Taxi Cab Rates Increase In Orlando

[Wendy]

Taxi Cab fares in Orlando will be increasing in price as the City Council voted on Monday to increase rates by 9 percent.

While the fare increase applies only to the city of Orlando, Mears Transportation owns around half of the taxi cabs servicing in and around the city. A spokesperson for that company said Mears plans to adhere to the rate increase throughout the Orlando area.

[Keith]

wow huge increase! as if they werent already expensive enough!

[Tink]

Oh my gosh! What are they trying to do, convince people to rent cars or something? SHEESH!!! That is a monumental increase, outdistancing any sort of cost of doing business or cost of living.

I'll bet the crazy gas prices are behind it, or maybe increased taxes or fees levied against the cab companies.

[Slowhand]

I'll bet the crazy gas prices are behind it,

You ought to see the gas prices over here Tink.

[Tink]

I'm afraid to ask.

OK, I'll be brave. How much?

[Keith]

I'm afraid to ask.

OK, I'll be brave. How much?

we're paying about £1.47 per uk litre

3.79 (ish) uk litres to a US gallon...

so about £5.57 per gallon at the exchange rate of 1.63 = $9.10 per Gallon

We've been trying to recruit good computer based skills recently and for the first time ever we've had a lot of applicants phone to find out exactly where we're based and then say they wouldnt be able to afford to travel to us each day without some kind of fuel allowance. Sadly most are entry level and without suitable experience it's not worth our while to take on that burden as well as having to train them.

For the first time ever last month, the average cost to fill the family car rose to more than the average weekly shopping bill for a family of four.

It's a real constraining factor for UK growth and a real hit on family's income. It's also set to rise again significantly when the UK government raises tax on fuel further later this year. (more than 80% of the cost of UK fuel is actually tax )

[Britchick]

we're paying about £1.47 per uk litre

3.79 (ish) uk litres to a US gallon...

so about £5.57 per gallon at the exchange rate of 1.63 = $9.10 per Gallon

We've been trying to recruit good computer based skills recently and for the first time ever we've had a lot of applicants phone to find out exactly where we're based and then say they wouldnt be able to afford to travel to us each day without some kind of fuel allowance. Sadly most are entry level and without suitable experience it's not worth our while to take on that burden as well as having to train them.

For the first time ever last month, the average cost to fill the family car rose to more than the average weekly shopping bill for a family of four.

It's a real constraining factor for UK growth and a real hit on family's income. It's also set to rise again significantly when the UK government raises tax on fuel further later this year. (more than 80% of the cost of UK fuel is actually tax )

I cringe every time i fill up with petrol now, Jon's car is over £100 to fill !!

[Keith]

I cringe every time i fill up with petrol now, Jon's car is over £100 to fill !!

yep.... put £100 ($160) in mine the other day and it was just past 3/4

[Wendy]

Since Chris took on his new position he is on the road every day, he gets a mileage allowance of 25p a mile

In the last budget they said it would increase to 45p a mile, but his Agency say they aren't raising it. The official word is that 25p a mile is more than enough if you have a car that does 50 miles to the gallon they seem to have forgotten about the tyres, wear and tear, extra servicing

Oh and he can't have a rental car because it's cheaper for the Agency if he uses his own car

[Tink]

I sincerely don't know what I'd do. I spend about $120 give or take a week on gas. There is another $100 or so in tolls, and that's just work, not "living."

As gas approached $4 a gallon here, I seriously started looking for other employment opportunities. Nothing yet.

I heard on NPR global news the other day that the economy in the UK took another downturn.

I don't know who does the determining, but there is no upturn here yet either, regardless of what the so called experts say. Basic needs of life, groceries, utilities and for those of us who work and drive, gas continue to rise.

Having said that, our gas prices are down a little from $3.97 or so a gallon to about $3.79. Every little bit helps, but until it drops closer to $3, it is no true relief.

Does the UK have a reliable public transit system? The US does not. The only viable public transits are in the major cities.