UW-Madison senior John Kaspari said he doesn't hesitate to call a cab from State Street to his home just past Regent Street. ""I think the cabs provide pretty good service,"" he said, ""and I'm lazy.""
Students like Kaspari might be surprised to learn that cab fares in Madison are among the highest in the nation. According to a recent chart posted by Schaller Consulting, Madison cab fares are more expensive than fares in New York City, Chicago and even Milwaukee.
In Madison, a five-mile trip with five minutes of wait time is $16.50 through Union Cab. The same trip in Milwaukee is $13.50, in New York, $13.10, and in Chicago, $12.70.
Sarah Huberty, a senior at UW-Madison, said she was amazed when she took a Madison cab from W. Gorham Street to Science Drive, and the total cost came to over $40.00.
""The cab fares in Madison are ridiculous, especially in a student environment where most people don't have cars and there's not enough parking,"" she said.
Zach Olson, a driver for Union cab, said he was aware Madison was one of the higher places in the country for cab fares, but has never received any direct complaints from Madison riders.
""Nobody ever really questions it, because, to be honest, I don't think the passengers even notice,"" Olson said.
Olson did not know why Madison cab fares were higher than fares in other major cities, but said, ""it doesn't really make sense.""
According to Rick Nesvacil, General Manager of Madison Taxi, Madison's higher cab fares provide a better quality of drivers and more benefits for drivers in Madison than in other parts of the country.
""Do I look at the expensive fares? Yeah, but it's the nature of the area. The drivers need to survive and need to have a good living,"" Nesvacil said. ""Is that important? I think it is.""
Senior Law professor at UW-Madison Peter Carstensen said expensive cab fares in Madison are reflective of an oligopoly of the three cab companies currently dominating the market.
Carstensen has threatened to sue the city over an existing cab ordinance requiring anyone going into the cab business to provide service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
""Our present city ordinances severely restrict the ability of competitors to enter the market. With only three cab companies, it's pretty easy to keep raising prices because there's a government created barrier for the competition,"" Carstensen said.
Kaspari said he was entirely unaware of the expense of cab rides in Madison when compared to other U.S. cities, but said he would still probably take a cab when he didn't feel like walking.
Huberty, however, felt differently.
""The cab fares are too expensive,"" she said, ""it's cheaper to take a vacation than to travel around in Madison.""
