Last modified: Thursday, November 5, 2009 10:52 AM EST Allard targets 'abusive' taxi fees BY GEORGE W. RHODES SUN CHRONICLE STAFF ATTLEBORO - Cab customers are being taken for a ride with unfair fares, a city councilor says. Councilor Kim Allard said she aims to rein in what she described as "abusive" fees allegedly charged by Houle's City Cab. Allard said rates as high as $31 have been quoted for one-mile rides. Multiple complaints have come from people on fixed incomes like the elderly or disabled, she said. In addition, rates are inconsistent, Allard said. The same trip has been quoted at two or three different prices, she alleged. "To take advantage of people like that is disgraceful," she said. "It's abuse." Houle's owner Dennis O'Donnell flatly denied that exorbitant rates are being charged. "She's right, if we charged that, it would be abuse," he said of the $31 fee. "I haven't the slightest idea of what she's talking about. I wish she'd called me up and talked to me about it." Houle said some rides are expensive because he charges from the company's base at 65 Park St. For example, someone who wants a ride from the Bristol Place shopping plaza in South Attleboro will start their ride with a $14 charge because of its distance from the center of town. After that, it's $4.50 for the first mile and $2.50 for additional miles or 25 cents for every tenth-of-a-mile. O'Donnell said he's not gotten any complaints, adding that patrons know upfront how much the ride will be. "I can't think of a single circumstance, where it would cost $31 for anywhere in Attleboro to go one mile, unless there was waiting time or a round trip involved," he said. Allard said fees are out of whack because Houle's charges from the center of town. A cab dispatched to pick up a fare could start from a spot closer to the fare than downtown, Allard said. "They shouldn't be charged from his office," Allard said. "People can't afford to spend $14 before they even get into his cab. I'm going to go after this aggressively." She was backed by Councilor Walter Thibodeau who has argued for years that the way Houle's charges is unfair. He hasn't pushed the issue, but he said he's ready now. "I guess we've felt in the past that having (this) taxi cab service is better than having none at all," he said. "I no longer feel that way." Allard said she aims to write an ordinance to control the rates. Councilors approved a rate increase for Houle's last year. At the time O'Donnell said the increase was crucial. The move was supported by Allard, who said the increase was needed or Houle's would go out of business.