New taxi deal for airport on hold; appeals court may hear challenge

The Seattle-Tacoma International Taxi Association (STITA) has managed to forestall the Port of Seattle's attempt to sign a new airport cab-concession agreement with competitor Yellow Cab.

In a move late Monday, a state appeals-court commissioner halted the deal, pending a possible hearing in the near future, according to STITA spokeswoman Lesley Rogers. This came after a King County judge earlier had ruled for the Port, and STITA immediately sought an appeal, she said.

STITA, which has picked up arriving passengers at the airport cabstand for two decades, lost a recent bid competition in December to Yellow, which offered millions more in payments to the Port district for a five-year contract.

Yellow Cab offered the Port $18.3 million in fees, compared with the $14 million that STITA says it offered. From 2004-2008, STITA paid $10.6 million, the Port says.

STITA claims the Port illegally set off a bidding war instead of basing fees on the drivers' operating costs.

Yellow had sweetened its bid by offering to reduce "deadheading," when empty cabs return to Sea-Tac from downtown Seattle.