WORCESTER—With no push-back at all, city license commissioners on Thursday approved fare increases for passengers using New Worcester Yellow Cab.
The new fare schedule won’t increase the $3 starting fee but will add 50 cents to the mileage rate, increasing it from $2.50 to $3 per mile.
Partial miles will be billed at 25 cents per 1/12 mile, an increase because miles were previously billed in 1/10 increments.
Waiting time fees are also going up; the $23 per hour waiting time cost jumps to $28.
William Clark, president of New Worcester Yellow Cab, said the increase will impact about 40 medallion holders and 5-6 multiple medallion owners associated with Yellow Cab.
Clark said it’s been a decade or more since the last fare increase but the cost of living has increased and impacted the drivers.
“This is simply just a way to try to increase the revenues coming in for those individuals driving and working in the cabs,” Clark said.
At their Jan. 18 meeting, commissioners temporarily shelved a decision on fares. This move was prompted by a recommendation from the city’s law department, which suggested preparing a comprehensive report and conducting a public hearing to allow others to provide comments on the matter.
The city’s attorney Anthony Vigliotti said two weeks ago he had questions and concerns about the rates and he wanted to see which are being charged in nearby communities to compare before making a decision.
Clark said then that he understood the need for public input but he also stressed that app-based transportation services don’t need to ask the commission to raise rates, nor are they required to have public comments on such moves.
New Worcester Yellow Cab competes with those transportation options, Clark reminded commissioners.
After moving the matter to their Feb. 1 meeting, commissioners unanimously agreed to the rate increase after no one spoke in opposition and only Clark attended to advocate for the change.
In another move this week, commissioners said they’ll hold a public hearing on Feb. 29, this time to address whether or not the city should allow bottle service at restaurants and clubs.
Vigliotti said he spoke with officials in Boston where bottle service is allowed and termed the potential change “very serious.”
But Mark Borenstein, a lawyer with Bowditch Attorneys, said he believes the service is being offered illegally in some city establishments and urged commissioners to bring those doing so “out of the shadows” while allowing a legal option for bottles of alcohol to be sold.
Borenstein said several stipulations could be put in place to be sure the process is done safely.
Commissioners indicated they want to hear from folks interested in the issue at the upcoming meeting before they make any decisions.
Kim Ring fell into journalism in the 1980s as a correspondent at the Telegram & Gazette and eventually left her initial career to pursue reporting full-time. In her years of writing, she has penned articles for several Massachusetts-based publications, taking a brief hiatus to work as chief of staff for a state representative. She can be reached at Kimringwrites@gmail.com
