Lawmakers in Albany passed a $168 billion state budget in late March that includes surcharges on yellow taxi and FHV rides below 96th Street in Manhattan. FHV rides will see a $2.75 surcharge, while yellow taxis will get a $2 increase to the 50-cent fee they already pay. “Shared” vehicles (like Via and UberPool) will be charged a $0.75 fee per customer. The revenue will go to the MTA and the surcharge is set to go into effect in January 2019.
Many of the city’s drivers are concerned the cost will fall onto their backs and consider it an attack on an industry already in crisis.
After years of disagreements, Gov. Andrew Cuomo finally agreed with Mayor Bill de Blasio in April that setting a cap on For-hire Vehicles (FHVs) operating in the New York City would also be a good step toward reducing traffic, although no substantive measures have been taken yet.
The difficulties faced by such drivers are why de Blasio says he’s revisiting the idea of capping the number of FHVs. De Blasio pushed for a cap in 2015 on “Uber and similar services,” but did not get the support of City Council at the time and was forced to stand down.
Source: CBS New York
