The power of Yellow Cab

Think Yellow Cab's not a powerful lobby within the City of Houston? Think again....

City Council approves cab fare hikes, Chris Moran, ChronBlog

City Council approved by a 13-1 vote the first rate hike in seven years Wednesday at the request of the taxi industry. A city study found the cost of being in the cab business has increased by 27 percent during that period.

Floyd Kaminsky, president of Yellow Cab, and Román Martinez, president of Texas Taxi, said after the vote that the increase struck a fair balance between helping cab drivers recover the cost of leasing and fueling cabs and protecting customers from excessive rate hikes.

So desperate was Council to grant Yellow Cab this fare increase they took a very unusual procedural step in quashing a Councilman's tag.

Granted, that tag was placed on the ordinance by Helena Brown, whose propensity for tagging just about everything is wearing thin on the remainder of City Hall, but it's telling that the first thing they break with tradition on is a price hike backed by a very, very powerful local lobby.

As my friend Kevin says: "What Yellow Cab wants, Yellow Cab gets."

Very true.