If Your Uber Ride Cost an Extra $50, Would You Still Take It?

If there were no Ubers/Lyfts, there would absolutely be a lot less congestion. So put a congestion surcharge on those vehicles of about $1,000/trip and the money will just roll into the city's coffers. Problem solved! (BTW, the idea that you can only get an Uber via your phone app is baloney - I see vehicles marked as Ubers cruising for fares all over Manhattan, especially at night and especially along bus routes. What they're doing is illegal, but NYC apparently doesn't care about enforcement when it comes to Uber.) And if there were no bike lanes, we'd have less congestion, so are the bike riders also going to pay a congestion surcharge? I think they should. And is NYC planning to surcharge me, as a pedestrian, for walking down the street? I mean, heck, I'm taking up valuable space, right? If nobody ever went anywhere, we'd have no congestion, and NYC would be as quiet & peaceful as a country lane. That "prominent transportation expert" worked under Mayor Bloomberg, so that should tell you exactly where he's coming from! And, NY Times, he's already updated his website to say that the NY Times has referred to him as a "prominent transportation expert" - so maybe you should be more careful before you throw that terminology around. It seems to me that Mr. Schaller is a legend in his own mind, and a nightmare for real New Yorkers.

Congestion Pricing is absolutely needed in NYC. Uber won't exist with it, and if gas was $4 bucks they wouldn't be here. I'm amazed that NYC has allowed Uber. And while we're on it, AirBnB.

So does this mean that taxi drivers would be justified in saying "I only drive on Upper East Side" or "Upper West Side" because they don't want to pay premium to go to midtown?

I don't use it now. Why would I pay a premium for something that adds no value.

If you're going to impose a congestion charge - which I'm certainly not opposed to myself - then the money raised must be spent on mass transit. After all, if the whole point is to discourage people from driving to, from or in Manhattan, then you must ensure there is a viable alternative. Otherwise, a congestion charge is nothing more than a money-raising stunt and does nothing more than create more inconvenience. But with an attractive mass-transit alternative, then it really can have a positive impact on Manhattan.

This is nothing more than a plan by the rich to get the poor, middle class and disabled out of Manhattan. The solution to congestion is to look at what slows down traffic: Double parking and bike lanes. Here is an idea: Charge all cars costing more than $75,000 a congestion fee of $500/day they are in Manhattan. That would raise a lot of revenue and the rich can afford to pay. The money raised should provide for transportation for the the poor and the disabled.

Great idea. Uber and Taxis should be a luxury but their cheap prices mean they are not. During rush hour, walk, bike or take the subway. Use the funds raised to improve the subway and buses. And while they're at it, they should enforce rules against double parking and blocking the box, other major causes of congestion.

I'm befuddled by the proposal here. Bloomberg and De Blasio intentionally have cut/removed vehicle traffic lanes around the city. Sometimes for bike lanes and protective medians. Other times for just bigger sidewalks (I guess that's the rationale--but some speculated the whole plan was intended to encourage people to take public transit by intentionally slowing traffic). Can someone explain why we are intentionally increasing traffic congestion through lane cutting policy, but at the same time bemoaning the traffic problem as serious enough to warrant this surcharge scheme? I've said it before but if we employed more traffic cops with ticketing power for vehicles that "block the box" you would see an immediately improvement (see basically anywhere near a tunnel).

Why not charge $10,000 per ride? That will surely be effective. But is it fair? While we are at it, let's fix the terrible congestion on the sidewalks by charging a $5-per-block walking fee. Oh, Manhattan is going to be so quiet and beautiful again... Just what the city needs. It feels like no matter what prices, fees, and penalties are raised or established, none of the benefits ever really seem to trickle down? Subway fares go up and service gets worse, etc... What reason have we to believe that money raised combating congestion will be spent helping the plebeians like me? Seems to me the biggest impediment to traffic in NYC is double-parking. It blocks the streets and makes congestion exponentially worse; yet no one seems to be the least bit interested in addressing that issue. Trucks blocking the flow on every block... How about raising those penalties instead? But never mind the MTA. Status quo there is just fine, right? Maybe all the taxi and car service drivers who will lose their jobs can get work repairing the subways. I suppose if the working class simply must enter Manhattan, then force them all underground. That will make things so much nicer for the billionaires and police-escorted city officials who own the place, right? Ok, I admit it, I'm bitter. I took the subway this morning, so...hard not to be.

So the solution to "congestion" is to eliminate everyone who cannot afford to pay. Great. But wait: this tax will go to MTA "improvements", apparently so the eliminated rabble "change" their "behavior." Because, of course, there's nothing more threatening than individuals living their lives based on their own choices.

The idea is exclusionary. It will be harder for moderate/lower income people to access the area. OBTW: shouldn't taxis pay it also.

This title is really sensationalist. The body says the cost would increase by $14 on average, not $50. I am very disappointed NYT, please don't descend into clickhole/buzzworthy territory on click bait titles.

I urge all city council members to think about the older folks who cannot get anywhere via public transportation. I hate paying out of my hard-earned savings the price for car service and taxis, but there's no way I can manage the subway madness and no way I can even get up and down stairs. Buses are a little better, but they're crowded and slow and I've come close to falling so many times that my senior Metro card now goes unused. I'd spring for a small surcharge, but this so-called "prominent transportation expert" needs to think about how his grandmother or disabled friend needs to get around the city. Current parking garage prices in NYC? I got rid of my car when I retired and no longer needed it daily, and for ten years enjoyed public transport. Now the latter is not an option for me. Congestion pricing for personal cars is understandable. For car service or taxis? Nope. You've got to give those of us with mobility problems a chance.

If it weren't for the meddling of the petroleum industry and its relentless, bottomless pocketed lobby, instead of unnecessary motor vehicle traffic, there would be a delightful, clean, and highly efficient network of electric trolleys criss-crossing and peacefully sharing Manhattan's streets with thousands more bicyclists, and quickly and cleanly whisking hundreds of thousands of people around town. This would also be a revenue boost for the MTA. Instead, we have an archaic and dilapidated mass transit infrastructure that the entire city's economic health depends on, and virtual gridlock everywhere that is spewing choking and disease causing exhaust fumes. How much money is the petroleum industry making just from the tens of thousands of vehicles idling all day, every day in Manhattan traffic? A real thought provoker - huh?

What these geniuses are likely forgetting is that the increase in Taxi/Uber Cab etc. traffic can be attributed to the apathetic and unreliable MTA subway service. All these fees /money raised are political ploys to keep robbing the public at large while the MTA workers log in massive overtime pay and everyone at the table gets their share of the pie. New York is due for a revolution by it's residents against this anarchy.

The answer is: You don't care if you are a CEO or VP and your company is paying, or a Wall Street Exec for whom $$ is no object. The streets are being cleared so your limo can get you back and forth to Scarsdale or Bridgeport faster. If you are an average schlep who really needs the service, then every dollar is a factor. Regressive idea, favors wealth.

Not only are all the beautiful residential towers only for the rich but also taxis now. Great! Why not also tax walking in midtown so you can price everyone out of the island?

Or maybe it's time for these megapolis cities like NYC to start implementing GOOD transit systems like Japan's. I once Asked my friend in Tokyo what time the bus would be at a nearby stop. She said at 5:47. It was 5:30, so I said I better leave to make sure I wouldn't miss the bus and she said no, it will be there at exactly 5:47, not earlier, not later.