All Things Travel: Logan Taxi Numbers Don't Add Up
BOSTON (CBS) – Passenger numbers at Logan are up over 10 percent this year, but taxis leaving the airport are down.
It is what is known as "The Uber Effect" from private car services cutting into regulated taxis in the city of Boston.
With the heavy summer travel season about to begin June 1, this trend would mean that Logan taxi trips this year will be down by over 50,000 for Boston cabs.
Through April, the number of taxis lining up for airport fares numbered 728,961, a decrease of 14,713 over a year earlier.
The loss of ridership is also hurt by the increasing use of the free Silver Line service to South Station and the free use of the Back Bay Logan Express with a MBTA Charlie Card.
Effective June 1,all arriving passengers at Logan will pay for the Back Bay Logan Express bus service to Copley Square.
With the MBTA Government Station now reopened and Blue Line service to Logan Airport is available, Massport is evaluating whether to continue its newest bus express service.
There is no doubt that ride-sharing car services are cutting into both the taxi and limousine services locally.
The convenience of not paying in cash, no tipping and receiving a monthly credit card statement of your trips are especially helpful to business travelers.
Meanwhile the taxi business has taken a hit in the pocketbook, especially for people who own their own cabs. The price of a medallion in Boston, which was as high as $700,000 three years ago is now worth about half that amount. Drivers are working many hours to make their loan payments to the bank.
With more international flights, the school vacation week and the Boston Marathon, taxi passenger figures were up for the month of April by two percent to 198,118 or 3,147 over a year earlier.
At the same time, passengers arriving and departing Logan Airport in April totaled 2,987,158 up 5.4 percent over last year.
The number of Boston taxis leaving Logan with fares totaled an average of 6,075 per day for four months this year.
The good news for the taxi industry is that Logan Airport will welcome two new airlines flying to two new destinations next week. On May 30th Thomas Cook will begin serving Manchester,England and on June 1 Eurowings will begin flights from Boston to Cologne, Germany.
All Things Travel reports With Bob Weiss Can Be heard on WBZ News Radio
