Apr 25, 2008 9:11 pm US/Central
Taxis Fares Go Up Monday As Fuel Surcharge Beings
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
Taxi fares in the city will increase by $1 on Monday as the new gasoline surcharge kicks in for the first time, Consumer Services Commissioner Norma Reyes announced Friday.
The surcharge was established through an ordinance approved April 9 by the City Council to provide relief from rising gas prices for cab drivers, according to a release from Consumer Services.
The ordinance allows a surcharge of $1 to be added to all cab fares if the average retail gasoline price for the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area exceeds $3.20 for seven consecutive business days. The price of gas has exceeded $3.20 since March 10.
The price at the pump has recently risen to a record national average of $3.50 a gallon, according to the American Automobile Association and Oil Price Information Service, up 23 percent from a year ago, according to the release.
Since the city's last cab fare increase in 2005, gas prices published by AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report have risen from a monthly average of $2.20 per gallon to an average of $3.57 per gallon as of Friday.
"Everyone is feeling the pinch of escalating fuel prices, including taxicab drivers," Reyes said in the release. "The surcharge is a means of allowing the drivers to recoup some of the increased costs triggered by the higher gas prices without over-burdening their customers."
The surcharge will be lifted if prices per gallon fall below $2.70 for seven straight business days. A notice alerting passengers of the surcharge must be posted in the seating area of cabs.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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