Thursday, June 15, 2006
Expect taxi fares to go up again
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
Cab drivers want more money, despite the 26% increase the Taxi and Livery Commission granted them in March 2004. Taxis are an important means of transportation for the people of East Midtown, despite the fact that we live in the middle of the well-served Union Square public traffic hub. Our aging population and the remoteness of ST/PCV make taxis a necessity.
Now three taxi organizations are out in public with proposals, largely motivated by fuel price increases, that would push gas price–indexed fare surcharges up, particularly impacting short trips. The TLC will make a decision before the end of June 2006.
The New York Taxi Workers Alliance, 7,000 strong, wants the flag drop, the startup number that appears on the meter at the beginning of the ride, increased by 50 cents if gas is above $2 a gallon, by $1 if its costs rise to between $3 and $3.99 for 30 consecutive days. The League of Mutual Taxi Owners, 3,400 owner-operators, want an immediate increase in the drop of 95 cents, 50 cents more if gasoline prices move above $3.50 for 60 days. The NYS Federation of Taxi Drivers people, a new name on the horizon, are aiming for a $1.50 surcharge if gas costs more than $3. a gallon.
These are no mean numbers, $1.50 a drop is the average, and no cutback is discussed – not that we can expect a reduction of fuel charges, the world trend is up and up. Besides, New York is not a customer-friendly habitat; we are both wealthy and impatient. It should make us reexamine the market and ourselves.
New York is probably the most luxurious transportation environment, despite our habitual complaints. We have 24/7 subway and bus services, mostly. We have a surfeit of taxis, out there cruising, the most expensive form of such service. Most of the world depends on both single and shared taxi services, some on demand and some on scheduled routes, the latter a cost savings for the passenger, at the expense of some walking. In Sweden taxis are state subsidized, particularly in rural services, to avoid having high-cost bus services in low-density environments. Maybe that sounds like another form of Scandinavian welfare state, but the claim is that the savings are substantial. Phone services are implicit in this environment, another form of gas cost reduction.
Phone services are becoming more popular, particularly in high technology cities. They involve well-managed dispatcher organizations (incidentally, a good job environment for the physically handicapped), either run by large firms or mutual organizations of individual owners. Well-managed is key. We had a personal experience that placed us at Newark Airport, 1:30 AM, waiting for a pickup by a driver from one of the largest car firms with a biblical name, arranged weeks ago, at a Manhattan delivery price of $50 plus tolls and tips. Calling the firm on a cell phone (how did we ever survive without them?) I was asked to be patient, a car would come in 5-6 minutes, and it was on its way. Some 20 minutes later, watching our fellow passengers being picked up by yellow cabs, I called back, only to hear an apologetic request to be patient, something had happened to the original car. Phone in hand, I spoke to the airport dispatcher, who had a cab for me instantly, at $45 plus plus, and the car company dispatcher acquiesced to the cancellation, seemingly much relieved ((I had my doubts that he had an actual car on the way).
On the way to Manhattan, our Newark cabbie chided us for calling the car service, assuring us that at Newark Airport yellow cabs were on hand, 24/7. He was a former New York City taxi driver, who had grown tired of the routine and moved to the suburbs. The high daily cab rental costs for the independent driver that the medallion owner companies charged, then $100 for a 12-hour shift, forcing drivers to no-break work sessions, the gas costs for cruising and the tension of constantly moving, looking for fares and watching the traffic for careless drivers all the time, all of that had taken its toll on him. Using his own low-cost car on his own time schedule, responding to bids from a radio dispatcher service, taking outgoing passenger airport jobs and waiting in the parking lot for returning flyers was much less wearing, and the cost of living was better. He had also once worked for the big New York car service, whose Mideastern management had since changed, to his regret. Meanwhile, he earned enough to visit his native Egypt and his large family every four months (when queried about the political climate, the words flew. Egyptians love Americans – but, ooh, that Bush! – and Saddam Hussein only killed 150 people! I was sorry I asked.)
Will metered cab fares go up? You bet. Where does this price situation leave those among us who depend on taxis daily? Are there any alternatives? Yeah, call car services, get a predetermined price. In other parts of the world negotiating such prices is customary, and zone rates in New York are well in place,as evidenced in the airports. A savvy Midtowner should be able to motivate a supplier into a contract with an established firm price for repeat trips.
