The Cash-Skimming Operation

Years ago when the Nevada Legislature made the Law… NAC 706.228.. they did so after careful examination of the topic, I suspect. The Statute is rather brilliant in simplicity and shows a rather deep understanding of the factors involved and the best possible wording to make enforcement an easy, resource light, and straight forward process (if Law Enforcement of course does their job).

The gist of the Law basically states a Limo Driver must conform to a set of rules to even be considered Legally on a Property. The central idea being that of Pre-Arrangement. The dead give-a-way one is witnessing an Illegally parked Limo/Driver is the lack of a “for-Hire-Sign”.

While this lack is routine, sitting on a Property waiting for their Hotel Valet Staff to hustle-up a ride for you no matter from where it may come, is not only the height of UN-Professionalism, it is likely Illegal under Nevada Law. The common scene of staged Limos at Las Vegas Hotels is largely an Illegal practice according to Nevada Laws.

NAC 706.228 was written to be ENFORCED. That enforcement process should be an easy task as a Law Enforcement simply has to check/ask WHY and with what authority, a sitting Limo is doing so without following the Sign-Distance-3rd party Dispatch Regulations Pre-Arrangement nature of the business established by State Law. If a clear legal reason is not forthcoming, the Limo should be cited and/or towed.

Nevada Law is being ignored and the Rules are being written by Hotel Valet Departments under what we are told is a desire by these Hotels to provide transportation “for our guests”. I will leave you to interpret how these desires filter down at the valet stand area. (Consider if you will long lines of people waiting for Taxis and long lines of available Taxis sitting as a Doorman confiscates a buck from every person inline). I will also give management the benefit of doubt here although when I see painted “Limo-Parking” curbs and signs along with entire areas for Unsolicited Limo-Staging well within 50 feet like at Wynn, I have to wonder how high-up the ignorance or blatant disregard for the Law goes.

Nevada Transportation Authority (NTA) and Taxicab Authority (TA)are Not ACTIVELY  DOING THEIR JOBS in my opinion. TSA likely is not because of under staffing issues (we are told), TA because TA is a toothless agency stacked with old cops who’s goal is to do as little as possible and still get their 75K per year. Slapping around largely foreign Cabbies who are not well versed in their Rights or the English language is far easier than actively enforcing Nevada Laws. Taxicab Authority is on record as stating the reason they ignore their enforcement duties is because supposedly they claim Casinos reside in some sort of seperate country and are not bound by US-State-County or City Laws.

Here is an article from former TA Administrator Richard Land explaining why TA allows cabbies and the riding public to be routinely stolen from day after day…Why are Limos allowed to steal taxi business? Land is either LYING or he is totally clueless about Nevada Law. This type of ignorance apparently qualifies one to head a State Agency responsible for the direct incomes of over 5,000 Nevada Taxi Drivers and the welfare of millions of Las Vegas Visitors.

The people being hurt the most by the situation are the taxi drivers of Las Vegas. We are being STOLEN FROM everyday. With many Gentleman’s clubs paying $50-$60 it is not a stretch to say the avg. night driver is losing easily $60 to $100 per night avg. to these THIEVES (limo drivers and hotel doorman-valets). Day Drivers are also losing on Club Rides and lucrative rides to local Golf Courses or Hoover Damn trips. Rides to the Brothels in Pahrump are so rare these days, one has to figure these rides are basically all being stolen from us.

The entire hotel taxi staging routine must change I believe. From the phony “whistle-up” dollar-confiscation-program to the active and well orchestrated stealing of taxi club rides. The typical valet area at virtually every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip is nothing short of a Cash-Skimming Operation having little if anything to do with serving their Guests. We routinely have lines of taxi patrons and lines of taxis and a person in-between (the Doorman) holding-up commerce so as to confiscate a buck in some lame ballet of waving whistle-blowing and door-opening as if hailing a cab for somebody on Park Avenue. The entire City waits….waits as many of these doorman rake-in incomes I have heard top 6 figures. There are Limo Drivers in this town making over 100k per year as well. Word is one of the doorman at MGM drives a Rolls Royce.

I believe these people operate without supervision. I believe for the situation to be improved, higher-ups need to become aware of what is happening “down there” in the valet area, and what Laws are being broken, routinely by their employees. With the common practice now of actually RENTING limo companies space to illegally stage, one wonders if anybody cares.

Wishful thinking will not solve the problem nor will random outburts of frustration when the issue hits directly home.