KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A KCTV5 News investigation reveals a potentially dangerous problem in the Power & Light District -- one you might never encounter until you've had too much to drink.

Local cab companies say the downtown entertainment district has been very good for business, but on busy nights, KCTV5 News caught some cab drivers breaking the rules.

An undercover investigation revealed that if you have had too much to drink and you need a cab ride home, you could end up stranded just because of where you live.

A KCTV5 News producer was assigned the task of finding a driver in the long line of cabs waiting for closing time in the district to take him just three miles east of downtown to Truman Road and Hardesty Avenue.

He found taxi drivers charging $20 to 30 dollars for the short trip -- a trip that should cost less than $12.

One woman who was denied a cab ride from the Power & Light District said she knows why it happened.

"I believe it was someone that works in P & L," said Uraya Sanders. "And they said, 'Yeah, people have a hard time getting a cab ride when it's close to here, because cab drivers know they can make so much more money taking people to the Overland Park area."

Sanders, a former Kansas City resident, said she was stunned when she left Power & Light with a friend last fall and tried three times to get a seven-minute cab ride home to East 19th Street and Jackson Avenue.

"The first driver rolled down the passenger window and said, 'Where ya going?' I said, 'Just to about the 19th and Jackson area, further down I-70.' And he said, 'Oh, we're not going that way,'" said Sanders. We stopped another cab. and I said, 'Are you going east on 70?' and he said, 'No, we're not going that way.'"

So, after striking out twice, Sanders said she simply got into a cab and waited for the driver to pull away before she said anything.

"I told him where we were going. I said, 'It's just like a $7, $10 cab ride, right?' He said, 'I'm going to have to charge you an extra $30 on top of the actual fee.

Sanders said it then became clear to her that after a night of drinking, she couldn't get a cab to East 19th Street and Jackson Avenue because her short trip wasn't worth the money.

The KCTV5 News undercover producer tried to get a ride to the same spot and got the same response.

"I don't think it's worth it for me," one cab driver told him.

Drivers keep their own fares at the end of the night, and it's much more lucrative for them to ferry passengers to the suburbs where they can make $50, $60, even $70 per ride.

But a Kansas City ordinance details the rights of a person needing a cab.

It clearly states two things:

"No driver of a taxicab shall willfully refuse, without cause, to:

(1) Accept a passenger for transportation from any area of trip origin to any area of trip destination within the city.

(2) The passenger fares for taxicab service shall be meter-based."

So, barring disorderly conduct, cab drivers must accept any passenger -- regardless of their destination. And, cab drivers can only charge what's on the meter.

A City Cab driver tried to direct the undercover producer to another company.

Yellow Cab's general manager Terry O'Toole said the company handles six out of ten rides in the city, and he said he'll remind their drivers their policy -- if a customer needs a ride, they get a ride.

"Our policy is that they have to accept every fare," said O'Toole. "Unless there's a disorderly customer, out of control. Unless they fear for their safety, they have to take the fare. No matter how short it is, and they can only charge what's in the meter."

Since the entertainment district opened last year, there have been 21 alcohol-related crashes in the seven-block area, police said. That's triple the number the year before.

"They're forced to go ahead and get in their car. Even 5-6 miles, they can kill someone," said Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim advocate Avis Lowe.

The MADD spokesperson said an unchecked cab system is opening the door for problems.

"You should be able to get a cab. Doesn't matter how far -- as long as you don't get behind the wheel. You don't want them to get behind the wheel," said Lowe.

"It's not about the money. It's about equality and fairness," said Sanders.

Sanders said a police officer on patrol the night she was denied a cab ride three times saw what happened and gave her a courtesy ride home.

"You're forcing people to drive drunk. The money is not worth the taking of a human life," said Sanders.

The Yellow Cab spokesman said their drivers handle about 5,000 rides each day. He believes only a few need to be reminded that they're not allowed to deny rides.

Sheri Watson, of Checker Services Inc., offered this response to KCTV5's inquiry about the denied rides: "City Cab orients its drivers regarding city rules and regulations. We are also very supportive of enhanced measures being applied by the Regulated Industries Division. We are concerned about this issue, but previous of the KCTV5 investigation we have not received any customer complaints regarding short trip refusal."