Little wonder this misinformation received so many likes. You have to go back a lot further than 20 years for examples of "free permits", maybe when the Eagle River-only permits (the 15# series) became general-purpose permits after the ER cab company failed. 20 years ago, you could purchase a permit for $80-90K if you found a desperate enough seller. When I lived in Anchorage, there were a number of permit owners who were also owner / operators of the taxi itself, though admittedly they were a minority. Of the owners I've dealt with, they did purchase ex-police vehicles, but usually ones surplused out by their operating agencies at 75-80K miles. Driving habits and service intervals make a huge difference. When drivers aren't necessarily living on what they're making, there's not much incentive for them to care about the condition of the vehicle. Dealing with a public who care solely about whatever they're getting out of the deal doesn't help that situation any.