Your Cab Fares Are Going Up
Image via code6d/iStockphoto.com
Cab rides in Philly are about to get more expensive.
The Philadelphia Parking Authority has approved a petition to increase the metered rate from 23 cents to 25 cents.
The petition was submitted in February by driver Ronald Blount, president of the Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania, as an attempt to level the playing field between taxi drivers and ride-sharing services.
Drivers debated the petition during PPA hearings in April. Some fought the increase in cab fares, claiming it would further deter riders from taking taxis and steer competition toward Uber and Lyft.
But Blount said 90 percent of drivers are on board with the price hikes, which he hopes will help compensate for the “added congestion of 20,000 Uber vehicles” in the region, Uber’s own estimate.
“We don’t think two pennies is drastic,” Blount said.
The metered rate is charged every tenth of a mile, or every 37 seconds. The change will go into effect on September 1st.
In June, the PPA approved a proposition to expand the flat-rate cab fare zone for most airport trips, leading to as much as a $5 increase in airport fare for those living in newly covered areas in West Philly and South Philly.
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