LAS VEGAS » Cab company officials are sounding the alarm about ridesharing service Uber scoping out the Las Vegas market.

Yellow Checker Star executive Bill Shranko says he asked Nevada Taxicab Authority officials at their meeting Wednesday to contact Uber and warn it about hefty fines for operating unlicensed cabs. He says Uber has posted online ads to recruit drivers.

Authority spokeswoman Teri Williams says ridesharing companies would have to comply with existing regulations to operate in Las Vegas.

Uber allows users to hail a cab through a smartphone app. Drivers tend to be residents who use their own cars and pick up passengers as a part-time job.

Uber spokesman Lane Kasselman says users have requested the service in Las Vegas, although the company has "no plans to launch soon" in the city.