Fairfax County supervisors are slated to set a public hearing on June 28 to mull a proposed $2-per-ride emergency taxicab-fuel surcharge to offset the impact of skyrocketing fuel costs.
Acting on a request from Old Dominion Transportation Group Inc., supervisors on April 12 approved a $1-per-ride surcharge, which is set to expire June 11. This surcharge was designed to cover fuel prices of up to $4.30 per gallon for regular gasoline; the average price per gallon in the Washington metropolitan area at the time of approval was $4.06.
But average gasoline costs in Fairfax County now are $4.73 per gallon, which if sustained would sock taxicab drivers for an average of $295 more per month, or $3,544 per year, according to county staff’s briefing memorandum.
The proposed surcharge would stay in effect for six months, unless rescinded earlier by supervisors.
If approved, passengers taking an average 8-mile-long trip would pay $22.78, or 9.6 percent more than the previous $20.78, county officials said.
“While the percentage increase [would be] proportionately much higher for short-trip fares, the enactment of an emergency taxicab-fuel surcharge will provide an incentive for taxicab drivers to seek short trips, and thus to provide better service to the community,” county staff wrote.