Copyright 2000 Boston Herald Inc.
The Boston Herald
March 10, 2000 Friday THIRD EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 005
LENGTH: 341 words
HEADLINE:
Taxi group wants Hub to approve fuel surcharge
BYLINE:
By LAURA BROWN
BODY:
Feeling the pressure of
rising gasoline prices, one Boston taxi association has asked
city officials to approve an immediate 50-cent fuel surcharge on cab fares over
$ 5.
Independent Taxi Operators Association President Martin J. Callinan
formally requested the temporary emergency fare hike this week in a letter to
the Boston Police Department's Hackney Carriage Unit, which regulates the city's
cab industry.
"I think most of the passengers in Boston realize the
gas prices are out of control," Callinan said. The Hackney Unit
is still reviewing the request, Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Detective
Margot Hill said yesterday.
Taxi regulators in Washington, D.C., earlier
this week approved a 50-cent fuel surcharge for cab drivers in the capital city.
In his letter, Callinan noted that gas prices have nearly doubled since
the last taxi rate hike was approved in 1996, rising from 89 cents per gallon to
current prices as high as $ 1.60 per gallon.
"Prospects for further
increases in the near future are as high as $ 1.85 to $ 1.90 per gallon,"
Callinan said.
U.S. crude oil prices - which determine the cost of
gasoline - reached a nine-year high earlier this week, then dropped slightly.
But oil prices are still 22 percent higher today than they were at the beginning
of the year.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is
expected to meet later this month to determine whether to boost production, but
economists are still unsure whether that action will bring down soaring gasoline
prices.
"In making this request, the ITOA feels that all other
components that would lead to a request for a general increase in the present
rate structure have remained fairly stable," Callinan said in his letter.
"We would also suggest that the fuel surcharge be on any fare that
exceeds $ 5 and be optional for the driver of a licensed Boston taxi," he
continued.
The current basic "drop" rate to get in a Boston taxi is $
1.50, plus 20 cents every one-eighth of a mile, with an added $ 1.50 charge at
the airport.
LOAD-DATE: March 10, 2000
