Cab drivers upset over 2-taxi limit at BNP

“There’s just not adequate staging for the taxi drivers to be able to pick up the customers coming out of the tennis garden,” said Michal Brock, general manager of Yellow Cab Co.

The two-taxi maximum at the front entrance (Gate 2) of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden is creating frustration for some cab drivers.

“They’re just trying to get over here and pick up the customers, and really the backlash we have heard is from the customers wondering why they can’t get the cabs here to service them,” Brock said.

When a News Channel 3 crew came to the tournament around 5 p.m. Wednesday, there was no wait for a taxi.

But Yellow Cab says some customers complained they had to wait about 40 minutes for a ride over the busy weekend.

“I wouldn’t wait that long,” said Jeff Ware who is visiting the tournament from Fontana. “I’d rather walk, at least it’s exercise.”

“That’s kind of unfortunate but I know there are some other ways to get home like Uber picks you up. If you use the Uber app it will pick you up at Gate 10,” said Jeff McIntosh, who is visiting the tournament from Chicago.

Uber, it turns out, is designated to a completely separate gate for pick ups and drop offs.

Tournament officials wouldn’t speak on camera, but said they’ve received no complaints about wait times for taxis.

They added that the two-cab max has always been the policy for the tournament, and that if an issue arose, they would address it.

“I really don’t know why only two have been designated,” Brock said. “I would say a good 8 to 10 would be adequate because if there was an area where they could stage as people came out someone could come in to pick them up.”