New taxis proposed for Summerlin

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2000 | 10:49 a.m.

Stories about people waiting hours for taxis at their Las Vegas homes while hundreds of cabs pick up tourist after tourist along the Strip struck a chord Tuesday with two businessmen who want to put more cabs in the Summerlin area.

One, C.J. Nady, wants to start a new company and has asked to be geographically restricted from picking up customers on the Strip. Another, Jason Awad, already owns Lucky Cab Co. and asked the Taxicab Authority of Nevada for permission to operate 15 geographically restricted cabs in the same area.

The Taxicab Authority formally accepted Nady's application Tuesday, beginning the certification process for Nady's Admiral Taxicab Service LLC. Awad's request was continued for 60 days while regulators determine whether Lucky's cab system within a cab system requires separate certification and whether other cab companies authorized to operate in the Summerlin area must also be allowed an equal number of new cabs.

Under authority rules, other companies that offer service in at least a portion of the area proposed for service by Awad's company would be eligible for an equal number of cabs there. And, since 12 companies operate in at least a portion of Summerlin, Spring Valley or North Las Vegas, a request for 15 additional cabs by Lucky could result in 180 new cabs being placed on the road.

Drivers say a flood of cabs will hurt them because there isn't enough business to support them all. It also could be a blow to Nady, who wants to put 30 cabs in service in the Summerlin area.

Regulators also are looking at the timing of Awad's request and whether it's an effort to block Nady's proposed new operation. Awad said the request was made independent of Nady's application and was submitted after hearing complaints and reading letters in local newspapers about substandard cab service.

Nady says he's also offering a potential solution to the problem of poor taxi service in residential neighborhoods.

Nady is experienced in the transport business. He operates a Las Vegas armored car company, Guard Force, and a meter-reading company with operations in Texas and the rural Arizona.

Nady said he realized the need for a new taxi company when his father, who died in 1996, couldn't get a cab to pick him up to go see his doctors.

A part-time professional boxing referee, Nady faces a major fight when his application is reviewed by the Taxicab Authority because under rules of licensure, existing companies can testify as to how a new company would impact their own businesses.

One of those companies would be the one operated by Awad.

Awad's request to operate 15 cabs west of Interstate 15 in Summerlin, Spring Valley and North Las Vegas was delayed so that the service boundaries could be better defined. The Taxicab Authority staff also was asked to research if Lucky Cab could operate a "subset" of the existing certificate in a geographically restricted area.

Taxicab Authority Administrator Robert Anselmo also said the additional geographical restriction could turn into an enforcement nightmare. Geographically restricted cabs are identified by different colored medallions placed on the cab, but Anselmo says it's a challenge for enforcement officers to keep up with all the restricted cabs on the road.