Nevada Taxicab Authority Administrator Removes Temporary Taxi Fuel Surcharge

The Nevada Taxicab Authority late last week announced that a temporary fuel surcharge put into effect in 2011 will be removed from taximeters later this month.

The Nevada Taxicab Authority Board, which is charged with evaluating and approving taxi rates and fees for all cab operators in Clark County, approved the surcharge on April 26, 2011. The Board also provided parameters for the removal of the surcharge, stating in the written order,” If the average price of regular unleaded fuel drops below $3.25 per gallon for thirty [30] consecutive days, the Taxicab Authority Administrator is authorized to remove the surcharge.” That price per gallon threshold was reached on November 3, 2014, and has remained below $3.25 per gallon through December 4, 2014.

On Friday afternoon, Tom Ely, Interim Administrator for the Taxicab Authority, said, “I am exercising the authority to remove the fuel surcharge of 20¢ per metered mile. With the recent drop in fuel costs, the removal of the temporary fuel surcharge is viewed by this Division as a benefit to the taxi riding public which will offset the recently approved taxi rate increase.”  

In the April 2011 order, the Taxicab Authority Board noted that a temporary fuel surcharge will not be contemplated again unless the cost of regular unleaded fuel rises above $4.45 per gallon, using the EIA PADD-5 pricing criteria.

In order to avoid duplicating costs associated with meter changes, employee work hours and taxi company down-time, the Taxicab Authority staff will physically remove the fuel surcharge from all Clark County taximeters at the same time they perform the rate adjustments which were approved by the Board in October 2014.  According to Ely, “We have ordered the new taximeter seals and anticipate receiving those shortly. We plan to make the meter changes beginning on December 17, 2014.”

At the completion of the meter updates scheduled later this month, the following rates and fees will be in effect:

Initial Drop                 $3.45

Additional 1/4^th mile: $0.67

Wait time per hour:     $32.40

Credit/debit card fee:  $3.00

Airport pick up fee:     $2.00

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