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The pitch behind a new plan to bring downtown Houston more taxi cabs and more passengers is “Catch a ride around downtown for $6."

KHOU-TV

Cabs may soon offer a flat $6 rate for downtown fares.

Believe it or not, a lot of people think it’s illegal to hail a cab downtown.

They’re wrong.

But the fact that so many people believe this myth says something profound about Houston’s taxi business.

 “It can be a fun job if you really know what you’re doing,” said cab driver Jose Vargas.

Vargas has driven taxis for 20 years and raised three kids on cab fares.

“You can be your own boss.  You’re an independent contractor.  You come and go as you please,” he said.

But he’ll be the first to tell you that taxi driving in downtown Houston is a tough business.

“Sometimes you have to sit at the cab stands for maybe one or two hours, sometimes at the hotel stands,” he said, “You know, it’s a five dollar ride.  So you sit somewhere for two hours for five dollars.”

In fact, a lot of Houston cabbies avoid downtown.

Airport runs pay a whole lot better.

Cabbies wait hours for an airport run, but one fare brings a lot more money.

Back downtown, that’s trouble for visitors.

“The problem has been huge for the visitor, because, you know, you come to the city thinking we’re the fourth largest city in America, like New York and Chicago, and then all of a sudden, like, where are the cabs?” said Bob Eury, Downtown Management District.

Pretty soon, you’ll be able to ride cabs around downtown Houston for a fixed fare of $6 for rides between any two points downtown. 

Jokers around City Hall are calling this “Six in the City.”

They hope to attract more customers and more cabs, tripling the number of cab stands where taxis line-up for passengers.

“I think it might bring a few more people downtown, knowing they can get around pretty, pretty, pretty reasonably,” said Vargas.

Vargas and his fellow cabbies should start offering $6 rides around downtown by Thanksgiving.