Southern Nevada taxis made fewer trips but made more money in April, the Nevada Taxicab Authority reported.
The state agency that regulates Clark County’s taxi industry reported 2.3 million trips in April, down 3.2 percent from April 2011. But during that time frame, the county’s 16 cab companies reported revenue of $33.2 million, 2.8 percent ahead of April 2011.
The increased revenue was a result of a fuel surcharge that took effect in May 2011. Under the new rate, the surcharge added about $1 to the average taxi trip. Cab companies currently charge a $3.30 “drop” fee to hire a cab, $2.40 per mile, a special $1.80 fee if the trip includes a pickup or drop at McCarran International Airport and a waiting time fee of $30 an hour whenever a cab is stuck in traffic (assessed whenever the cab moves at less than 12 mph).
Cab companies also had 9.6 percent more medallions — the permits needed to operate a taxi — than they had a year earlier. The increased number of medallions resulted from special allocations approved by the five-member Taxicab Authority board for large conventions and special events and the conversion of temporary medallions over six months.
For the first four months of 2012, the number of taxi trips was up 0.8 percent to 9.2 million and revenue is up 7 percent to $133.5 million.