Gothamist: Taxi Commission Mulls Fare Increase

DogFriedRice

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 16:55:09 -0500

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...

Anon

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:23:27 -0500

#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.

Anon

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:20:59 -0500

#9 - gas will never be $1.50 per gallon again. Those days are over.

Miquel

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 12:45:00 -0500

I think the TLC should respond to the constant demand for public art installations on cabs...

Spike

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 11:46:19 -0500

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.

Mike

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 11:30:39 -0500

"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).

aviatrix

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:56:19 -0500

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.

binky1

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:48:26 -0500

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?

Abogado

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:45:21 -0500

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?

smitty

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:40:32 -0500

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.

Toby

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:40:24 -0500

Another quick way to get to JFK is to take the LIRR to Jamaica and take the AirTrain from there.

Dude

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:26:36 -0500

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.

t

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:18:42 -0500

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.

rechargerthedog

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:17:58 -0500

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.

Dude

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:14:07 -0500

#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.

Mike

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:08:35 -0500

And I'll continue to ride my bicycle instead...cheaper AND faster than a cab or the subway.

Ben

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:02:58 -0500

I think I will continue to take the subway and not taxi cabs. Saves money and often time as well.