NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The Taxi and Limousine Commission voted Tuesday to increase the base taxicab fare from $2.50 to $3 — the first hike for riders in a decade.
Surcharges for rush hour and overnight travel will be $2.50 and $1, respectively. Flat fares to Kennedy Airport will climb from $52 to $70, while LaGuardia trips will add a $5 surcharge.
Meanwhile, riders using apps like Uber and Lyft will see a 7% per-minute hike, while per-mile income will increase by 24% for drivers.
The average ride may cost 23% more, while taxi drivers could see their gross income rise by 33%.
Bhairavi Desai, a founding member of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said the raise has been a long time coming.
"We've not only seen high rates of inflation but also a significant loss of fares," she said.
Some riders, like Diana, were upset with the increase.
"If I can't afford a car, what makes them think I can afford for the fares to go any higher? I can't afford that," she added.
Yellow cab driver Richard Chow, on the other hand, said in a statement that he has been driving for 17 years and that this is only his second raise.
"The increase will be manageable for the public I believe, but for the drivers, it will help us manage our life and our health. We need to pay for our food and for gasoline, and also our children’s future and our own retirement," Chow said. "I am very proud of our union that we came together and we made sure all the drivers were protected, yellow cab and Uber drivers, because we are one drivers and one union."
The fare increase is expected to go into effect by the end of the year.
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