Background

The general perception may persist that taxis ^[1] provide a premium service to the affluent members of our society. This is true in the larger cities, as far as it goes, but it is not the whole story. For-hire services very much have to be counted among public transportation modes in any community today. A dressed-up couple going out for a night on the town will use a taxi (and they certainly should use it coming home); so will a businessperson going from the regional airport to a hotel or meeting place. But a middle-class urban resident who does not own a car, will use a taxi from time to time, as will a mother on welfare who wants to bring home groceries once a week from a store that offers better buys than the neighborhood establishment. Everybody needs a taxi occasionally for emergencies and as a backup for the personal car and regular modes of transit, as a personalized public carrier. In smaller places with limited public services, taxis or local car services are the backup means of mobility for just about everybody at one time or another.

Thus, in any community, taxis are an indispensable public transportation mode. They provide service of last resort, of reliable emergency response, of maximum convenience, and of luxury and indulgence if and when people can afford it. Yet, given the extremely high parking charges in some downtown areas, hiring a taxi may be cheaper than using a personal car for...