Monday, April 6, 1998 | 10:04 a.m.
Las Vegas cabbies, outraged over what they contend are too many taxis on the streets, planned a work slowdown at lunch time today during the massive National Association of Broadcasters Convention.
Fliers have been circulated since Friday by two taxi driver associations asking all cabbies to take their lunch from 12-1 p.m., a peak time for travel during the convention.
About 90,000 television and radio broadcasters from around the country are in town through Thursday.
"This is going to be a daily thing until somebody notices what's going on," Al Bola, who heads the Las Vegas Taxi Drivers Association, said this morning. "There are just too many cabs on the road, and it's affecting the revenue of the drivers."
Bola said the state Taxicab Authority has been slow to consider removing about 91 cabs -- 7 from each of the 13 companies -- allocated last year.
"This thing should have been resolved back in February," Bola said.
Bola added his association, which represents about 1,500 of the 3,800 cabbies in Las Vegas, has provided evidence that shows the cabs aren't needed on the streets.
Bob Flaven, chief investigator for the Taxicab Authority, said a work slowdown could inconvenience conventioneers.
But he said the transportation industry should be able to handle it.
"We're prepared for anything that may happen," Flaven said. "And I'm sure all the companies are prepared."
Flaven disputed Bola's claim that there are too many cabs on the road.
He said the Taxicab Authority had requested a dozen extra cabs for each company to accommodate the broadcasters, but its five-member board allocated only a half-dozen per company.
Bola said the issue of removing the 91 permanent cabs was supposed to have been resolved at the upcoming April 21 Taxicab Authority board meeting, but it has been put off until May.
The allocation controversy is the latest to hit the taxicab industry the past couple weeks.
At the April 21 hearing, the board will consider bringing back a special committee to recommend new safety measures for drivers.
Two cabbies have been murdered here since December.
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