Some Details of El Paso, Texas, USA Taxi Services

I have always said that people have the right to protect
their money.  When I am making
purchases, I am a discriminating shopper. 
However, I do not believe that I have the right to demand that city
government or any government help me get discounts and deals.

Many people think that their city government provides
taxi service in most cities.  This leads
to an expectation that there is a “fair price” established by city government.

In El Paso, Texas, USA the city government does set the
rates taxi drivers can charge through what is called Vehicle for Hire Municipal
code.  In this city, taxi industry is
private industry.  I as a taxi driver am
a self employed. 

Now, I believe that free people in a free country should
not have their private business interfered with by city government. The
customer is more than able to defend him or her self in the free market.

City government in the summer of 2005 set the rates that
taxi drivers in El Paso, Texas, USA charge, as of the date of this
article.  Before, this increase there
was a small increase in 2004.  Between
1985 and 2004, there was no increase in taxi rates.  When I came in to the business in 1998, I was charging
13-year-old rates.  

I would like people every where who use taxi service to
keep in mind that government regulatory laws related to Taxi service are an
attack on individual liberties.  My
biggest problem with customers is price. 
Many of my customers believe they should pay more. Again, I believe the
majority reason for this impression is that somewhere they heard city
governments regulate taxi rates.

I as a free person should be able to charge what I
want.  The customer has the right to
tell me no.

Now, I want to make money.  Therefore, I have to be willingly to work with the customer.
However, I cannot make a living charging 9 to 19 year old rates. 

You and I can see that failure to change rates after a
large amount of time is poor regulation of private industry by a city
government.   The best people to know
what to charge are the people who work in the industry.

My goal here is to inform potential customers that in El
Paso, Texas, USA taxi drivers are self employed individuals working in a
private industry that is poorly regulated by a governing body that shouldn't even
being the business of interfering in the free market.