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Text$1 Taxi Surcharge
Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
703-324-3187, TTY 711, FAX 703-324-2010
Oct. 17, 2005
Fairfax County Approves $1 Surcharge for Taxis
The Board of Supervisors today approved a temporary $1 surcharge for taxicabs to offset rising gasoline prices over the past few months. The surcharge is effective Tuesday, Oct. 18, and expires on Monday, Nov. 21, when the Board of Supervisors will make a final decision following a public hearing on the issue.
The drop, distance and waiting time rates charged by Fairfax County were increased on July 20 to support the rising costs of providing quality taxicab services, the cost of living for taxicab drivers and gas prices. Since that time, gasoline prices have risen from an average of $2.20 per gallon to approximately $3 per gallon, which has caused hardship in the taxi industry. In order to maintain a fleet of cabs for residents’ transportation, a balance is maintained between the price for the service and the public interest, as decided by the Board of Supervisors.
On Nov. 21, the board will consider whether to extend the emergency surcharge and increase the rate to $1.50 per ride. Residents are invited to provide input at a public hearing on that date and may sign up to speak by contacting the Office of the Clerk to the Board of Supervisors at 703-324-3151, TTY 703-324-3903, or clerktothebos@fairfaxcounty.gov.
The last temporary surcharge approved by the board was in July 2004, when a 50-cent surcharge was in effect from July 19, 2004, to Dec. 31, 2004.
For more information, visit the Consumer Protection Division Web page at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/consumer.htm, or call the Department of Cable Communications and Consumer Protection at 703-222-8435, TTY 711.
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