Like traffic lights and fast food restaurants, taxi cab meters have traditionally been a verboten topic on the Vineyard.

But following a string of complaints this summer about taxi companies overcharging customers, selectmen from all six Island towns have now agreed on the need for uniform taxi regulations.

The problem was a topic for discussion during last week’s meeting of the all-Island selectmen. Uniform rates and meters were both discussed, a review of the videotape of the meeting shows.

“Overcharging is the number one issue. That’s what you read about in the paper, that’s what we get complaints about at our meetings,” said Tisbury selectman Jeff Kristal.

“Meters would solve a lot of problems,” agreed West Tisbury selectman Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter.

Richard Knabel, also a West Tisbury selectman, said meters might not work because Vineyard taxis frequently take multiple fares to a number of different locations.

“What we have here are more like shuttles. They are minivans full of people going different places,” Mr. Knabel said.

But Mr. Manter was undeterred.

“I would think in this day and age you could [get a meter] that could calculate the difference between multiple fares,” he said.

Although selectmen were divided on the issue of meters, there was general support for creating a single set of taxi rates for the Island. They said it might be difficult to establish rates within individual towns, but there was no reason why fares from one town to another shouldn’t be the same for every company.

“Now, if you go from West Tisbury to the ferry it’s one rate, and if you go from the ferry to West Tisbury it’s another. It doesn’t make sense,” Mr. Knabel said.

Oak Bluffs selectman Ron DiOrio called for taxi companies to stop the practice of sharply increasing fares late at night after the bars close.

“A number of companies have gotten into the habit of doubling their rates when the bars close. Which from a public policy point of view goes in the opposite direction of where we want to go . . . I find that totally outrageous,” he said.

But Edgartown selectman Michael Donaroma urged his colleagues to take a cab driver’s point of view.

“A lot of them don’t want to run after midnight, there’s no money in it. And they don’t want the drunks in their cabs. I’ve seen 10 cabs lined up at the airport and one person get off the plane. I’ve seen them line up at the Steamship Authority and there is nobody there,” he said, adding:

“I don’t know how they survive. And we need them,” he said.

It was agreed that Mr. Kristal and Oak Bluffs selectman Duncan Ross will explore the matter further and report back to the selectmen.