Cab drivers want more money, despite the 26% increase the Taxi and Livery Commission granted them in March 2004. Taxis are an important means of transportation for the people of East Midtown, despite the fact that we live in the middle of the well-served Union Square public traffic hub. Our aging population and the remoteness of ST/PCV make taxis a necessity.
Now three taxi organizations are out in public with proposals, largely motivated by fuel price increases, that would push gas price–indexed fare surcharges up, particularly impacting short trips. The TLC will make a decision before the end of June 2006.
The New York Taxi Workers Alliance, 7,000 strong, wants the flag drop, the startup number that appears on the meter at the beginning of the ride, increased by 50 cents if gas is above $2 a gallon, by $1 if its costs rise to between $3 and $3.99 for 30 consecutive days. The League of Mutual Taxi Owners, 3,400 owner-operators, want an immediate increase in the drop of 95 cents, 50 cents more if gasoline prices move above $3.50 for 60 days. The NYS Federation of Taxi Drivers people, a new name on the horizon, are aiming for a $1.50 surcharge if gas costs more than $3. a gallon.
These are no mean numbers, $1.50 a drop is the average, and no cutback is discussed – not that we can expect a reduction of fuel charges, the world trend is up and up. Besides, New York is not a customer-friendly habitat; we are both wealthy and impatient. It should make us reexamine the market and ourselves.
New York is probably the most luxurious transportation environment, despite our habitual complaints. We have 24/7 subway and bus services, mostly. We have a surfeit of taxis, out there cruising, the most expensive form of such service. Most of the world depends on both single and shared taxi services, some on demand and some on scheduled routes, the latter a cost savings for the passenger, at the expense of some walking. In Sweden taxis are state subsidized, particularly in rural services, to avoid having high-cost bus services in low-density environments. Maybe that sounds like another form of Scandinavian welfare state, but the claim is that the savings are substantial. Phone services are implicit in this environment, another form of gas cost reduction.
Phone services are becoming more popular, particularly in high technology cities. They involve well-managed dispatcher organizations (incidentally, a good job environment for the physically handicapped), either run by large firms or mutual organizations of individual owners. Well-managed is key. We had a personal experience that placed us at Newark Airport, 1:30 AM, waiting for a pickup by a driver from one of the largest car firms with a biblical name, arranged weeks ago, at a Manhattan delivery price of $50 plus tolls and tips. Calling the firm on a cell phone (how did we ever survive without them?) I was asked to be patient, a car would come in 5-6 minutes, and it was on its way. Some 20 minutes later, watching our fellow passengers being picked up by yellow cabs, I called back, only to hear an apologetic request to be patient, something had happened to the original car. Phone in hand, I spoke to the airport dispatcher, who had a cab for me instantly, at $45 plus plus, and the car company dispatcher acquiesced to the cancellation, seemingly much relieved ((I had my doubts that he had an actual car on the way).
On the way to Manhattan, our Newark cabbie chided us for calling the car service, assuring us that at Newark Airport yellow cabs were on hand, 24/7. He was a former New York City taxi driver, who had grown tired of the routine and moved to the suburbs. The high daily cab rental costs for the independent driver that the medallion owner companies charged, then $100 for a 12-hour shift, forcing drivers to no-break work sessions, the gas costs for cruising and the tension of constantly moving, looking for fares and watching the traffic for careless drivers all the time, all of that had taken its toll on him. Using his own low-cost car on his own time schedule, responding to bids from a radio dispatcher service, taking outgoing passenger airport jobs and waiting in the parking lot for returning flyers was much less wearing, and the cost of living was better. He had also once worked for the big New York car service, whose Mideastern management had since changed, to his regret. Meanwhile, he earned enough to visit his native Egypt and his large family every four months (when queried about the political climate, the words flew. Egyptians love Americans – but, ooh, that Bush! – and Saddam Hussein only killed 150 people! I was sorry I asked.)
Will metered cab fares go up? You bet. Where does this price situation leave those among us who depend on taxis daily? Are there any alternatives? Yeah, call car services, get a predetermined price. In other parts of the world negotiating such prices is customary, and zone rates in New York are well in place,as evidenced in the airports. A savvy Midtowner should be able to motivate a supplier into a contract with an established firm price for repeat trips.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 6:33 PM 
