The City Of Seattle Now Says That The Local Gasoline Average Of $5:50 Per Gallon Means You Can Now Add A $1.50 Surcharge To Each Fare & Washington State Gasoline Tax & New Puget Sound Owner/Operator Contract & The Unprotected Seattle/King County Cab Driver

How the New City of Seattle Greenish-Yellow Placard Reads:

Fuel Surcharge

                    A temporary fuel surcharge of $1.50 per 

                    trip, for all trips beginning in the city of 

                    Seattle, will be added to the taximeter fare or

                    airport flat rate due to recent increases in

                    fuel prices (SMC 6.310.530F).

Seattle Taxicab____________

__________________________________________________

Everyone is supposed to post this near the meter, informing the passenger of the new but temporary rate increase.  The City of Seattle has a threshold of anything over $5.50 per gallon and you get the extra fee.  But will anyone really charge it?  

I know I won't because I never charge for extra passengers or for toll bridge charges.  Why?  I simply don't care, finding I more than make it up in tips.  And again, I simply don't care about nickels and dimes, more interested in Fifties and Hundreds, those Grants and Franklins making a strong impression.   I am far more interested in Seattle regulating taxi associations and strengthening driver rights than paltry fare increases.  But that isn't going to happen today, tomorrow or ten years from now.  You can quote me.

WA State Has the Third Highest Gas Taxi in the USA: 49 cents per gallon

Which explains why Seattle gasoline prices are near the highest in the country.  Governor Inslee says he isn't interested in any "gas holiday" for WA ST residents, even though the state just announced an unexpected $1.46 billon revenue increase for the 2021-2023 period.  He is already thinking about how to spend the money.  How nice, our personal budgets in a vise but Christ does Inslee care, prowling the local economy like a hungry bear?

New Yellow Cab Driver Contract

Not much new other than the new rate of $195.00 embedded in the contract plus a $50. weekly airport fee for cabs working Sea-Tac and $100.00 for WAT Sea-Tac cabs.  The contract also says that all drivers must process all credit card charges through the MTI system.  Since most are not currently doing that, this might make for an interesting argument.  Most of the language is basic but many might want to read the "fine print" and provide comment. 

Let the Wind Blow: No Shelter for the Local Cabbie

While some might find the fuel surcharge a kind of new recognition directed toward the Seattle taxi driver, I see it as more bureaucratic paper pushing than anything providing real regulatory or statutory protection for the owner operators, all of us subject to the whims of association authority.  One bandaid does not stem the bleeding.  The best part of this "hands off approach" though is that, short of murder, no one is going to bother you much at all.  Ah yes, the mixed blessing that is taxi.