New York CIty’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) approved a fare increase of its metered taxi fleet. This fare hike is the first in six years. The flag drop remains at the current $2.50 but the per-distance rate increases to $0.50 for every fifth of a mile (from the previous $0.40), bringing the per-mile charge to $2.50. This is designed to affect longer trips rather than the shorter, and TLC claims a driver will make on average $130 per a 12-hour shift under the new plan.
Other changes include an increase of flat-rate from JFK Airport to Manhattan from the current $45 to $52 and Newark airport extra charge from the current $15 to $17.50.
Another noticeable change is the way credit card fees are incurred by the drivers. Now, a driver pays $9 fee per shift, rather than paying $5% of every trip.
According to the Taxi Rate Comparison Chart at TaxiFareFinder (http://www.taxifarefinder.com/rates.php), New York ranked 15th among major US cities. Similar chart was used by TLC to justify this increase. (http://gothamist.com/2012/07/10/tlc_hearing.php)
