Drivers can’t up
rates, but can
raise hours
The state Public Utilities
By Leila Fujimori
Commission keeps fees flat,
regardless of Y2K
Star-BulletinEven though most limousine operators want to make a killing on what likely will be the biggest night of the millennium, their hands are tied. Unlike hotels and other agencies that can set their own rates, limousine rates are regulated by the state Public Utilities Commission.
"I know the hotels are doubling rates," said Lory Marques, manager of Wailea Limousine Service on Maui. "If we were to charge more or less, we could be subject to fines."
Even wedding photographers and ministers are increasing their rates, said Marques, who gets her business primarily from wedding coordinators and hotels.
So to legally capitalize on New Year's Eve, some drivers are extending their usual minimum number of hours. Carey Hawaii Limousines -- also known as Town & Country Limousine, headquartered on Maui with service on all islands -- will raise its two-hour minimum to seven hours. Elite Limousine Service will increase its two-hour minimum to eight.
On Oahu, two big concerts -- Michael Jackson and 'N Sync -- will likely add to the business of the evening. "If we get contracted to do the Michael Jackson show, their whole entourage will come down as well," said Yee of Elite Limousine.
Neil Olsen of Carey Hawaii Limousine takes reservations from Paris, Tokyo and Cleveland -- but said Maui seems to be the top destination. Carey, based on Maui, has been booked since March. "Apparently people are coming from all over the world," Olsen said.
Since June, Ash Matar's V.I.P. Transportation has been getting a lot of reservations for people coming from the mainland and Europe, which will boost business for the last few days of the year.But he will keep his usual cancellation policy, allowing a week to 10 days prior to cancel. He's not worried about bookings, because for every cancellation "there'll be two people waiting in line."
Limousine driver Kurt Tsuneyoshi said he's keeping a list of people who have requested his services, but is not taking reservations despite all the calls. Since his company Platinum Limousine Service has only four cars, Tsuneyoshi wants to be very selective about his customers and will put friends and family first. He's not sure whether he'll be raising his usual $60-an-hour rate.
"They really don't care how much we charge," Tsuneyoshi said. "They just want us to do it."
Platinum Limousine may be doing a lot of overlapping on its schedules. Tsuneyoshi described possibly having 24-, three- and eight-hour charters doing a lot of drop-offs and pick-ups.
But Bucky Yee thinks that's wrong. His company, Elite Limousine Service, caters to local and national corporate clients. "Presidents of big companies --just to show face -- go from party to party," he said. "No way I'm going to double-book those guys."
"It's always on a one-to-one basis," Yee explained. "It's their car for the evening."
Dropping off and picking up will be impossible with the expected heavy traffic and parking problems, thus cheating customers and drivers, he predicted. "People are never out according to the time they say, especially if they've been drinking." Despite the potential money to be made, Kevin Hall, owner of Cloud 9 Limousine and Your Limousine Service, is giving his drivers the night off. "It's too big of a celebration to ask them to put aside their own plans."
Still, if any of them volunteered to work, he wouldn't say no. His chauffeurs make $12.50 an hour and gratuities are left up to the customers. "I know a lot of other drivers make $7.50 to $10 an hour. I can't imagine they'd want to go out making that amount," he added.
But what about tips?
"Limousine service customers are not very good tippers," said Dennis Le Blanc, Star Maui Limousine Inc. owner-driver. He blamed that on the high rates mandated by the Public Utilities Commission.
"We're leaning toward taking New Year's off," said Le Blanc, who, along with his wife, are the only drivers for the company.
It's easier to make that decision when one is part of a small operation, as most limo services in Hawaii are. In contrast, most mainland operations have fleets of 20 to 50 vehicles, Hall said.
But Duke's Limousine Inc. has found a solution to its limited number of vehicles: subcontracting. Last New Year's Eve, they booked all their cars and subcontractors' cars: late-model Lincolns and other luxury models.
Duke's has eight limos and will have 10 by year's end, ranging from six- to 22-passenger cars. For Dec. 31, they will have booked about 40 cars.
Some concern over the Y2K computer bug has cast a shadow over plans for ringing in the new millennium. At least one limo operator worries about getting gasoline. And another might be curtailing his own partying.
"Maybe this won't be such a drinking party," said Hall of Cloud 9. "Half the crowd is concerned about the millennium bug."
Cabbies bracing
for a rowdy timeCab companies expect a very busy
By Leila Fujimori
night, but will their drivers show up?
Star-BulletinIf you need a cab on New Year's Eve, good luck.
Of course, it's first-come, first-served, no advance reservations. But will there be any cabs out at all?
Even the chief executive officer of the largest taxi service in Hawaii can't force any of his 300 drivers to work that night. Edwin Matsumoto of Sida Taxi & Tours said the drivers are all independent contractors and set their own hours.
"We don't control their work hours. We can only encourage them, (let them know) that there's going to be a lot of business," Matsumoto said. "Most of the other taxi companies work that way."
But Diane Heung, manager of City Taxi, was optimistic.
"I think they like to make money," speaking of her 70 drivers.
Each cab driver pays City Taxi $285 a week for "stall rent" covering affiliation, advertising and dispatch services. Any surplus belongs to the individual drivers.
"Probably 50 to 60 percent of drivers will come out to make some money," Heung predicted.
Robert's Taxi's general manager foresees a shortage of cabs from Aloha Tower to Waikiki, especially for events and parties ending after midnight.
City Taxi may be able to get more cars by the end of the year because the company's business is growing. Owner Tom Heung also owns Tom's Taxis, which leases taxis to certified taxi drivers, and it may increase its fleet of 27.
But Waikiki congestion is Tracy Mizota's biggest concern. Mizota, general manager of Signature Cab Holdings, which does business as The Cab and Americabs, suggested shutting down Waikiki for one huge block party. He proposed Kalakaua and Kuhio avenues be limited to cabs, limousines and trolleys. Locals could park their cars in outlying areas such as Ala Moana Center and be shuttled into Waikiki.
Cab fares are regulated by city ordinance, but consumers sitting in traffic should beware: Cabbies can charge up to 25 cents for every 45 seconds of idle traffic time -- a rate that also applies when the cab travels below a certain speed. The meter starts with $2 or less for the first eighth of a mile, and 25 cents for every additional eighth of a mile.
Another concern for drivers, especially in outlying areas, will be the thick smoke from fireworks. And then there's the computer bug concerns.
"I don't know with Y2K if the planes are going to stop," said Matsumoto of Sida, which has a contract to manage the taxis at the airport. "It could be a potential nightmare. Hopefully, everything will go well."
Sida also is gearing up for possible Y2K problems with its computer system, which keeps track of the general location of each of its cabs, Matsumoto said.
As for revelers looking for a free cab ride if they get plastered, Mizota said he will be looking into the drink-and-don't-drive projects, in which his company has previously participated.
"But we're going to be inundated because of the mass of people out and about that evening," he said.
Still, the cab companies say they'll try to accommodate as many customers as possible.
The Aloha Tower Marketplace and Hilton Hawaiian Village, for instance, draw the biggest crowds on New Year's Eve, noted Charley's Taxi & Tours' general manager Dale Evans.
In years past, the crowds at Aloha Tower have been organized to form orderly queues.
"The only thing is that some people are so zonked out _ and some are rowdy," Evans said. "Except for the volume, it's something we have to deal with on a regular basis."
She added: "We just hope everybody drives safely and we'll do our best."
