Too much for taxis?

After just a few months at Fairfield, Michele Maggiore ’10 is already very familiar with the high cost of living – living off taxis, that is.

“The cab service is efficient, but the prices are costly,” said Maggiore. “It was around $9.50 just to go to the movies.”

Freshmen like Maggiore, and other students without cars are finding that paying for rides around town is burning a hole in their pockets.

However, using the taxi service is often the only option, even if it is an expensive one.

And as the only taxi service in town, Fairfield Cab Co. dictates the price, and University students pay it.

At the start of the cab ride the meter is set at $3.50. From there, the cost increases approximately $2 per mile. This is certainly no bargain, even when compared with prices of the notoriously expensive New York City cabs.

Currently, a New York City cab charges $2.50 upon entry.

And while the service currently charges 20 cents per minute of waiting, as of December this charge will rise to the high Fairfield equivalent of 40 cents per minute.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission recently voted unanimously to raise taxi cab fares, adding about $1 more to the price of the average cab ride, according to The New York Times

A New York City taxi’s regular rates, before the increase, were typically $2.50 upon entry and 40 cents for each one-fifth of a mile, at a speed of six miles per hour or faster. This increases the average fare by 11 percent and doubles an hour of wait time from $12 to $24.

The new rates will go into effect in early December, just in time for cabbies to take advantage of chaotic, bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic and rake in twice the profit.

Drivers say that the change was made due to rising gas prices and traffic, according to The Times.

Even with this increase in fares, a ride in an NYC cab is still a bargain for many tourists and out-of-staters who find taxi fares to be much more expensive elsewhere.

For students at Fairfield, the New York City cab prices are appealing, even with the rise in prices next month. With wait time rates doubled, it is still more expensive to hail a cab in Fairfield County than in the Big Apple.

“They’re basically ripping you off,” said Andrew Asistin ’10. “You can ride an NYC cab the same distance as a Fairfield cab, but for less.”

Unreliability and long waits are other complaints Fairfield students often grumble about when discussing Fairfield taxis, unlike city cab services.

“I went to the Trumbull Mall once and was stuck there for a half hour because the cab service was busy,” said Lauren Murphy ’10.

Nevertheless, students without cars seem willing to shell out the extra dollar and deal with the wait to get where they want to go, whether it is the mall, Starbucks or a party the beach.

“The price of the cab is ridiculous,” said Christina Putts ’10. “I can’t wait to have my car on campus so I won’t have to pay so much.”