Commuters will be spending some extra cash on taxi rides as the Taxi and Limousine Commission voted unanimously to increase fares and give drivers a raise.
This is the first raise for city taxi drivers in around 10 years. The $2.50 starting price is now going up to $3.
Hailing a cab to the airport will also cost you a bit more as well. The flat fare for a trip to John F. Kennedy International Airport will cost $18 more. To get to or from LaGuardia, there will be a new surcharge of $5.
At a commission meeting this week, officials said that cab rides have been on the decline over the last 10 years and were hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. They add that although passenger demand is high, better wages are needed to attract more drivers to the job.
Drivers for ride-share apps like Uber and Lyft will also see a raise of about 7% per minute.
These changes are expected to go into effect by the end of this year.