Letters: Cab drivers make bad impression

Friday, Aug. 13, 1999 | 8:48 a.m.

During our residency here in Las Vegas (37 years) we have had many visitors from foreign countries and other states in our union.

Unfortunately the first thing many tourists encounter is a taxi cab and its driver.

On July 29 a friend flew in from Pennsylvania. We live approximately five miles from the airport. When my friend stepped out of the taxi he was wringing wet, because the air conditioning didn't work.

He paid the driver $24. Approximately $4.80 per mile. God only knows what route the driver took to our house.

On top of these unforgivable things is the fact that the driver looked like something out of a "horror film" inasmuch as his appearance was concerned. That's why I refer to our illustrious taxicab drivers and their owners as Ambassadors of Bad Will.

If the Taxi Authority can't regulate the way taxicab drivers dress or groom themselves, or they can't regulate the fact that taxicabs with broken air conditioning units be pulled out of service until they are repaired, then I think the visitors authority better take stock of what is happening in this regard and do something about it.

JERRY SCHAFER