Proposal seeks to spruce up Bangor cabs

BANGOR – Shabby-looking taxis are placing the city in a bad light, according to the owner of a local cab company.

That’s why Steve Klimas, who owns Town Taxi, said last week that he wants the City Council to approve an amendment to the taxicab license ordinance requiring that vehicles for hire comply with a number of cosmetic standards.

The proposal stipulates that taxis must not have dents larger than 6 inches in diameter; missing trim, bodywork or hubcaps; cracks in the windshield or windows; visible primer paint; rust spots greater than 1 inch in diameter; or loose trash or large amounts of dirt or sand in the passenger area.

“A lot of us have looked at fly-by-night companies who come in with a car that’s beat up. Yes, it passes state inspection, but our question is, is that the type of car we want sitting in front of the doors at Bangor International Airport when tourists come in?” said Klimas, who has seen tourists refuse to take a particular taxi because of its dilapidated appearance.

The proposal simply levels the playing field, according to Klimas. It takes only one unattractive taxi to incriminate everyone, he said.

“People tend to not look at taxis in Bangor as individual companies but as a whole. So if [they see] a taxi that’s really smashed-up or has rust spots or primer paint, they tend to associate it with all the taxicabs in town,” said the businessman, who owns two of about 12 licensed cab companies in the city.

The proposal will have its first reading at the next City Council meeting, at 7 p.m. Monday, July 23, at City Hall.

Endorsed by Councilors Joe Baldacci and Nichi Farnham, members of the Government Operations Committee, the proposed amendment doesn’t sit well with Councilor Pat Blanchette, the committee’s lone dissenter.

Taxi companies are seeking an unfair advantage, according to Blanchette.

“What it boils down to is that they want us to eliminate their competition by putting restrictions on them,” she said. “If we do it for taxi companies, where is it going to stop? As long as [taxis] comply with the state motor vehicle statutes and the vehicle is safe to go on the road and has adequate insurance, that’s as far as the city needs to go.

“The public will determine who survives and who doesn’t,” she continued. “If somebody has a flat tire or one of the back doors hanging off or a seat torn up, people won’t take the cab.”

Pointing out that the standards aren’t included in the state statute and that communities are prohibited from imposing stricter criteria than the state, Blanchette said the proposal is unfair in another way.

“They’re placing restrictions on public transportation that we as a city don’t even comply with for our own fleet,” she said.

“Some of our city buses have more than 6 inches of rust. We’re stepping over the bounds of municipal government by imposing regulations on public enterprise when we don’t comply ourselves.”

The City Council imposes restrictions on private enterprise all the time, Klimas countered. Diva’s is prohibited from doing business on State Street and downtown businesses aren’t allowed to display neon signs, he noted.

While Farnham sometimes struggles to define the boundaries of city government, she has no problem in this case.

“The city issues [taxi] licenses and the chief of police is tasked with inspecting them, so the city is involved somewhat,” she said.

Worn-looking taxis queuing up by the airport work against the city’s massive advertising efforts, according to Farnham.

“Look at the budget we put into marketing the city … we spend a lot of money trying to have Bangor look good,” she said.

The council is doing right by the cab companies, according to Baldacci. “These guys are just trying to make a living and provide a quality service, so we’re trying to protect [them],” he said.

Meanwhile, one cab company owner believes the proposed criteria aren’t strict enough.

“Some [taxis] are just plain too old,” said Paul LaPlante, owner of Paul’s Taxi, who thinks cabs should be no more than 10 years old.

“You have guys who buy $300 cars and then run them into the ground,” he said.

But William Thomas, owner of Black Bear Taxi, is for maintaining the status quo.

“We’ve already got standards to keep [taxis] clean, I don’t see why we should add any more,” he said. “You already have to have a decent-looking cab. Unless they can show that something is endangering the customer, I don’t think anything should be changed.”