City Council Takes Steps to Scuttle U.S. Shuttle

Don't get too excited about the new $8 ride to Logan Airport.

The service provided by U.S. Shuttle may not be around much longer, as the Cambridge City Council took the first step toward eliminating it at last Monday's council meeting.

The council petitioned the state legislature to allow Cambridge to hold final jurisdiction on all private transportation services operating in the city, paving the way for the council to ban the van service.

Council members and area cab drivers said yesterday that the shuttle's operation in Cambridge hurts taxi drivers by reducing their revenue.

"Does it hurt my business? Definitely," said Cambridge cabbie Raime J. Morris. "I'm losing 15 to 20 percent to the shuttle."

Many cab drivers have lost between $50 and $100 each day as a result of the competition, according to Eugene E. Joseph, another driver.

U.S. Shuttle cuts into cabbies' profits because it provides transportation from Johnston Gate to Logan Airport for significantly less than the $20 to $25 charged by taxis.

Despite the cheaper fares--and a Thanksgiving discount that reduces the price for Harvard students to $6--students said they are not using the shuttle because its schedules are not convenient.

"I couldn't remember when the shuttle actually ran so I just grabbed a cab. It's easier," said David B. "Britt" Bolen '00, who went home by plane last weekend.

"I would never use it to come back from the airport because, unless I saw it parked outside, I would just take a cab," he said.

Patrick R. Aquino '00 said he does not use the service because it runs only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"I usually take later flights and arrive at odd times," he said. "For me it's not necessarily advantageous."

The council is also concerned about a potential lack of available taxis for shorter trips within Cambridge.

"Taxi cabs in the city provide two services: short distance transportation to the food store and the doctor, and long distance transportation to the airport," said city councillor Kathleen L. Born.

She said residents are concerned that cab drivers who would not benefit from the longer trips to the airport would not stay in Cambridge to provide shorter trips.

"Cab drivers prefer the longer trips, but we have to be sure that they are balancing the benefit of higher fares with service and the needs of the community," Born said.

But some cabbies said that they dislike the long trips to the airport.

"I prefer to take the short jobs to Kendall or Somerville," Morris said. "I'll definitely get somebody else going back to Cambridge for the return trip."

"When I go to the airport, I get stuck in traffic in Boston for half an hour on the way back, and Boston cabs come into Cambridge and steal my business," he added.

The council's petition to the state legislature was a response to the state's decision to license U.S. Shuttle Inc. in October, a move which reversed the city license commission's ruling, according to Born.

Even if the state grants the council jurisdiction over private transportation in Cambridge, the city's governing body may not revoke U.S. Shuttle's license.

"I need to see an evaluation of how they are impacting the industry before I vote," Born said. "I'm keeping an open mind."

Cambridge is the only city in the nation to refuse to license U.S. Shuttle, Born said

She said residents are concerned that cab drivers who would not benefit from the longer trips to the airport would not stay in Cambridge to provide shorter trips.

"Cab drivers prefer the longer trips, but we have to be sure that they are balancing the benefit of higher fares with service and the needs of the community," Born said.

But some cabbies said that they dislike the long trips to the airport.

"I prefer to take the short jobs to Kendall or Somerville," Morris said. "I'll definitely get somebody else going back to Cambridge for the return trip."

"When I go to the airport, I get stuck in traffic in Boston for half an hour on the way back, and Boston cabs come into Cambridge and steal my business," he added.

The council's petition to the state legislature was a response to the state's decision to license U.S. Shuttle Inc. in October, a move which reversed the city license commission's ruling, according to Born.

Even if the state grants the council jurisdiction over private transportation in Cambridge, the city's governing body may not revoke U.S. Shuttle's license.

"I need to see an evaluation of how they are impacting the industry before I vote," Born said. "I'm keeping an open mind."

Cambridge is the only city in the nation to refuse to license U.S. Shuttle, Born said