by KYW's Mike Dunn
Get set for another "ouch" because of gasoline prices: the state-run Philadelphia Parking Authority plans to boost cab fares in the city.
PPA officials are proposing what they say is a "nominal" increase in cab fares because of rising fuel prices and other factors. Jim Nye heads the Authority's taxi and limousine division:
"The charge per mile will go from $2.10 to $2.30. Waiting time will go from $20 an hour to $22 an hour."
The initial charge just to get in the cab holds steady at $2.70. A ride to the airport would jump from $26.25 to $28.50.
Read the Rate Increase Proposal (Acrobat required).
The net effect is that the average ride in a Philadelphia cab will go up about 70 cents. The Parking Authority has scheduled a public hearing on this plan for Thursday morning at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
If approved by the PPA's board, the new fares would take effect in mid-March.