LEWISTON – Taxi companies and drivers won’t be satisfied with 25 cents, they said Tuesday.
Lewiston’s attempt to make taxi rates reflect gasoline prices received a failing grade from taxi company owners, and they urged the city to work more closely with Auburn to come up with logical fares.
“It’s one price in Auburn, then another in Lewiston,” said taxi driver Roland Belanger. “Then, it’s up one week and down the next. And we’re the ones that have to try to explain it to the customers, and they think we’re trying to rip them off.”
Councilors urged Deputy City Administrator Phil Nadeau to speed his work with the Lewiston Auburn Transit Committee to come up with a new fee structure plan for both cities.
They also urged City Administrator Jim Bennett to meet with cab company owners and drivers next week to get their suggestions.
Both cities raised cab fares last September in response to rising gasoline costs.
While Auburn raised rates 50 cents in all seven of its taxi zones, Lewiston enacted a forgotten gasoline fee that lets drivers charge an additional 10 cents per trip for every 20 cents gas prices increase.
That turned out to be too flexible, and taxi fares increased and decreased three times since September. Councilors were scheduled to vote to add 25 cents to taxi fares in all five of Lewiston’s tax zones and raise the threshold for the gas fee. That was designed to keep the rates more level.
But it wasn’t nearly enough, according to City Cab owner Dan Leonas. Cab companies in other New England states have seen their fares rise by as much as dollar since the fall.
“So you have to decide whether you want taxis in Lewiston,” Leonas said. “We can’t afford to keep doing what we’re doing.”
Leonas also blasted both cities for enlisting the Lewiston Auburn Transit Committee.
“That’s just another level of bureaucrats we have to deal with,” he said. “Just do something yourselves, and do it right.”
Nadeau said he would push the transit committee group to come up with some suggestions for both cities within a month.
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