Travelers Frustrated As Airport's New Cab Rules Take Effect

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — There were long lines and frustrated travelers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Monday morning, and the airport's director told Eyewitness News the headaches resulted from a mistake the airport made.

An Eyewitness News crew found more than 30 people in line to get a cab around 9 a.m., the busiest time of the week for cab drivers.

"Why is it like this?" one person asked.

Reporter Holly Maynard told the traveler that the airport started something new.

Instead of 12 cab companies working at the airport, there are just five.

City leaders chose three of them to have the airport traffic exclusively. The other two are still working while a judge looks into their complaints about how the companies were selected.

The new plan means new cab drivers who are unfamiliar with the airport and new schedules, which resulted in long lines.

"This is quite a bit longer than any one I've ever seen," said traveler David Rabson, who needed to get to a work conference in Ballantyne.

The airport's director, Jerry Orr, was there Monday morning helping to direct traffic.

"Monday morning's probably not the best time to start a new procedure," he said.

"So why did you start it today, then?" Maynard asked.

"Well, I trust my people, and I don't think they made the best decision," Orr replied.

Eyewitness News timed how long it took Rabson to get a cab. It took 14 minutes. Others waited close to 20 minutes.

Drivers from the two cab companies awaiting court action had 24 drivers working, and said it was a good thing. Those drivers expect to work for at least two more weeks as they wait for a judge to review their case.

Airport staff said they brought in extra workers to deal with the changes. Most customers were handled without any issues.

However, the influx of travelers around 9 a.m. required them to activate their "peak time contingency plan," which deploys 56 additional cabs. They said the process was not triggered soon enough, which resulted in about 10 minutes without cabs, which is common on Monday mornings. They said they will now analyze the usage of peak time permits more closely and make adjustments as necessary.

Previous Stories: May 27, 2011: Airport Cab Contract Could Go To Company With Banned Driver May 13, 2011: Cab Company Sues City Over Airport Contract August 20, 2010: Airport Taxi Cabs In Charlotte Told To Shape Up

WSOC