Taxis Impose Flat JFK Fare

Taxicab travelers to John F. Kennedy International Airport from anywhere in Manhattan now will pay a $45 flat fare, the same as they do when riding from the airport to the city. The new rate took effect on Nov. 30, 2006, and represents what New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission chairman Matthew Daus termed a "two-way street."

"The time had come to make the fare the same as from the airport because it gives consumers what they want and expect, and lets them know in advance what the fare will be, ending any confusion about cost," Daus said. Overcharging problems have existed, he added.

Cost is per vehicle, not per person, he said, so business travelers can share the ride. "For business travelers from the same company, it means travel cost savings for the company, something a travel manager, with people going to the same place, could coordinate at hotels and at the airport," he remarked. Some flat rates are in effect in other cities, including in Los Angeles, but that didn't influence the Taxi and Limousine Commission's decision, he said.

While the Taxi and Limousine Commission regulates several other transportation industries, such as New York's black-car luxury sedans, none of these was affected by the new rate. "Those industries are free to set fares as competition dictates, based on their various forms and levels of premium service, but they must file their rates with the Taxi and Limousine Commission which monitors areas such as drug tests, insurance, inspections, public safety and the barest minimums of customer service," Daus said.

"The new flat fare has been popular with cab drivers, strongly supported by the League of Mutual Taxi Owners and popular with passengers as well. It serves the purpose of giving travelers an attractive and economical alternative mode of transportation to JFK airport. The flat fare from JFK to Manhattan, instituted in March 1996, has been tremendously popular with visitors over the last decade," said Taxi and Limousine Commission chairman Daus.

In connection with the new fare, a wait-time adjustment for cabs was made also. The adjustment balances the wait-time portion of the fare formula for the first time in nearly 20 years, with any additional revenue going to the driver, according to Daus.

In an average ride of 2.8 miles, with 4.77 minutes of wait time, in traffic and at lights, for example, the adjustment amounts to about $1 of the total fare, Daus said.

Computerized taxi meters in New York City's more than 13,000 medallion taxicab fleet were programmed to automatically reflect the new fare structure at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 30. Passengers will see the new rates in new stickers on the side of every cab.

There are no plans for any other rate adjustments at this time, Daus said.