Nyc Taxi

Congestion surcharges on taxis and other for-hire vehicles in Manhattan will begin soon after a judge lifted a temporary restriction of the fees on Thursday, the New York Times reports. The new fees were supposed to start on January 1st but a coalition of taxi drivers filed a last-minute lawsuit against the “suicide surcharge,” fearing that the new policy will drive away customers and deal another significant blow to the ailing industry. The proposed fee of $2.50 for yellow taxis and $2.75 for other for-hire vehicles will bring the minimum taxi fare up to $5.80 while the minimum cost for an Uber, which already has an $8 base fare in Manhattan, will see an increase to $10.75.
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Under the state's new congestion pricing measure, starting in January it will cost $5.80 to get into a yellow cab in the most congested sections of Manhattan. Approved by state lawmakers earlier this year, the surcharge on for-hire vehicles affects all rides between Lower Manhattan and 96th Street during the busiest times of the day. But drivers of yellow cabs worry the fee will affect them more than app-based ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, which can mask the surcharge by tweaking trip costs (h/t WSJ).
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