Late-night taxi service to and from Bellevue has been lacking this summer. As a result, bars and restaurants in Bellevue could be losing business.
Taxi drivers wanting to make ends meet tend to stick around Ketchum at closing time, rather than risking losing fares during the busiest time of night by taking people 15 miles south.
Bellevue City Councilman and restaurateur Shaun Mahoney complained about the lack of taxi service to his town at a council meeting two weeks ago.
"They seem to think that going to the south valley is not worth the time or effort," he said in an interview. "That's not good for us because Bellevue needs cabs, especially if you've had a few drinks."
Councilwoman Sara Burns said at the meeting that she had heard from people that taxi drivers had refused to bring them from Ketchum to Bellevue.
Taxi license regulations issued by the cities of Hailey and Ketchum do not require that cabbies serve all cities in the valley, so it often comes down to a simple business decision for the drivers.
The drive south and back to Ketchum takes one hour. Taxis charge an average of $25 one way for the first person and $2 for each additional passenger.
"Most cab companies are at a point where they can't afford to lose a fare," said Gary Cornwell, the owner of A-1 Cab Co., in an interview. "At 1 or 2 in the morning, we are very busy getting people home in Ketchum so they don't get DUIs."
Cornwell said he has at times responded to calls from Bellevue and found that no one was waiting for him when he arrived.
"It might work better if we had bartenders take money for the fare and hold it until we arrive," he said.
But that might not be enough reason to get taxi drivers away from a busy Main Street at closing time.
"I put off a fare to Bellevue recently because I was already working with a client in Ketchum," said Rich Hardy, owner of Wood River Taxi Co. "A fare to Bellevue is usually a one-off thing. At 1 a.m., I could lose a half-dozen fares by going there. In a perfect world, we would have enough drivers to station one in the south valley."
Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com
