If you live in New York City or are thinking of relocating there in the near future, you may be surprised to learn that the cabbies are now asking for more money. Or, this may not shock you at all, given the recent surge in gas prices, especially in New York. Either way, your cab fare may get hiked if the taxi drivers get their way.
So, what’s going on in the Big Apple? The Taxi Workers Alliance – the group that represents the cab drivers in the city – claim that gas prices as well as the cost of living has increased making it too expensive for drivers to operate at the current fares and want to move them up. They are demanding a 15% hike from the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission.
NYC residents saw a 26% fare hike back in 2004 and three quarters of that hike went straight into the cabbies’ pockets. Back then, gas cost about $1.80 per gallon – now it costs around $4 in the city. We can see how this move might help operating the taxis a bit more affordable.
But, what would this fare hike mean for NYC residents? For the most part, people don’t seem too surprised – fares have gone up on the subway, PATH trains, and ferries all around Manhattan and its outer boroughs.
The fare hikes won’t happen automatically. There are several layers of approval before anything is moved or changed. So, if you are moving to NYC right now, don’t let the possibility of a taxicab fare hike scare you off; although it’s likely that if you’re able to afford NYC, the increase of taxi will be quite insignificant.
Jon Huser
