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Madison cab fares at a high

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Many University of Wisconsin students are surprised with the high price of cab fares often paid to commute around the city. “I don’t understand the zones and how [fares] work,” UW sophomore Melissa Trinley said. “It’s much clearer in Chicago. It always seems more expensive here for the distance you’re going.”

Cab companies point out reasons for why rates are what they are.

“You get what you pay for,” General Manager for Badger Cab Tom Royston said.

Royston said Madison cab companies are better than companies in larger cities, like Chicago, because of the Demand-Response cab calls.

“Ninety-nine percent of rides come from phone calls, as opposed to hailing cabs, more commonly found in larger cites. This requires more effort on our behalf. Drivers are forced to be more responsive.”

Royston also said there is no “red-lining” among Madison companies, as seen in other cities.

“There is no refused service to any individual or neighborhood.”

Even with a higher quality of service in Madison cab companies, cheaper fares can still be found.

A typical fare from State Street to the Dane County Regional Airport runs about $13 with Union Cab, one of Madison’s metered-cab companies.

John McNamara, a manager for Union Cab, explained fares are based on mileage, traffic and any other stops the customer chooses to take on the ride. McNamara noted that Union Cab fares can be broken down to 50 cents a minute, the lowest meter fares in Madison.

However, finding the better deal between two cab companies varies on a number of different circumstances.

“Union can’t really compare to a company like Badger [Cab] because we operate on very different circumstances,” he said. “It would be like comparing apples to oranges.”

Badger Cab is a shared-ride company, with each passenger paying the same amount for a given trip. Nonetheless, Union Cab has not raised their rates in two years, despite increased gas prices.

“We’ve chosen to absorb the cost of gas and insurance,” McNamara said.

With Badger Cab, the same trip to the airport costs $9.75. The company operates on a zone system, with the entire Madison metropolitan area mapped out into 253 zones. Drivers use a zone directory to determine which zones are driven through from origin to destination. A trip from State Street to the airport travels through seven zones. A fare calculator is then used to determine the amount.

“The system is elaborate, but foolproof,” Royston, who has been with the company for 34 years, said.

Badger Cab also differs from meter companies in that its vehicles operate on propane, with different price fluctuations than gasoline. Royston claimed that Badger Cab experienced their first fare increase in two to three years last fall, in response to insurance and other factors.

“Meter rates may be above average, but companies do what they have to in order to survive and compete,” said Royston, noting that Badger Cab rates “have always been less than meter cabs.”

Despite seemingly high cab fares, Royston said Madison cab companies pride themselves on their responsiveness and service quality, and claim to do what they can to keep fare fluctuations to a minimum.