City’s taxicab drama keeps rolling on

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What started out as an idea to reduce the number of cab companies servicing Charlotte/Douglas International Airport from 12 to three has turned into quite the mess for city officials to deal with.

Controversy over the airport plan began heating up last year, with taxicab drivers calling the selection process corrupt and complaining that cutting the number of companies would cripple many in the industry. Cab companies and drivers filed lawsuits against the city and Jerry Orr, the airport’s aviation director, challenging the power granted to the selection committee.

But the ugliness didn’t end there. As the debate rolled into 2011, it would get even more ugly.

When it was reported that King Cab, one of the companies being recommended to receive one of the airport contracts, has two owners with criminal records, the public — and probably many public officials — began paying closer attention to the selection process.

Once the news about King Cab broke, City Manager Curt Walton recommended that another company, City Cab, receive a contract instead.

But that did little to appease the taxicab industry, which began fussing about the fact that City Cab was formed less than a year ago. The company, some cabbies said, did not have enough experience.

Am I leaving anything out? Oh, yeah. How could I forget about the extortion accusations by some in the taxicab industry against the Greater Charlotte Hospitality and Tourism Alliance?

On March 1, Teamsters Local 71, a union representing the city’s taxicab drivers, called for an investigation of the HTA by the FBI or the State Bureau of Investigation. Randy Conrad, organizer for the union, complained to the Charlotte Passenger Vehicles for Hire Board about cab company owners being “shook down for money” by the HTA in exchange for driver positions at the airport.

As far as I know, the FBI and SBI haven’t touched the issue.

The extortion claims came up again Monday night at a City Council meeting when the owners of two cab companies said the HTA told them that if they would purchase a $5,000 HTA corporate sponsorship they would get airport contracts.

At this point, the whole thing is starting to sound like the plot of an HBO series. Indeed, it’s all very juicy stuff.

And so, after months of all of these lawsuits, accusations and bellyaching from the taxicab industry, the City Council has decided it’s time to scrutinize the airport taxicab contract issue. On Monday, the council said it would wait until June to vote on the matter.

In the meantime, investigators this week were trying to figure out how a plane at the airport ended up with a bullet through the fuselage.

Interesting. Angry taxicab drivers and a gun fired at a plane. Just a coincidence?

Editor Deon Roberts can be reached at [email protected].