Barry Salisbury,
If everything about your business is honest than why do you and the bellhops have to lie about it? Is it there job to buy and sell transportation while secretly pocketing an extra $10-$15 off of their customer?
My brother in law (stays at the hotel Lucia) as well as many, many hotel customers tell me when they ask for a taxi they are only told about a town car unless they persist to get all the information.
I had a guy staying at the Benson hotel ask me if I could take him to the airport. I of course told him I would love to.
He went to the bellhops to get his bags and they were already in a town car. He came all the way down the street to tell me and also said he "DID NOT SET UP TRANSPORTATION TO THE AIRPORT WITH THEM, AND THEY TOLD HIM HE DID!" He said he did not know the Benson had "THEIR OWN " transportation to the airport. He was not happy.
A customer flagged me down from the front door of the Westin hotel and started to walk up to my taxi. I watched a bellhop grab the customers arm and point to a town car The customer looked pissed and shrugged his shoulders at me. Is that excellent customer service in your book
Barry?I've got a lot more stories and customer testimonies as do other taxi drivers.
You are a liar Barry, as Lauren points out in her letter there is collusion. Some of us choose not do business dishonestly. I run a clean cab inside and out and always take the most direct route to my customers destination unless they specify otherwise. I also talk to my customers Barry and dont have to lie to get their business.
I also know some real town car drivers who provide honest, friendly and safe premium transportation for a premium price. All these other wannabe town car drivers should drive a cab. And I really dont mean that in a bad way. I love my job. I have insurance to.

Barry,
If you make an appointment with a cab company you dont have to wait. Just like when you call your town car buddies and make appointments with them. Unless your just letting them park illegally in front of your hotel with no reservation and conning your customers into their town cars and then taking a cut of the customers fare!

In Wellington New Zealand (deregulated market) the large company pays the Hotels for the privilidge of parking in the forecourts of these establishments. Quite large amounts of money as well. To park at the Airport costs the large/old company in excess of 300k a year. Seems taxi industry world wide is stuffed.

Criminals with a lot of money love deregulation. Deregulating the market makes it legal for the rich to buy up the market and drive everyone else out. It destroys the ability for the customer to have a choice when the biggest bribe gets the biggest ride.

Sirs:

A significantly naive exchange of what passes for ideas by those lacking in worldliness.

i.e., this is how things work. Everywhere. Get a life. Sorry, get lives.

I remain your humble servant,

Jacomus

Jacomus,
I know. As many of town car drivers have told me. In the third world, un-democratic, anti-common law countries they come from bribery is essential to attain business. Lack of regulation reflects the poor living conditions shared my most people in those countries. Some of us strive for more. Keep being a slave if you like it Jacomus.

Sir Dumpy:

This is not how things are done in just in third-world countries. This is how business is done everywhere in the world, and, yes, even here in Portland.

As for my business experience, I, too, have owned taxis, town-cars and a tour company in Portland before retiring to clip coupons and lead the quiet life. And I, too, paid the concierge, doormen and desk-staffs for referred business. It's simply good business practice the cost of which is computed into rates and charges.

This included payments to a parking meter reader to keep said meter reader from ticketing my vehicles whenever he or she saw them. Even though I had all necessary city, state and federal licenses and permits, this meter reader knew that a small business owner doesn't have time and can't afford the cost of showing up in court to dispute the tickets. And since this was always a cash transaction in a public place, I had no proof, but I assure it happened, and happens to this day, here, in Portland.

This, my friend, is how business operates. Squawking about it only makes you look all the more naive. Squawk too much and people simply don't do business with you, and the only person hurt. . . is you.

'nuf said?

I remain your humble servant,

Jacomus

Sorry Jacomus,
I dont drive a town car or bribe the bellhops so I will continue to get the same business I always have or, maybe me and my comrades will now get more business as a result of doing business transparently and advertising that fact through the art of "squawking".
Yours truly,
Big Bird

Sir:

It's "my comrades and I."

A small point.

Jacomus

No it aint! Its me and my! Yo english is broke and needs fixed.

Wow! A heated discussion about taxis, town cars, bellboys and the free market. Makes me feel funny in a weird kind of way.
Check this. I drive a taxi. A town car driver asks me how business is lately. He complains that business has been real slow for a while and he hates having to give kickbacks to the bellboys but its the only way to do business. He told me he wants to go back to driving a cab. Seems to me like the town car drivers are having a hard time also.
The company I work for offers a flat rate to PDX. If the hotels wanted to they could advertise this to their customers. Its not a secret. Then they could call the cab company and make an appointment. Just like reserving a town car. We have signs to display our flat rate. If I am working a hotel stand and I see some competition I display the sign. It gives the customers another choice and helps me to get business. Its called advertising. I give my customers my phone # and ask them if they would like to schedule an appointment. I keep my cab cleaned and vacuumed. Im cordial and communicate with everyone who gets in my cab.
I dont get it. Whats so complex about this? The city is never going to make the hotels do anything. Im sure the hotels give tons of money to the city commissioners and state legislature. They are bought off from making the hotels comply with anything they dont want to.
Taxis and town cars are going to have to run their business professionally and creatively. We all have to compete in this " hotel deregulation zone" we have downtown. Its been like this for a long time. Go back to trying to make some money before you hurt your ass falling on an empty wallet!

