Atlanta Cabbies Want Higher Fares

A good day for an Atlanta taxi cab driver used to be getting three fares, from the airport to the hotels in Buckhead. The flat rate: $38, each trip. Plus tip.

After expenses, the driver might end up with a grand total of $20 or $30 in his pocket for the day's work.

Cabbie Zack Kasumu, who works 14 hours a day, often seven days a week, explained Tuesday as he drove onto Georgia 400, making his way from the airport to one of the Buckhead hotels, that the trip now costs him more than $38. His tiny profit margin has disappeared because of his high gasoline bills.

"We cannot continue to operate on zero profit," Kasumu said.

The cabbies want a raise. They're pleading with the city of Atlanta to let them raise cab fares.

Kasumu, of the Atlanta Taxicab Association, and dozens of other cabbies crammed the Atlanta City Council Finance Committee hearing room Tuesday to try to make their case.

They want to be able to collect a "fuel surcharge" from customers on each trip. The amount is undecided.

One councilmember, C. T. Martin, is suggesting a "temporary" fuel surcharge of $2.00 per trip "once the gasoline price for regular unleaded fuel has averaged between $2.90 and $4.39 [a gallon]." The surcharge would be $3.00 if and when regular gas hits $4.40 a gallon. The surcharge would disappear if the price of regular ever drops below $2.90 a gallon.

Cabbies want to be able to collect a higher amount than $2.00 or $3.00, but Kasumu has not specified an amount, yet.

In addition to the surcharge on all trips, cabbies also want the city to raise the flat rates on specific trips: between the airport and all of Atlanta's major hotel districts.

Kasumu is proposing:

• $35.00 Airport to Downtown (an increase of $5.00, or 17%)

• $40.00 Airport to Midtown (an increase of $8.00, or 25%)

• $45.00 Airport to Buckhead (an increase of $7.00, or 18%)

Martin told 11Alive News prior to the committee hearing that he has not settled, yet, on how much of an increase he might support.

Initially, Martin is proposing to increase the flat-rate only from the airport to Buckhead, from the current $38.00, to $40.00, an increase of about 5%.

In 2005, the last time the Atlanta City Council increased the flat rates to the Atlanta hotel districts, the council increased them 25% to Downtown, 16% to Midtown, and 9% to Buckhead.

Martin said almost all of the cab riders who would end up paying the increase in the flat-rates to the hotel districts would be "tourists and conventioneers," not Atlanta residents.

As for the fuel surcharges per trip (which would be added on regardless of what the rider's destination is), other cities across the US have already allowed cabbies to tack on at least a dollar.

Kevin Winslow and his young family flew into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Tuesday afternoon from Houston. And as he loaded all their luggage into a taxi cab he found out about the proposed taxi fare increase. Enough is enough, he said. He knows what he would do if fares go up in Atlanta.

"Stop riding taxis. I'll stop riding taxis."

His reaction may or may not be typical, but it was immediate.

Atlanta's cabbies will not get an immediate answer from the city council on their fare hike request. The council is not expected to vote until next month.