Changes Afoot for Pedicab Pricing

By YVONNE JURIS

The City Council took some gas from pedicabs on Tuesday with a unanimous vote to approve regulations on how riders would be charged aimed at preventing fare gouging.

While there will be no mandated price, pedicabs will be required to charge customers fixed rates through a timer, instead of the customary practice of charging per block. Rates must be visibly printed on the cab as well as on cards that will be handed to the passengers. Operators will no longer be able to alter the price based on the number of passengers in the cab.

“Today we are protecting consumers by giving deceptive pedicab practices the red light,” said Council Speaker Christine Quinn. “Our legislation will bring increased legitimacy to the pedicab industry and will ensure customers know what they’re paying for a ride.”

The infamous stories of overpricing, including the $400 plus ride charged last summer to a Texan family for a 14-block ride, helped spur the reforms. The tricycle cab, which can hold up to four passengers, is a tourist attraction in midtownManhattan. The new rules were slated to go into effect in April.

“We are committed to taming midtown, what we call, the Wild West” said Consumer Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Garodnick.

The  Council also approved measures to install audio technology in taxi-cabs to aid vision impaired riders, which will go into effect in May.