Airport Taxi Drivers Idling Through the Holidays

By CHRISTIE SMYTHE

The holidays might be a busy time for air travel, but not for the taxi drivers who wait for passengers at Tucson International Airport.

Drivers say it’s typical for business to slow down in December, though some say it’s worse this year. Business travel drops off, and the travelers who do come often get rides from the family or friends they’re in town to visit.

Airport cabdriver Julio Garcia said he might drive three or four passengers a day during this time of year. In busier times, he averages six or seven.

“Family members come and pick up our passengers,” Garcia said.

To pass the time, drivers have sometimes played soccer games or gathered in cabs to watch TV or movies.

“It helps us keep our mind clear and not thinking about waiting and waiting,” Garcia said.

This year, some drivers said business is especially slow, which they attributed to the economy or increased competition. Veteran driver Melanie Howard said she noticed fewer business-conference- related passengers than usual early on in the month.

“When business is slow, it makes it kind of hard. Cabbies get cranky,” Howard said.

There is some added competition this year in the form of limo services, said Tucson Airport Authority spokeswoman Paula Winn. Last year, there were none serving the airport. This year, there are two: Airport Executive Sedans and AAA Sedan Towncar.

A parking garage also opened to the public this year, which could also be taking a slice out of the cabs’ passenger loads, she said.

However, passenger traffic at the airport is up compared with last year, Winn said. For November, the number of passengers rose 6.39 percent compared with the same month last year, Winn said. Year- to-date, passenger traffic is up 5.14 percent, she said.

Cabdrivers who pick up passengers at the airport must have permission to do so from the Airport Authority. Three companies, AAA Airport Taxi, Yellow Cab and Allstate Cab Co., and a total of 33 drivers are under contract to provide service, airport officials said.

Ali Bsoul, another long-time taxi driver at the airport, said he isn’t sure yet whether increased competition has eaten into his income. So far, he hasn’t noticed anything different from the usual December slowdown.

“It’s a normal thing we go through every year,” he said.

“When business is slow, it makes it kind of hard. Cabbies get cranky.”

Melanie Howard, veteran taxi driver

* Contact reporter Christie Smythe at 434-4083 or csmythe@azstarnet.com.

Originally published by CHRISTIE SMYTHE, ARIZONA DAILY STAR.

(c) 2007 Arizona Daily Star. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.