Bupkis

According to The New York Post, THE TAXI AND LIMOUSINE COMMISSION — WINNER OF LAST YEAR’S SECOND EVILIST GOVERNMENT AGENCY — is considering a flat fare to JFK, as well as doublistuck-in-traffic rate from $12 an hour to $24 an hour.

Problem with all taxi fare hikes is that the money doesn’t go into the pockets of the common driver. When fares go up, medallion owners raise the lease rates. When I drove, the Saturday night lease rate (for a 12-hour shift) was about $95 per shift. Now it’s about $135 per shift. So the driver is not benifitting from higher fares. Too, gas–which the driver also pays for–has nearly doubled. Unbelievably, a hard-working driver (one who drives the entire 12 hours, five or six nights a week) is bringing home basically what I brought home in 1985, about $130 per night.

Bupkis.