Rye Taxis Want Fare Hikes

The six Rye taxi companies have petitioned the City Council for a raise in fares as rates have not been raised since 2002. The proposal will be discussed at the city council meeting on Wednesday. The owners cite rising expenses including gas prices, insurance, vehicle maintenance, and taxicab license fees, as the need for the fare increase.

What do you think of the prospect of a fare increase? Leave a comment below.

The taxi companies have requested:

• An increase of $3.00 of the minimum fare in each of the three taxi zones;
• An additional increase of $4.00 between the hours of 12:00 am and 6:00 am;
• An increase of $1.00 (from $2.00 to $3.00) for each additional passenger coming from the
  same location to the same destination;
• An increase of $15.00 per hour (from $30 to $45) in the waiting time for shopping and touring in the
  City;
• To limit the number of taxi companies permitted to operate in the City to the current six;
• The addition of three spaces at the train station for the exclusive use of taxis; currently there are six spaces

The taxi owners agreed to a reduced rate by $1 for Seniors through the existing income-based
voucher system overseen by the Rye Interfaith Housing Corporation.

In case you are wondering, the annual fee for a taxi stall at the Metro North train station is $751.62, the annual license fee for a taxi driver is $75.00 and the annual license fee for a taxicab is $130.00.

The six taxi companies operating in the City of Rye are County Taxi & Airport Service (88 Purchase Street), Purchase Street Taxi (51 Purchase Street), Rye Brook Cab & Airport Service (68 Purchase Street), Rye Metro Taxicab (62 Orchard Ave), Rye’s Taxi (68 Purchase Street) and Westchester Taxi & Airport Service (16 School Street).