Congestion pricing plan, including ride-hailing app surcharge, could be coming soon

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Congestion pricing plan, including ride-hailing app surcharge, could be coming soon

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Fix NYC task force is looking to place a new fee on Uber and Lyft vehicles

By Ameena Walker  Dec 27, 2017, 10:45am EST

Alina Sun / Shutterstock.com

A new report conducted by former Department of Transportation official Bruce Schaller has found that cars from ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft are responsible, in large part, for unnecessary congestion on some of the city’s busiest streets. While private vehicular traffic, delivery trucks, and yellow taxis are also to blame, the report found that ride-hailing cars spend an average of 11 minutes of unoccupied time during weekdays in Manhattan’s business districts

As a result, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s state task force, Fix NYC, is exploring the possibility of effecting a new per-ride fee on all for-hire vehicles that make trips to Manhattan, reports the New York Times. The fee would be passed on to customers and will work as part of Cuomo’s congestion pricing plan that aims to both reduce traffic and raise money to fix the city’s ailing subway system.

Yellow taxis are already subject to a 50-cent surcharge that goes to the MTA, while ride-sharing apps are not (though they do collect local and state sales taxes on every ride).

Uber is not on-board with enforcing a surcharge and a spokeswoman for the company told the Times that there is already an “unfair fee system” where Uber customers pay more in sales tax than taxi riders do. The company suggests a new “transit tax system” to fund subway repairs, that charges based on road congestion at given times, rather than on the type of travel vehicle.

Cuomo is expected to announce a congestion pricing plan soon and hopes to gain legislation approval as early as January.

Source: https://ny.curbed.com/2017/12/27/16821818/uber-lyft-surcharge-nyc-congestion-pricing

[bobtehpanda]

Don't yellow cabs also collect tax? This is just equalizing the playing field. LOL at Uber trying to play the victim here.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

40 minutes ago, bobtehpanda said:

Don't yellow cabs also collect tax? This is just equalizing the playing field. LOL at Uber trying to play the victim here.

Yes they do, and that's precisely why the yellow cabs have been crying foul.  Uber and Lyft users don't pay that tax and thus get a pass.

[NY1635]

I can see this working since Uber and Lyft are causing massive congestion on streets below 59th Street. Most residents are savvy enough to leave their car at home, or drive to the subway to the traffic entering and exiting the city. If ride sharing companies have a problem with the surcharge, then they can always serve the outer boroughs instead of staying in Manhattan for an easy fare.

[LGA Link N Train]

Personally, I never agreed with Uber or Lyft. We already have enough taxi services and with the subway crumbling apart this only makes the situation worse. We'd be better off with a congestion pricing plan to fix this issue. Now I don't go to Manhattan as often as I used to but even then. It sucks to be in a car in Manhattan. I'd rather take a train. Or even a bus instead

[Deucey]

30 minutes ago, LGA Link N train said:

Personally, I never agreed with Uber or Lyft. We already have enough taxi services and with the subway crumbling apart this only makes the situation worse. We'd be better off with a congestion pricing plan to fix this issue. Now I don't go to Manhattan as often as I used to but even then. It sucks to be in a car in Manhattan. I'd rather take a train. Or even a bus instead

All Uber and Lyft did is fix the flaws in Mikey Bloomberg’s Green Cab plan - give folks who don’t live below 96th St the ability to hail a car instead of calling the dispatcher.

And since practically every black car/gypsy cab company outside SI is on Uber and/or Lyft, all that happened was the have-nots got service equal to or better than the haves.

That Medallion fares pay the surcharge while Uber/Lyft don’t needs to be corrected forthwith. And since all these new drivers are getting T&LC licenses to make extra money, I’d extend it further and add charges onto the dispatchers’ licensing or earnings to fund  , or raise the fare charge from 50¢ to 75¢.

[RR503]

Uber and Lyft are an attempt at importation of suburban mentalities in a densified setting. It's time that their cost is appreciated financially. 

[BreeddekalbL]

Most know how i feel on congestion pricing, hopefully they actually cap uber and lyft cause the last time the great gavone(deblasio) tried to uber got kate upton to oppose etc

[itmaybeokay]

Honestly the 50c surcharge for livery cab trips I support. It's not just targeted at uber and lyft - it's all "For Hire" vehicles, so that's limosines, livery cabs - the whole deal. Also worth noting that the surcharge would only be for Manhattan - I think they could go so far as to restrict that further to only include the area of manhattan where you can't hail a green-cab (street-hail livery). 

 

[Deucey]

5 hours ago, itmaybeokay said:

Honestly the 50c surcharge for livery cab trips I support. It's not just targeted at uber and lyft - it's all "For Hire" vehicles, so that's limosines, livery cabs - the whole deal. Also worth noting that the surcharge would only be for Manhattan - I think they could go so far as to restrict that further to only include the area of manhattan where you can't hail a green-cab (street-hail livery). 

 

Frankly, if I have to pay MTA tax for having a mobile phone (and bc I was stupid and changed my number to a 917 from a 916), everyone in a vehicle for hire should be paying an MTA tax.