Coachella Valley Taxi Study
By
Tennessee Transportation & Logistics Foundation
TTLF
Ray A. Mundy, Ph.D
Tel. (314) 225 – 7039
Fax. (314) 516-7272
Email: rmundy@umsl.edu
Website: www.umsl.edu/~cts
April 20, 2007
Executive Summary
Coachella Valley Taxi Study
The Coachella Valley taxi industry was studied through a series of personal
interviews, surveys, and data analysis. It is the opinion of this reviewer that the industry is in
a state of decline with respect to service levels, cost, efficient operations, and public image.
Even with rates among the highest in the Nation, tourist and local users alike experience
service in old vehicles, sometimes rude drivers, drivers predisposed to take the longer route,
and sometimes drivers unwilling to take the short trip.
Taxicab company owners, managers, and drivers alike all report that there are too
many taxis in the valley for anyone to make a decent living. The number of taxis within the
valley has increased from 175 vehicles to 265 in only a few years. Significant structural
changes will be required if services and public image are to be improved and the taxi industry
returned to economic health.
The Palm Springs International Airport is experiencing the most rapid
deterioration of taxicab service. Each day more and more authorized taxicabs are entering
the taxi holding area spreading the existing demand among more and more drivers. In the
past Coachella Valley taxi drivers could go into the airport taxi holding area after dropping
off a customer at the airport. Now, most drivers of radio dispatched, full service taxi
companies, choose to ignore the airport pick up market due to the longer wait times which
can stretch into two or three hours between pickups.
Such actions have left the airport to “airport commandos” taxis that work almost
exclusively at the airport – choosing to avoid servicing radio calls and other areas within the
Coachella Valley. Other taxi operato