Toronto taxi fares should rise because cab drivers are facing sharply higher gasoline prices, city officials are proposing.
Next week, the licensing and standards committee will consider a report that proposes percentage increases in the double digits.
The drop rate, charged as soon as the ride begins, would rise $1 to $4. From then on, cabbies would get 25 cents for every 155 metres travelled, up from 25 cents for every 170 metres.
If approved, the new fares will mean riders pay an extra $1.75 for a 5-kilometre trip pushing the fare to $11.75 from $10.
Flat-rate fares to the airport won’t change, as they match the rates charged by airport limos.
Gerry Manley, a taxi owner and operator, was one of a group of industry players consulted by the city on the proposed increases.
Manley said there is an industry consensus that the fare changes are appropriate. “They certainly won’t cover all the increase in costs we’ve had,” he said, but the proposal strikes a balance between the interest of drivers and customers.
If gas prices continue to climb, he said, cabbies may have to ask for another review of fares in the fall.
