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SALT LAKE CITY — Heavy competition is creating tension among cab drivers at Salt Lake City International Airport. There’s also a newer model to pay for a cab ride, which airport officials admit may be confusing for some travelers.
"The last couple of years the ground transportation landscape has changed drastically here at the airport," Department of Airports spokeswoman Nancy Volmer said.
In Nov. 2014, the Salt Lake City Council voted to deregulate ground transportation within the city limits, including services at Salt Lake City International Airport. In February 2015, the airport eliminated contracts with cab companies and stopped regulating cab fares, no longer requiring fee-meters in taxis.
However, by June 2015 the airport received so many complaints about price gouging from transportation providers, it put a cap on fares within city boundaries and began displaying signage at the airport to notify travelers of set-fare zones.
The signs also alert travelers to negotiate fares prior to getting into a cab, especially if they are traveling outside of city limits. But Volmer says the signs may be confusing for some travelers “if they aren’t familiar with the city — where 500 East is, for example.”
If understanding how to pay for a cab isn't complicated enough, the airport also did away with taxi contracts.
In 2015, the airport went from having three contracted cab companies — in operation with Ute Cab, Yellow Cab and City Cab — to hundreds of transportation options. And that doesn't include Uber and Lyft, which legally started operating at the airport last year.
Holly Price, a driver for Four Seasons Concierge Transportation, said it’s the limited space in the airport taxi staging lot that is causing a chaotic cab competition — creating a literal fight for fares that sometimes take four hours for drivers to earn.
"It's scary out there," Price said.
There are currently 300 to 500 ground transportation vehicles licensed and insured to operate at the airport, according to Volmer. However, the airport taxi staging parking lot, East of Terminal 1, only allows 25 cabs to wait at a time to be called up to the curb to pick up a passenger.
Currently, the staging lot is operating on a first come, first,serve basis, which is what Price says is causing part of a turf war.
“We’ve had them pounding on our vehicles. I’ve had them tell me they want to let the air out of my tires. I’ve been flipped the bird,” Price said.
The airport does not officially provide an overflow parking area for taxis to stage. This forces the hundreds of cab driver to continually circling the airport with hopes of slipping into a spot in the 25-space staging area.
This has not only caused tension among drivers, but according to airport Police Chief Craig Vargo it’s also creating a situation that “can be dangerous” to motorists.
“They are trying to jockeying for those positions,” Vargo said. “They just quickly shoot across all lanes without signaling and that can be dangerous."
Airport police have issued a number of citations to for impeding traffic and other traffic violations. Officers have also been called out a few times to “keep the peace” in the taxi staging lot, according to Vargo.
For now, city and airport officials say this way of operation is not expected to change, even after the airport expansion project is complete. As for how to pay for a cab, that negotiation method Volmer talked about isn't going anywhere either.
