A New York State Assemblyman ticked off about congestion pricing for suburban drivers is retaliating by proposing a $4-per-ride surcharge for taxi riders, rather than the congestion fee of $8 for motorists entering Manhattan below 60th St. That taxis are another form of mass transit that allow New Yorkers to get around without owning a car escapes Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, whose district includes parts of Westchester County.
Brodsky and other representatives of suburban communities feel their constituents would be unfairly bearing most of the $491 million a year congestion pricing is hoped to raise. However, Vincent Sapone, who is the managing director of the League of Mutual Taxi Owners, had a different viewpoint: "Is he out of his mind? You're talking about a $2 billion industry that he'll destroy."
The surcharge is not something that could be eaten by cab drivers, who just got over a strike regarding mandated hardware updates that keeps them tracked by GPS and listening to commercials all day. The law, if passed, would require passengers to pay for the entire $4 surcharge, which would increase the base rate of a cab ride from $2.50 to $6.50 before anyone went anywhere. The per-mile fee would drop from 40 cents/mile to 35 cents/mile. Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan already includes a $1 surcharge for taxi riders. Taxi fare rates were most recently increased in 2006.
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