Taxi Regulatory Revision in Oakland and Berkeley, California: Two Case Studies

Details

• Creators:
  Knight, R. L. ; May, D.F. ; Koffman, D.
• Corporate Creators:
  Crain & Associates
• Corporate Contributors:
  John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.) ; United States. Urban Mass Transportation Administration. Office of Technical Assistance and Safety
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Taxicabs
  • Fares
  • Quality of service
  • Regulations
  • Deregulation
  • Ridership
  • Local government
  • Owner operators
  • Politics
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT-TSC-UMTA-83-27;UMTA-CA-06-0127-83-2
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.21949/1526766
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  California
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Abstract:
  A case study was performed of regulatory changes pertaining to taxicabs in Oakland and neighboring Berkeley, CA. In Oakland rates were approximately doubled and limits on the number of taxi permits removed. Companies were allowed to levy a per-trip surcharge keyed to the price of gasoline. In Berkeley, rates were decontrolled and the number of taxi companies was allowed to increase. The changes were brought on by a crisis in the taxi industry in both cities. The result was an increase in the supply of taxicabs. After a difficult period of adjustment, the financial state of the remaining suppliers appears at least as good as before and possibly improved. The quality of service to the public has probably improved slightly. The gasoline surcharge allowed rates to rise and fall without City Council action, but has been a source of confusion. Oakland's administrative workload has increased slightly, due to constant turnover in permit holders.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/10488/dot_10488_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.74 MB]
• Collection(s):
  Volpe Center
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:32ed316652a2728405c45ff7393f68c8eedec6133ac53abd165255b3ca16e4e3