Taxi board adds no extra cabs for MAGIC

By Richard N. Velotta

Friday, Jan. 30, 2009 | 2 a.m.

With the number of taxi trips down by 20.9 percent in December and the attendance forecast for upcoming conventions off dramatically, the Nevada Taxicab Authority did something it’s never done before — it didn’t add more cabs for one of the city’s major trade shows.

At its Jan. 27 meeting, the authority voted unanimously not to add extra cabs for MAGIC International, a major fashion industry show scheduled Feb. 17-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

MAGIC officials say attendance figures projected last year have fizzled with a forecast of 60,000 conventiongoers. That figure was downgraded from late last year’s estimate of 90,000. At its peak, the show drew about 120,000 people.

The number of exhibitors is expected to be down substantially with February’s show being staged in the Convention Center’s North and Central halls and not the entire facility.

People attending MAGIC traditionally ride in cabs more frequently than most conventiongoers and the Taxicab Authority board considered adding three cabs per company and giving permission for Administrator Gordon Walker to remove them if they weren’t needed.

But board Chairwoman Stacie Truesdell Michaels said she didn’t see the need.

“I’m just not seeing the demand based on the current economic state of things,” Michaels said before the vote.

The board also voted unanimously not to add any cabs in the board’s annual allocation review for the same reason.

Cab trips fell 5.8 percent to 25.1 million in 2008 compared with 2007 figures, with December being 2008’s worst month, down 20.9 percent to 1.5 million trips.