This truly is a crisis. For who will let the poor uninformed hotel guests know that Portland has such a thing as taxi cabs? For if they knew that such a service existed, they would surely call them! On their cells, if they had any, which I doubt, or how could they afford a good hotel with bellhops?
I wring my hands over this.

To all the Matt Laska pussy types out there: Sick and tired of your holier-than-thou-can't be touched attitudes! You think riding a bike elevates you in some way? Makes you better and exempt from the laws? Believe me it doesn't.
Biggest crock constantly spouted by the cringing bike hippies is " he used the vehicle as a weapon " or used to frighten/intimidate/attack, etc. Someone even compared to him driving the automobile and honking as basically having same affect as brandishing a gun. You all are kidding me right? It all makes dramatic sounding stories but is just fiction and paranoia created by some bike people to sensationalise the incident. Again somehow feeling that riding a bike and being honked out is a far greater crime than someone assaulting a person and their property. That is really a crime for you stupid pedal bastards who don't get that. If you feel its not let me know your name and addresses cause I would be glad to re-enact the same on you.
Roads are meant for cars, trucks and such. Not for bikes. Not unless they can keep up at same speeds, not inhibit other drivers and are subject to same laws of the road. Thats why bike lanes were put in place. People should be able to use bikes as their main transportation if they want, but cars should also. As usual its the fanatic bike riders who act like little emo-victims if a non-biker sneers in their direction. Horns are there to warn, announce or discourage in relation to a hazard or unsafe situation on the roadway.
Matt you are truly retarded if you think that honking puts a bicyclist in more "danger" than another automobile. First off if a noise can send a cyclist careening off the road suddenly than perhaps they would be safer on a stationary inside. Otherwise realize the outside world and its streets are filled with loud sudden noises. A cyclist gets scared by the horn and crashes into the sidewalk they get scraped. If a motorist gets scared by a horn and drives off into the sidewalk with that 3,000- pound piece of metal there are far greater chances of destruction and injury, to the driver, and other people. Its all relative and not even an issue unless its a fantatic biker trying to be prtrayed as a victim.
If I see you do wrong on a bike I will yell or honk. You are not special or more importand than anyone else. Obey the laws and things will be fine. If you get the gumption or ire to try and attack me, know I will gladly use my car as a "weapon" or the ones inside. Then you will know you to "fucked with the wrong dude"

WTF does "buy up the market" mean, dumpy? Where'd you get your business degree?

Taxis are union, town cars are not. Union forced City Hall to put a law in place that says town cars have to charge $50 to the airport, even though they would like to do it cheaper. That's not fair trade, that's not open market, that's some BS idea of cabbie "entitlement." Why can't I hire whoever is best and cheapest?

There is no taxi union you idiot! Town cars pay the city for permits as well as taxis. Is Union a person? What the fuck are you talking about?
Executive sedans/town cars have to charge PREMIUM RATES FOR PREMIUM SERVICE!!! It is and has been the law. They are not supposed to operate as taxis. Here, you stupid moron, is the Portland city code:
http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?c=29144&a=24549

To the left(no your other left) of all this info on the same page is LIC-8.11- Regulations establishing flat rates between the airport and downtown for executive sedan service...
Keep acting stupid it looks good on you.

Reymont,
You've obviously been involved in a civil conspiracy pimpin out
your little bitch drivers for so long you are oblivious to the laws. Now that you know the laws are you going to continue to help them to be broke colluding with the drivers that buy your customers from you?
Why dont you just drive your customers in your own car and keep all the money to yourself? You can pay some homeless guy to watch the door of the hotel. That is your stupid idea of a free market. So excercise it! What is stopping you?
Your bullshit idea of doorman "entitlement " is believing you are in charge of the well being and livelihoods of the entire downtown paratransit industry. You are not!!! That is why their are regulations.

dumpy,
that's just how business works. why shouldn't town cars be allowed to compete in a free market? your not going to change anything. neither is frank dufay. take that communist bullshit to china "comrade"!
p.s. try to park in front of my hotel and we'll box you in with a few cars. you'll be there longer than fifteen minutes.
stop acting like a martyr.

Town cars should be able to compete. As town cars! Luxury transportation! Sal, when I go out to eat at a nice restaurant I don't go to McDonalds. A town car is not a taxi. That is a compliment to the few legitimate town cars that actually get hired. Sal, I should put you in a box and send you to Kazakhstan. Last word bitch!