Dollar Days Done?

Yellow Cab of Tijuana has hung a sign from its border cab lot to let riders know that it has halted a month-old program that offered one-dollar group-rate rides from the border to downtown.

Yellow Cab blames the curtailment on longtime carrier Azul y Blanco bus line, which allegedly complained to the local transportation authorities that the cab company was stomping on its “cheap fare” turf (the route from the border to the corner of Calle Tercera and Constitución, downtown).

A large sign hanging over the Yellow Cab lot offers apologies to customers and indicates that the cessation of service was the result of a dispute with the local transportation authorities and the cozy relationship they have with the bus line, traditionally the “cheap dollar” carrier to the downtown area. The sign indicated that some Yellow Cabs have been towed away at the behest of Azul y Blanco.

Normally, cab rides from Yellow command a five-dollar solo price, but the economic slowdown drove the company to slash rates, which ultimately put it in competition with the bus line. Yellow Cab strongly hinted that the dispute is all about money and “compromisos” (pre-arranged and somewhat suspect agreements) between Azul y Blanco and the powers that be.

The last line of the sign indicates that Yellow Cab is trying to arrange to bring the service back by gathering enough money to make the necessary arrangements. The 10 peso, or “dollar,” service was popular with people wanting to quickly get downtown with a minimum of hassle.