New York City Taxis Want to Raise Your Fares

     It often seems like "when it rains it pours" as it certainly did for me yesterday. I tried to get a new powercord for my computer and got caught in the terrible rain storm. After all that the small independent computer store where I can get a decent deal didn't come in on time so I eventually had to abort my mission-staying out there I was poised to drown, I am without a car... So I'm stuck writing on the library computer for now until I get back out there at a time their actually opened.

    Bad things seem to often come in pairs. Actually I've heard it's triplets and that I think is dead on. Right now here in New York the cost of living his high, especially in the New York City area. Is there any relief in sight? No, to the contrary the city taxis are on a crusade to raise tax fairs.

    "New York City taxi fares could rise by as much as 20%, under a proposal from the industry to be considered later this month by city regulators."

    "The Taxi and Limousine Commission announced on Monday that it would schedule hearings on a pair of new proposals: one to consider raising the amount that taxi medallion owners can charge when renting out their medallions to drivers, and the other to raise the base fare for a taxi ride."

     http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303610504577418611946165068.html?mod=WSJ_NY_LEFTTopStories

     So is this a good thing? It would seem it's a pretty bad thing. I don't take cabs much in the city-out of my price range already, the average taxi ride in the city is $11.82 for an average of 2.75 miles per trip. However, here we are only considering the customers. The cab drivers feel differently not surprisingly.

    "We filed for a fare increase and lease cap increase 2 years ago and it has since collected dust at the TLC," Mr. Woloz wrote in an email. "It has now been 8 years since the fleets have had a lease cap increase and 6 years since drivers have had a fare increase. Both are absolutely necessary in order to meet the economic realities of today and we cannot have one without the other. The fleets need to offset their operating costs to run costly 24/7 garages and the drivers need relief at the gas pump."

    The one thing I do know from my own conversations with cab drivers is that they get hit hard with gas prices-I do like cab drivers and seem to have a good rapport with them, partly due to my time as a pizza delivery driver I can empathize.

    And as unwelcome as the fare increase is there hasn't been one since 2006:

   "The fare hasn't changed since 2006, so it is reasonable for taxi drivers and fleet owners to put this on the table," TLC Chairman David Yassky said in a written statement. "We will consider their petitions over the next couple of months."

     "We filed for a fare increase and lease cap increase 2 years ago and it has since collected dust at the TLC," Mr. Woloz wrote in an email. "It has now been 8 years since the fleets have had a lease cap increase and 6 years since drivers have had a fare increase. Both are absolutely necessary in order to meet the economic realities of today and we cannot have one without the other. The fleets need to offset their operating costs to run costly 24/7 garages and the drivers need relief at the gas pump."

     "The "lease cap" is the limit on the amount that medallion owners—such as a taxi fleet—can charge a driver to rent a medallion for a daily, weekly or monthly shift. As currently structured, the lease cap means drivers pay up to $105 per shift for a standard 12-hour shift day, though actual fees can vary."

     "Muhammad Khan, 36 years old, has been driving a taxi for two years, and said he was pleased a fare increase would be considered. "If your salary is boosted up by 20%, you will be happy," he said, adding that he was not worried that higher prices would scare off passengers. "The people who want to take a ride will ride."

      But Brian Byun, a 21 year old Columbia University engineering student, said the proposed hike was "ridiculous."

     "It's out of budget for many of us," said Mr. Byun, who regularly pays $15 to $16 to ride across town in taxis. He said he would keep that up, but not gladly, if the price rises. "I might have to not eat," he said.

     "Sarah Hogarth, 45, of Brooklyn, was less outraged. "People have to make a living," she said, adding that she wouldn't be cutting out the taxi rides to avoid higher rates. "I don't need my ride home at night to be cheaper off somebody else's family income."

      Still one suspects that Ms. Hogarth has considerably more income than Mr. Byun which enables her to be more sanguine.