridership because in addition to the show, which is expected to draw 80,000 people, participants frequently travel to restaurants and nightclubs for parties after the show closes daily.

Taxicab Authority Administrator Charles Harvey also announced the authority board soon would have a new meeting place and cab companies would have a new location to conduct administrative business. The state agency is expected to move by May to a new office at 2080 E. Flamingo Road.

The new board meeting room would have room for 250 attendees. The current site at 1785 E. Sahara Ave. often has standing room only with about 60 seats in its meeting room.

Tags: News , Business
Business

Share