Boston taxi drivers want fare surcharge because of gas prices
Boston taxi drivers want fare surcharge because of gas prices Posted 3/29/2005 7:45 AM Updated 3/29/2005 7:46 AM
Little profit: Boston cabbies gross $75 to $150 during a typical 12-hour shift, but pay about $100 in rent and gas. By Julia Malakie, AP
Larry Meister, vice president of the city's Independent Taxi Operators Association, said his members plan to meet Tuesday with officials in the Boston Police Department's Hackney Unit, which oversees the city's 1,825 cabs.
Meister said the cabbies' proposed surcharge would end if and when gas prices drop.
However Mark Cohen, director of the Police Department's licensing division, which oversees the Hackney Unit, said solutions other than charging extra for every ride should be considered.
"Taxis in Boston are some of the most expensive in the country," Cohen said. "Before we rush willy-nilly into a solution that's clearly on the backs of riders, I think the discussion has to be fuller than slapping on a surcharge."
For example, Cohen said, the city and the taxi industry should consider ways to improve fuel economy and, perhaps, reduce the rates tax companies charge drivers to rent their cabs.
The city's taxi rates usually are reviewed every five to seven years.
The last fare increase went into effect in September 2002, when meter rates rose 25 cents to $1.75 for the first 1/8 mile or less, and 5 cents to 30 cents for each additional 1/8 mile. Fees also rose to $2.25, plus fare, for trips to Logan Airport, and to $6, plus fare, for passengers leaving the airport.
Industry officials said Boston cab drivers gross from about $75 to $150 during a typical 12-hour shift. Of that, they often have to pay about $80 to rent a cab for the day, and about $20 for gas.
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