Politics & Government
17 Percent Taxi Fare Hike Approved
A cab ride will now cost about 10 cents more for every fifth of a mile.
Hailing that cab to Brooklyn just got pricier.
The city's Taxi and Limousine Commission voted 6-2 (with one abstention) Thursday to approve a 17 percent fare increase for yellow cabs, says NY1.
The base fare will remain $2.50 but, according to the article, each click of the meter would increase from 40 to 50 cents. The flat rate to JFK airport from Manhattan will also increase to $52, from $45, says NY1.
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"It has been six years (since the last fare increase), they're actually earning less than they were then. A taxi driver today brings home $130 for a twelve-hour shift,” TLC Commissioner David Yassky told NY1. “Now that's twelve hard hours behind the wheel, $130 with no benefits. I think people can appreciate it's time to increase that.”
Under the new fare rules, six cents from every trip would go to driver health care, according to the article.
Find out what's happening in Fort Greene-Clinton Hillwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The plan was , and picked up steam in June when , believing that an increase was long overdue.
How do you feel about the upcoming fare increases (likely to be put in place by September)? Are you happy to support a better wage for drivers, or will the fare hike be affecting your own bottom line? After all, a recent report found that yellow cab drivers were more likely to take passengers to Brooklyn with . Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
