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Cabbies Pushing for "Fuel Surcharge"

070408taxis.jpgGas prices have doubled since Mohammed Kalair started driving a cab in New York three years ago, and now it’s looking like he may return to his native Pakistan to enjoy a better standard of living. Though the Taxi and Limousine Commission says drivers still can average a living wage of $12 an hour, other experts say they now net closer to the state minimum-wage of $7.15 per hour. Some are calling for a fuel surcharge of $1 per trip, which has been implemented in other cities. As for Kalair, he tells the Post he’s had to make real tough decisions: "I choose eating, not smoking."

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Comments [rss]

  • snowman

    'he tells the Post he’s had to make real tough decisions: "I choose eating, not smoking."'



    One will kill you if you do it, and the other if you don't do it. Sounds like a real tough decision alright.

  • Tower18

    Yeah, there must be something in the cab driver's manual that teaches every last one of them that the accelerator is an on/off switch without any variability. You must either be at 100% throttle, or 0% throttle.

  • lower manhattan

    They could save 50% of the gas they're burning by not accelerating to each light.

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