"Dispute Delays Baltimore Airport Taxi Management Contract"

Thursday, September 4, 2003

Dispute Delays Baltimore Airport Taxi Management Contract
The Baltimore (MD) Sun


Faced with major questions and a dispute among taxi drivers at
Baltimore-Washington International Airport, the state Board of Public Works
decided yesterday to delay awarding a lucrative contract to manage the fleet
of taxis that serve airport passengers. 

"At this point, we just have one too many questions," said Gov. Robert L.
Ehrlich Jr. at the meeting in Annapolis. 

The governor, Comptroller William Donald Schaefer and Treasurer Nancy K.
Kopp, who make up the board, will vote on Sept. 17 whether to follow the
recommendation of the Maryland Aviation Association and award the contract
to BWI Taxi Management Inc. of Linthicum. BWI Taxi Management would pay the
state agency at least $9.15 million over five years for the airport's taxi
franchise. The company has run the taxi fleet there since 1997. 

Bishop L. Robinson Jr., an attorney representing BWI Taxi Management, said
he was disappointed that the board deferred its vote. 

However, Silver Cab of P.G. Inc. of Lanham, which bid against BWI Taxi
Management, and some of the airport taxi drivers opposed the agency's
recommendation. 

The delay "just points out the fact that there are a whole lot of issues
that were not addressed," said Damien Alexander, a lawyer with Smith Cooper
LLC in Washington who represents Silver Cab and the opposing drivers. "It
shouldn't be a rubber stamp on the existing taxi company." 

Airport officials informed the board that all the companies that bid on the
contract were qualified, but that BWI Taxi Management made the best
financial offer. But the pending award has bitterly cleaved the 300 taxi
drivers who work at the airport in Linthicum. 

Night-shift drivers claim that BWI Taxi Management offered them unjust hours
and heavy stand-fees that made it difficult for them to earn a living. Other
drivers, mostly on day-side, however, defended the company and said they
were able to work themselves into better, more profitable routes over time. 

In a $10 million lawsuit filed in March in Anne Arundel County Circuit
Court, a dozen drivers accused the company of infringing on their earning
potential and violating agreements. They also alleged that driver Shuiab
Leigh was fired to silence him as an emerging spokesman for some of his
colleagues. 

Attorneys for the taxi company filed a motion to dismiss the case. 

Alexander argued before the board yesterday that the administration should
examine hiring and management practices before choosing a taxi contractor,
rather than simply examining the finances. 

"I urge this board to see more than just dollar signs," Alexander testified.


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