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Some the taxi fare increase may be afoot, as the Taxi and Limousine Commission is discussing a possible fare increase. The last increase was in 2004 - you can see the changes in this post - and TLC Commissioner Matthew Daus says that the agency wants to institute "moderate increases" every few years. The biggest change would be to increase the fare for when a taxi idles in traffic; right now, drivers charge 20 cents per minute, but it could be doubled to 40 cents per waiting minute. The Daily News says that a 2.8 mile ride with five minutes of waiting time would "translate into a fare increase of about $1," with the total being $9.65. The hourly waiting time works out to $12/hour currently, which really isn't that much when you think about the gas and upkeep costs drivers have to deal with.
The other change would be to institute a $45 flat fee from Manhattan to JFK Airport. There's a $45 fee already for JFK-to-Manahttan trips. We suppose that some early morning trips to JFK from Manhattan don't add up to $45, but $45 would still be competitive with other car service offerings. Commissioner Daus says the flat fee wouldn't affect the driver as much as making it easier for the passenger.
What do you think of a possible fare hike for waiting time and trips to JFK?
Photograph of a festive taxi from S.D. on Flickr
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I think I will continue to take the subway and not taxi cabs. Saves money and often time as well.
And I'll continue to ride my bicycle instead...cheaper AND faster than a cab or the subway.
#2 - How are you gonna ride a bike to the airport if you have a lot of luggages? I wish cyclists stop linking every post to biking and stay on the topic.
Problem with all taxi fare hikes is that the money doesn't go into the pockets of the common driver. When fares go up, medallion owners raise the lease rates. When I drove, the Saturday night lease rate (for a 12-hour shift) was about $95 per shift. Now it's about $135 per shift. So the driver is not benifitting from higher fares. Too, gas--which the driver also pays for--has nearly doubled. Unbelievably, a hard-working driver (one who drives the entire 12 hours, five or six nights a week) is bringing home basically what I brought home in 1985, about $130 per night.
Bupkis.
I'll take the subway AirTrain to JFK. Considering the traffic these days, it doesn't take that much longer than a cab and only costs $5 plus subway fare.
The Airtran is da bomb if you don't have a lot of luggages, too bad they don't have one for LGA yet. For now the Airport bus services to all three airports can be taken from Grand Central, Penn Stattion and the Port Authority, for about 12 - 15 dollar one way. They're cheaper but still have to face traffic.
Another quick way to get to JFK is to take the LIRR to Jamaica and take the AirTrain from there.
you can catch a bus at astoria blvd to LGA which takes about 10 minutes...not too bad. or you can go to dittmars and catch a car service/gypsy cab for $10 to LGA from dittmars.
Ok, increase across several years.
Where is the clause for reduction in waiting time and JFK flat fee structure when the gas returns to $1.50 per gallon?
When you make links can you do it so that it opens in another page, so that we don't lose where we were reading on gothamist? It's a pain to get back.
like this?
rechargerthedog is right that the fare increases rarely make it into the drivers' pockets. the last fare hike was a rare exception in which 3/4 or so of the increase actually went to drivers (in the past it was more like 10 or 15 percent--basically little or nothing--for the drivers). but at the end of the day, rechargerthedog is totally right: if the Taxi Workers Alliance and other drivers/driver advocates get the increased fares to go to the drivers themselves, it's probably a reasonable thing to do given the huge increases in the cost of gas; if not, it's probably not fair to either the drivers or their passengers.
"Dude" (#3), don't worry so much about what other people post...it's not worth it. Regardless, I was just as much on topic as the first commenter...I was only talking about getting around the city by bike rather than subway. I do take the airtrain or a cab to the airport, depending upon the situation (although I prefer not to fly, so I rarely go to the airport).
I'm not gonna complain too loudly if/when fares rise, 'cause NYC taxis remain a lot cheaper than those in other big cities; SF, Chicago, and DC come to mind as places I've cabbed recently and which cost notably more. I guess the difference is that in NYC, cabs serve a more important role as a form of mass transit than in other cities, where private cars are used more regularly. Still, I don't take them them that much, and when I do I've already budgeted as "splurge," so an additional $5 won't hurt too terribly. I hope.
I think the TLC should respond to the constant demand for public art installations on cabs...
#9 - gas will never be $1.50 per gallon again. Those days are over.
#10 - press shift and the hyperlink to open the link in another page. i agree with you that opening in new page is strongly preferred. pressing shift and clicking the link solves the problem every time.
These MOFO's always take the congested route so that they can get the wait charge, even if I explicily tell them which street to take, they still play dumb and fuck up... They should be sent to Guantanamo...