[ProtectOurFreedom]

Yes, it's a private business, but all taxis operate under licenses granted by the local government with strict operational rules. If you don't comply with the rules, you can lose your license. In St. Paul, the rule regarding fares is very easy to understand:

Sec. 376.11. Regulations. (h) Refusal of service. No driver of a public vehicle shall refuse or neglect to convey any orderly person or persons upon request anywhere in the city, unless previously engaged or unable to do so, provided such person or persons agrees or agree to pay the legal rate of fare.

I fail to see the addendum to this section that says "No driver of a public vehicle shall refuse any orderly person unless such orderly person is carrying unopened containers of alchol."

Licenses to operate taxis are expensive and, in many cities, are scarce and increase in value. Hence, the taxi driver can realize a good profit from selling his license. A person granted a public license that is making a profit from the sale of such license should not have the right to refuse fares for reasons other than cited in the regulation.

Here is the market price for a taxi medallion in NYC:

[supercat]

Here is the market price for a taxi medallion in NYC:

I'm not a big fan of government-engineered scarcity, which is basically the purpose of NYC taxi licensure. Absent deliberately-engineered scarcity, many problems would disappear and controversial issues become moot.