It’s 3 a.m. on a Saturday night, the buses have stopped running, and the night air reveals students trekking, freezing as they begin the three mile-walk back to their dorm rooms. For many, the answer to their warm-wishing prayers is a phone call away, to a local cab company. But before they get into another taxi cab this semester, the town of Amherst recommends looking into the company.
At a recent meeting between town officials, Amherst police officers and local business owners, town officials questioned whether Amherst is able to properly regulate the growing number of taxi cab companies.
The meeting was called by Amherst Police Chief Scott Livingstone, who said it was important to have all the businesses cooperate with the town, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
During the meeting, two applications for taxi cab companies were approved, bringing the total number of companies in Amherst to eight. Those companies are Aaron’s Transportation, Celebrity Cab, Gottago Taxi, Green Transportation, Taxi Express, Tik Tak Taxi, Tiznit Valley Cab and Safari Transit.
To be a licensed company in Amherst, business owners must submit an application, which may or may not be approved by Livingstone. All drivers and company cabs must be inspected, insured and registered to accept passengers.
Once approved and on the roads, all drivers must keep a daily log available to Select Board members or the police department. Vehicles operating with meters must also be inspected every year by the town.
“The more companies there are, the more employees there are, the more difficult it is to track, from my standpoint,” said Livingstone during the meeting, reported the Gazette. He estimated that each business employs five or six drivers.
The busiest time frame for drivers is Thursday nights through Sunday mornings, when the majority of passengers are students.
“I appreciate the service they’re providing,” said Livingstone, according to The Republican. While understanding that students calling a cab for safe rides is a positive thing, he stressed the need for drivers to follow the rules. Livingstone said Amherst police officers have pulled cabs over for making illegal U-turns, driving in unmarked cabs and other driving violations.
Town Manager John P. Musante said the increased number of cabs on the road has “put a strain on our ability for enforcement,” according to the Republican.
Musante said the increased demands were making proper oversight difficult for the Select Board and recommended that several departments of town officials work together in the licensing process.
Local business owner Gary Allard expressed concern about unlicensed drivers taking passengers. According to the Gazette, the Green Transportation owner said while only 26 drivers were licensed to drive, he has seen over 50 different vehicles driving around town. He said, “I don’t want the town of Amherst to be thought of as the place for fly-by-night operations and where we don’t check anything,” he said. “I hate to say it, but that’s the buzz on the street in the industry.”
Allard asked the board to stop issuing new licenses until the town felt it was properly able to regulate the services. He added that unlicensed vehicles are affecting businesses, like his own, that follow town regulations.
“We’re concerned the legitimate companies, the ones based in Amherst, are being pushed out,” Allard told the Gazette. “It’s hurting our bottom line, we need our fair share of that business.”
While some, such as Allard, suggested too many companies are being approved, Livingstone noted to The Republican that while there were many companies, “there are a lot of students.”
Michelle Williams can be reached at [email protected].
