Borough approves new taxi rates

Single passenger rate in borough increases from $4 to $6 on Tuesday.

By: Jennifer Potash
   With little comment or fanfare, the Princeton Borough Council adopted several ordinances changing taxi service in Princeton Borough, including the first rate hike in almost 15 years.
   The Borough Council unanimously approved the taxi regulation ordinances Tuesday.
   Under one of the ordinances, all of which take effect Tuesday, the single-passenger rate for any destination in Princeton Borough will increase from $4 to $6. For two or more passengers going to separate destinations within the borough, the individual rate will increase from $3 to $5. The waiting-time charge will increase to $8 per quarter hour from the existing $5 rate.
   Night rates, in effect from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., also will increase. Under the night rates, the single-passenger charge for any destination in Princeton Borough will increase from $5 to $7. For two or more passengers going to separate destinations within the borough, the individual rate will increase from $4 to $6.
   Another ordinance requires taxi drivers to provide receipts upon a customer’s request.
   After receiving complaints about rate disputes with taxi drivers, the borough sought a way to quickly identify the driver and provide more information about the rates to the passengers. Now taxi drivers, if requested, will provide a business-card receipt with the driver’s name and fare and description of the trip.
   A toll-free complaint phone number to the Taxi Association will be printed on the receipts and a log of those complaints will be forwarded to the borough clerk’s office.
   The council also banned the practice of taxi owners leasing out their licenses. In the past, the council was asked to arbitrate a situation in which an owner leased his license to another driver who refused to return it.
   The council deferred an ordinance establishing the criteria for a borough taxi license. Councilman Roger Martindell sought to amend the ordinance to remove a "good character" clause required to obtain a license.
   A controversial ordinance that would terminate the current livery license program and convert the licenses to a new form of taxi license that could be sold only if the entire business is sold was not before the council on Tuesday. Livery vehicles, including limousines, pick up passengers by reservation only.
   That ordinance was earlier forwarded to the borough’s Public Safety Committee for review. Some taxi owners objected to the ordinance, claiming it would cause a glut of taxis in the downtown.