Town of Palm Beach Taxi Permits Up for Grabs

Unlike most surrounding towns, it is rare to see many taxis driving the streets of the Town of Palm Beach. The lack of car services is due to the fact that the Town only gives out a certain amount of Town of Palm Beach taxi permits.

Currently, applications to receive a taxi permit in the Town of Palm Beach are being accepted until August 7th. Once the Financial Department receives the proper paperwork, the eligible applicant will be entered into a lottery. The lottery will pull 25 individuals, and they will be asked to apply for a 2016 permit. Once a driver is approved by the town, the taxi permit is valid for one year. The permit allows a driver to run a taxi business legally on all parts of Palm Beach Island.

There has been a lot of recent controversy surrounding Uber and Lyft, popular transportation smart phone applications. They have caused much debate in many South Florida communities. Broward County enacted many restrictions on local drivers and their parent companies. After realizing how difficult it is to conduct business down here, Uber chose to remove their services from Broward County for the time being.

The Palm Beach County Commission discussed a variety of options on how to reign in these types of services last week at their meeting. No final decisions were made, but the discussion alone caused many to fear that Palm Beach could end up like Broward County, with a variety of taxi services and the loss of Uber.

Local downtown areas have seen the positive effects of these transportation services. The increase in business and fewer drunk driving-related accidents have shown the good that comes with accessible transportation options.

Visit townofpalmbeach.com for all information on taxi services. . August 7th is the last date to apply for a Town of Palm Beach taxi permit, and to be entered into the lottery for 2016.