Area cabbies hike rates to keep pace with gas pumps

Higher gas prices have not driven many new customers to use local taxi services, owners and managers said.

At the same time, gas prices are draining cab companies’ bottom lines and drivers’ paychecks.

“We’ve seen a few more riders, but not a drastic amount,” said Tommy Thibodeaux, owner of Tommy’s Cab in Houma since 1985. “We stay busy.”

Taxis have had to raise their fares as much as 40 percent this year to keep pace with fuel costs.

Just like any other business, overhead goes up, you raise your prices,” said Marty Anderson, owner of A to B Regional Taxi Services in Thibodaux for seven years.

The starter fare for AAA Taxi Co. went from $5 to $6, while Aany Cab’s jumped from $5 to $7.

“Out of town, it depends on how far I’m going,” said Richard Rainey, owner of AAA Taxi Co. “If it’s say New Orleans, I’ve gone up $5 to $8 to cover my gas. It’s hurting us. Everything coming out of our pocket goes into the gas tank.”

Most passengers have understood the need to increase fares, but some have complained, according to cab owners.

They also contend the bulk of taxi passengers are regular customers. The rest are comprised of those wise enough to drink but not drive and, occasionally, business travelers.

Despite the increased fares, some owners claim passengers find it more affordable to take a cab than own a car.

“I’ve had some costumers say it’s cheaper to take a cab than drive a car once you start figuring insurance, upkeep and fuel costs going up to $4,” said David Pitre, manager of Aany Cab in Houma for two years. “In the long run, if you figure your total expenses owning a car, it’s cheaper to take a cab.”

“People are cutting down on driving. I can tell because traffic is lighter,” A to B Regional’s Anderson said.

Unfortunately for taxi drivers, that has not translated into better pay for ferrying more riders. In fact, they are making less because of gas prices, according to Pitre.

Drivers get a percentage (usually 40 percent) of fares, minus what they spend in fuel.

“The higher the gas, the more that eats into your profits that each of these drivers take home,” Pitre said. “What they’re making now, I’d say a year-and-a-half ago, they were making double.”

It is one factor in creating a driver shortage at Tommy’ Cab, which has the largest fleet in the Tri-parish area. The company has eight vehicles, but only has enough drivers to put five on the road at a time.

“People don’t want to work in this business no more,” said Thibodaux, who has been driving cabs for 37 years.

“It’s harder to find drivers because you got to find someone who is not on drugs since we do drug screenings and all that is required. You got to have a good driving record and no criminal background, which I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want a driver like that anyway,” he said.

It takes a unique person to be a taxi driver, said company owners. Drivers will encounter all different types of passengers and learn more about their personal lives than you really want to know.

Rainey, who was a cab driver near Disneyland before starting AAA Taxi over a year ago, once drove a passenger from Anaheim to Las Vegas.

“He asked me the night before about going to Vegas and I said, I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 7[a.m.],'” Rainey recalled. “He paid me $600 and we took off. He didn’t like flying, buses or trains, so that’s what he wanted to do.”

For Pitre, a 15-year veteran and former Houma cab company owner, dealing with drunken club hoppers can be a challenge.

“I picked up a couple at one of the clubs downtown on New Year’s Eve,” Pitre remembered. “She had too much to drink and complained about being too hot. So she started stripping while we were going down the road. Her boyfriend was yelling, ‘Put your clothes on.’ When we got to where we were going; she hopped out in just her bra and panties.”

Priscilla Thibodeaux, a five-year cab dispatcher for Tommy’s Cab in Houma, serves as the “middle man” when residents need a cab. Tommy’s Cab is owned by her father, Tommy Thibodeaux. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN