City Hall approved 292 more taxi operating in Portland, a move the Transportation Fairness Alliance praised, with reservations.
BY JACOB PALMER | OB DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
City Hall approved the addition of 292 taxis in Portland, a move the Transportation Fairness Alliance praised, with reservations.
The Portland Business Journal interviewed Noah Ernst, who has served as the TFA’s spokesman since the group’s late-2014 inception.
Radio Cab’s fleet will increase by 26 taxis while Union Cab will add 50 cars. The new EcoCab company will provide an extra 50 cabs to the city’s streets.
“This is a very positive step in the right direction, and we applaud the Private For-Hire Transportation Board of Review for responding to customer demand for greater access to the safe, reliable and proven transportation service that taxis provide,” said Noah Ernst, spokesperson for the Transportation Fairness Alliance and Radio Cab superintendent, in a statement. “This is evidence that the existing regulatory process can effectively accommodate expansion in service capacity while maintaining a legal and level playing field for all participants.”
While Ernst praised the decision in the press, his coworker at Radio Cab — general manager Steve Entler, who is the taxi companies’ representation on the city’s Private For-Hire Transportation Board — was the lone vote against adding cabs. Entler expressed concerns about the taxis ability to add more cabs that meet city regulations. In the PBJ story, Ernst and Entler specifically cited the requirement that 20 percent of taxis are handicap accessible.
The vote against the proposal is curious as Ernst and the TFA requested more taxi permits in January during a demonstration in Pioneer Square.
