City cab drivers staged a 24-hour strike beginning at 5 a.m. Monday to protest the inaction of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in response to their request for fare increases.
The PUC, which currently oversees cab service, approved a statewide surcharge allowing cab drivers to charge an additional 30 cents per passenger, in light of higher gas prices.
However, the surcharge which many Philadelphia cab drivers deemed insufficient was not automatically added to the meter fare, requiring a personal request from the driver to garner the extra charge.
"The drivers are unhappy, since the rates haven't gone up since 1991," a local taxi dispatch service owner said, adding that the 30-cent surcharge did not ease the discontent.
"A lot of drivers feel it, because it comes out of the tip," he added. "But I don't think [the strike] was a great idea."
A proposal from City Wide Cab Company demanded a raise in flag drop the initial cost for hailing a taxi from $1.80 to $2.25, as well as a rate change from 30 cents per additional one-sixth of a mile to 45 cents per additional one-fifth of a mile.
The proposal also sought to increase the wait time charge from 20 to 30 cents per minute, and to raise the airport flat rate charge from $20 to $25.
Under the city's Medallion Program, changes in cab fares for one company result in changes for all companies' fares.
"Ten to 15 cab drivers came to Harrisburg yesterday," PUC spokeswoman Cyndi Page said, explaining that any potential rate increase requires an investigation that could take up to seven months.
"We have to make sure it's in the public interest. We have to review the request, and that's what we're in the process of doing," Page said.
The Philadelphia Parking Authority will assume oversight of the city's 1,600-strong taxicab industry next year.
Philadelphia International Airport spokesman Mark Pesce said that officials learned Friday of the possible strike.
"We were well-prepared for it," Pesce said, adding that other transportation options, such as SEPTA and various shuttle services, remained available.
"We have extra van services and some taxis on-site," Pesce said, observing that the influx of students returning from summer break did not significantly affect airport operations.
"The longest wait [for a taxi] has been about seven minutes so far, and we haven't had any passenger complaints," he said.
Even adjunct Law professor Carole Basri had few complaints, despite traveling from New York carrying large bags of material for future corporate law lessons.
After missing her train to Philadelphia due to Republican National Convention traffic and roadblocks, she arrived in Philadelphia a little late for her first appointment only to find that the city's taxi drivers were on strike.
"I ended up in a gypsy cab," Basri said. "He didn't drop me off quite in the right place, so I ended up on the bus going to the University of Pennsylvania."
She added, "It was totally not what I expected. Everybody was so busy with the convention that nobody even mentioned there might be a strike."
With transportation disrupted, people seemed to act more considerate than usual.
"There was a lot of camaraderie," Basri said, noting that a Penn Law student with crutches was offered a spacious front seat on the bus back to the University, while a woman with only large bills was offered change for the bus fare.
"People were trying to help each other out. It was hard getting around without cabs. ... If it had to happen, I'm glad it happened all in one day," Basri said.
