'They listened to us': Newburgh council raises cab fares after drivers organize
CITY OF NEWBURGH - A taxi ride in Newburgh just got a bit more expensive.
City officials approved a $3 fare increase for riders picked up and dropped off within Newburgh's borders – something independent drivers lobbied heavily for over the last six months.
"They listened to us," taxi driver Miguel Cerrato said on Monday.
The new local rates increased from $5 to $8 and went into effect June 1. The city also created a designated taxi stand in front of St. Patrick's Cemetery on Broadway. The wait fee – an additional cost for a cab driver to wait on a rider to be picked up – was also upped, from $1 to $2 every 5 minutes.
In the city of Newburgh, fares are set by local government. The rates apply only to cab rides that begin and end within city limits. The price is a flat fee, regardless of distance or the number of riders.
But despite the fare increase, Cerrato believes more needs to be done.
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Cerrato contracts with Access: Supports for Living to provide medical transportation and he supplements his income by driving a cab with Perusa Taxi in Newburgh.
He is also the president of the Independent Taxi Drivers Association – a group of Newburgh-based cabbies that formally organized last year. They led the lobby to raise the prices for rides.
Under the new rate, Cerrato estimated that drivers could earn 20% more income.
"It's still, you know, not really enough," he said of the fares. "But we can't really ask for more because the people in Newburgh are not too happy about it. When we go to pick up people and tell them the new fare price is $8 sometimes they say, 'No, I don't need it. Just cancel.'"
But Cerrato believes people will eventually get used to the new price.
Miguel Martinez, a pizza deliverer turned taxi driver, told the Times Herald-Record in February he averaged about $11.25 an hour, driving a cab 16 hours a day, six days a week. As his family's breadwinner, he struggled to pay his bills, including his monthly $2,300 rent for his home.
The $3 rate increase makes "big difference" for him, he said. He will be able to spend more time with his family and less time working a grueling driving schedule.
Fares not the only issue on association's agenda
Beyond increasing fares, the association asked the city to address concerns about safety, to crack down on illegal cab operators and lower inspection and licensing fees that can amount to more than $200 a year.
Drivers in larger cities may see competition from Uber or Lyft drivers taking on fares, but Cerrato said that is not much of an issue in Newburgh.
He said the competition for Newburgh cabbies comes from drivers operating ride services illegally.
These drivers tend to skip the costly licensing and inspection processes, use personal car insurance and hijack riders by listening to cab companies' radio dispatches, Cerrato said.
The taxi association asked Newburgh police to penalize non-compliant drivers and the city has urged the public to report illegal operators via its SeeClickFix smartphone application.
Newburgh streamlined its taxicab inspection process last month, but the licensing fees did not change.
"We think we are not done yet," Cerrato said. "We still need to get a little bit more help."
'A long time coming'
This fee structure change, which represented the first price adjustment in over a decade, came after drivers pleaded with lawmakers to raise the fares. Drivers told Newburgh officials new prices would help them make ends meet while balancing licensing and inspection fees, gas, dispatch radio rentals, vehicle maintenance and an increased cost of living.
"This has been a long time coming," Councilwoman Ramona Monteverde said at the city council's May 23 meeting.
Independent cab drivers – contracted drivers who are not fully employed with cab companies – banded together in November 2021.
In January 2022, the association invited police leadership and elected officials to their meeting at Alejandra's, a Mexican restaurant on Broadway.
A few months later, they met with city administrators to negotiate the fee changes, Cerrato said.
Councilwoman Giselle Martinez said at a council meeting that she appreciated the association's advocacy.
"That's what this is about: It's about coming to us and letting us know what we can help them with," Martinez said.
Lana Bellamy covers Newburgh for the Times Herald-Record and USA Today Network. Reach her at lbellamy@th-record.com.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Newburgh taxi driver campaign convinces city council to increase fares
