PubDef.net - St. Louis' Best Political Blog

Taxicab Confessions - Part 2

By Antonio D. French

Filed Monday, June 25, 2007 at 11:17 AM

By PubDef.net Contributor Johnson Y. Lancaster

In an emergency meeting Saturday, the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission vote 4-0 to revoked the license of Wilson Taxi after issues arose with the company’s insurance coverage (read our earlier report).

Two members of the commission who represent other cab companies abstained from voting; Basil Rudawsky of County Cab, and Dave McNutt of Laclede Cab. McNutt is also the vice chairman of operations for the commission. Voting yes were Chairman Louis Hamilton, and board members Vince Bennett, Richard Banahan and W. Thomas Reeves, vice chairman of finance.

The decision ratified the orders issued Monday, June 18, by Commission Director D. Michael Tully revoking Wilson’s license to operate and allowing 15 drivers to transfer to other taxicab companies.

Hamilton said the staff issued the directives subject to the commission’s approval. With Saturday’s vote the commission also opened a 30-day window for former Wilson drivers to complete the transfers, waiving the fees related to the transfer process.

The staff of the commission met Monday with taxicab companies to determine which companies would receive permits forfeited by Wilson Taxi when it was discovered Wilson was operating without insurance, confirmed Patrick McCarthy, general counsel of the commission.

Six of the drivers transferred to A Best Taxi and two transferred to Midwest Metropolitan Taxicab. Five other drivers have yet to transfer to other companies. Wilson directly held two other permits that were reclaimed by the commission.

A source familiar with the meeting convened at 4:30 p.m. Monday in the commission’s office, 100 N. Tucker, told PubDef that Tully contacted the taxicab company owners to inform them of the situation with Wilson and solicited their input.

McCarthy said the staff met with the taxicab company owners to ask them to contract with drivers affected by Wilson’s closing.

According to the source, the director revoked Wilson’s license to operate, reclaimed the company’s 15 permits and offered Wilson’s former drivers the opportunity to join other taxicab companies. When 8 drivers decided to accept the offers, the director allocated the reclaimed permits to the companies that hired the former Wilson drivers.

At the commission’s regularly scheduled public meeting Wednesday (June 20), Tully and McCarthy discussed the situation without identifying Wilson, saying that an investigation was ongoing. PubDef learned after the Wednesday meeting that Wilson was the company being discussed. Tully was not at Saturday’s meeting because he is traveling in Europe.

The commission opened the meeting at 10:20 a.m. then promptly went into executive session to discuss the Wilson Taxi situation. The public portion of the meeting was reconvened around 11:40 a.m. The commission voted , entertained questions and then adjourned.

During the public comment portion, Charles Kirkwood, a construction company owner, appealed to the commission to approve his application for permission to operate under the name Ebony Cab Co. LLC. Hamilton responded the commission will act on pending applications to organize taxi companies after the completion of a study of the taxicab market
in December.

Kirkwood said that north St. Louis was under-served by taxicabs and that companies that do operate in north St. Louis are being forced out of business. He referred specifically to the February collapse of Allen Cab and St. Louis Auto Livery.

Labels: Special_Reports

Link to this story

1 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Summary of the committee version of the bill, HB 557 describes the St. Louis taxi commission as "a public corporation acting in a governmental capasity". This discription sounds vaguelyfamilare. HMMMM????? Where have I heard this definition before???? Got it,Benito Mussolini in 1932 said,"fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." Is there a real live Fascist/Communist organization right here in good old St. Louis???? To define the St. Louis taxi commission in such harsh terms may be a bit of a streech, but you know,the board and all it members are appointed by the mayor and the St. Louis county executive, and two of the nine persons on this totally appointed board just happen to be the owners of the two largest cab companies in the St. Louis metropolitian area, St. Louis County cabs Basi Ridawsly, and Laclede cabs David McNutt. The St. Louis Metropolitian Taxi Commissions says in its mission statement that they are "dedicated to providing fair and equitable authority over licensing, regulation, and enforcement of vehicle for hire services that contribute to the image and growth of the St.Louis region." Are we really expected to beleive that a "public corparation serving in a governmental capasity," that has owners of the areas largest "corporate" cab companies appointed to its board, can/will be fair and equitable????????? Steap down guys, your presence only serves to discredit the entire organization......can you say conflict of interest??????

6/26/2007 3:02 PM

<< Home