NYC Taxi Drivers Demand $1 Fuel Surcharge;Bloomberg Administration Opposes Idea

WCBSTV ^ | July 8, 2008 | Marcia Kramer

[John Will]

ahh a PhD in arts, a phony doctor.

[wac3rd]

You can raise cab fares $1 if:

1) You know where you are going
2) You don’t drive like you just snorted a foot-long line of coke
3) You apply deodorant a minimum of 1x every 2 hours
4) You do not play Arabic music at rock-star volume

Deal?

[armydoc]

Some standardization and predictability in a city with 13,000 taxicabs is a good thing.

A free market in taxi fares would inevitably produce standardization and predictablity, with overall lower prices and better service to boot. A free market does not allow wide price variation for the same service for long. You can bet if price controls were lifted, cabs would prominently post fares on their vehicles. Price wars would abound. The inefficient would be forced to become efficient or go bankrupt, and a stable (lower) price level would emerge. All without layers of gov't regulation. A win/win for the consumer and taxpayer.

[dragnet2]

This is what happens when the gubmint highly regulates your business: you are not allowed to adjust prices to reflect costs. And if something must give, it must be you, not the government using your hard work as a revenue stream.

Yep.

[Sgt Joe Friday 714]

I don’t know if you have ever taken a nyc taxicab, but left to their own devises with no oversight, they would rip people off horribly. They rip people off now with the oversight, actually.

There’s no particular reason to expect nyc taxicabs would be better without some oversight. Those guys must be kept honest. Left to themselves, they wouldn’t be honest at all.

[dragnet2]

"I don't think that at this point you need a fuel surcharge on taxis," Bloomberg said. "We need a surcharge on automobiles."

I think we need a surcharge on these corrupt government officials. We can start by charging the Federal government an average of $75.00 x 5 hours for the time it takes to figure our how much they're demanding in taxes each each year. Then we need to be charging them interest for using our money. And every single law and regulation that they pass without the vote of the people, they will be fined 1 million each. The second offense of this type, they are jailed for 20 years.

I am really starting to dislike those in government.

[dragnet2]

I don’t know if you have ever taken a nyc taxicab, but left to their own devises with no oversight, they would rip people off horribly. They rip people off now with the oversight, actually.

Ya mean like your own government does to you everyday?

You don't like the fare? Don't ride. Pretty simple.

[fightinJAG]

Yes!

[MaxMax]

So because of fuel prices they want a surcharge, but what happens
if fuel prices fall?

[Rome2000]

I drove a yellow in NYC for 2 years and they deserve to make a living like everybody else.

Even the The IRS just raised the standard mileage allowance to 58.5 cents effective July 1st, but of course King Bloomberg doesn't give a rats ass.

[dragnet2]

Gas surcharges are nothing new for transportation companies, and they've been voluntarily rolled back in the past. It's not just NY this time, and it's happening all over.

I'm charging more for everything I do now, just to survive all these rising prices.