Rating Chicago’s Cost for Cabs

Posted on 02. Sep, 2009 by admin in Community Focus

by Shanita Bigelow

The Chicago Dispatcher, a monthly publication for Chicago’s taxi drivers and passengers, determined to “…raise the overall level of professionalism in the taxicab industry and to continuously improve the quality of life of its participants,” recently released a study comparing cab fares across the country, said George Lutfallah, publisher of the Chicago Dispatcher. How does Chicago compare to other bustling cities like New York and Los Angeles?

“We wanted to see how Chicago taxicab rates stack up in comparison to taxicab rates in other parts of the country. The rates in other cities were found through regulator Web sites or by looking in the ordinances. So we looked up source information rather than getting it from unreliable sources such as general Web sites. We calculated the rates using a standard five mile trip with five minutes of waiting time. Taxicab meters generally run on time and distance so we used the five mile, five minute waiting time as a standard for comparison purposes,” Lutfallah stated.

The “standard” five miles with five minutes of waiting is merely a reduction of the complexity, the “idiosyncrasies” that often determine fare rates. The Chicago Dispatcher chose to omit extra fees and surcharges to keep all the cities and counties on the same playing field. Each city or county abides by its own rules in regards to charging for luggage, additional passengers, etc., according to the Chicago Dispatcher. For instance, Los Angeles has an initial charge of $2.85 of which $0.20 goes towards a “bandit enforcement fund,” the Chicago Dispatcher reports.

Chicago’s rates are determined by City Council. The City of Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection lists an initial charge of $2.25 for the first 1/9 mile and $0.20 per each additional 1/9 mile, as well as another $0.20 for every 36 seconds. There are other charges. It is $1.00 for the first additional person and $0.50 for each person after that, according to the Department of Business Affairs. Despite these charges, Chicago still has one of the lowest rates in the country.

The current “standard fare” (five miles, five minutes) for Chicago is $12.72, substantially low when compared to Los Angeles ($18.48), Cleveland ($15.17), and New York City ($14.10), according to the Chicago Dispatcher. But cab drivers and chauffeurs along with the Chicago Dispatcher have proposed a rate increase.

“A fare increase is being proposed to make Chicago taxicab fares equitable… The rates we proposed take Chicago taxicab rates from among the lowest in the country to about average,” Lutfallah said.

Proposed rate changes would include an initial charge of $2.75 for the first 1/7 mile and $0.30 for each additional 1/7 mile as well as every 35 seconds, totaling a “standard fare” of $15.52, according to the Chicago Dispatcher. Other proposed charges include a $1.50 credit card convenience fee, a $1.00 surcharge for trips to McCormick Place and a $1.00 dispatch fee for phoned taxicab orders. Currently there are no charges for credit card use or luggage, according to the Department of Business Affairs.

Rates typically change every four years, Lutfallah said. The last change was made in 2005.