Wildwood Deregulates Taxis

WILDWOOD – City Commissioners Nov. 25 voted to deregulate Wildwood’s taxicab industry, despite arguments during a public hearing from local cab drivers, who wanted to continue paying for licenses in exchange for regulations that, they argued, helped balance the playing field recently dominated by drivers from rideshare apps Uber and Lyft.  

“If you can’t beat them, join them,” Mayor Peter Byron said to cabbies during the meeting.  

In prior years, an ordinance required cab drivers to be licensed by the city, which included vehicle inspections and driver background checks.  

Byron said he understands that Uber and Lyft taking local business is unfair, but admitted there is nothing he can do about that issue. 

“I never thought it was fair,” Byron said. “We can’t regulate these Uber and Lyft guys, so if we can’t regulate them, then why not just deregulate the cabs and give them all an even playing field?” 

He added that 75% of the license fee, which was about $750 a year, went to the Greater Wildwoods Tourism and Development Authority, so it wasn’t a revenue source for the city.  

“Quite frankly, we don’t have the manpower to inspect all these cars and to run the individual checks on the cab drivers. It becomes a burden, frankly, on the community to take on that responsibility,” Byron said, in an interview after the 3-0 vote.  

Byron said the city has not considered whether cab drivers from companies that have traditionally serviced the city would be allowed to turn their light on and pick up passengers in Wildwood this year.  

“We haven’t thought that far out,” Byron said. “Whether or not they’ll be able to still drive around with whatever the name of that cab business is on the side of the cab, I don’t know.”  

State regulations require cab drivers to display their licenses for cities in which they are picking up or dropping off passengers. In New Jersey, these licenses are issued by the municipality, not the state, and they will no longer be issued in the Wildwoods.