June 2, 2008
Bite Size News
--Boston cabbies want to increase fares, which would make a Boston ride higher per-mile than NYC, SF, and Chicago. Taxi drivers cite rising gas prices, yet do not mention large cell phone bills. [Boston Globe]
--Since pedicabs aren't always nearby, more and more people are riding their bicycles around Boston. Local agencies to support the surge in biking by adding bicycle racks among other initiatives. [Boston Herald]
--"Blackest" is poised to become the "new black." Boston College researchers have created a material that absorbs all light that hits its surface. [Science Daily]
--Ricky Gervais of "The Office" fame has finished filming his new movie in Lowell. Gervais seemed to enjoy his time here and suggested the premiere will be held in Boston. [Boston Herald, Bostonist]
Update: Bo Diddley died today, of heart failure, at his home in Florida. [Boston AP/Globe]
Image of weathervane from James Hook Lobster by jwardell from photos tagged "Bostonist" on Flickr.
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yes! let us continue in our quest to be the most expensive city ever for no apparent reason!
NYC will require all cabbies to drive hybrid cabs, which save up to $10,000 a year in gas costs, according to the Globe. this seems like a pretty reasonable trade-off for higher fares.
if the cabbies are right, and they are only bringing home $400/wk., then i feel for them. their job legitimately sucks.
as someone not making significantly more than $400/week, i want to increase my fares, too.
My racist cabbie last week (had to take one to the airport before the T started running, else I wouldn't set foot in a cab here) opined that as gas goes up and as fares go up, their tips also go down: a $16 ride becomes an $18 ride, but both get the driver a $20 bill. I sympathise with cabbies to some extent, because they fill an important transportation niche and are not always priced appropriately (to ensure a living for the driver and to internalise the externalities of driving in general).
Of course, this driver of a Green Cab in Somerville was also racist, xenophobic, and filled to the brim with right wing talk radio bullet points on why the bleeding heart liberals and the Chinamen are conspiring with the 'illegals' to take American oil away from Americans. So he received no tip at all from me. I have to send that money to the Mexican Chinamen on my payroll, after all. How else am I supposed to keep funding the liberal media but with oil money?
Driving a cab seems like a lot of effort and cost for the amount of pay, esp. since many drive around looking for fares...
The cost of all transportation is going up, but I wish the increase would be more incremental. I don't see how it will help business to be more expensive than a New York City cab ride.
(I also cringe when I think MBTA fares are almost as high as the more expansive NY MTA.)
(that depends on how you figure the fares. the per-ride fare is nearly identical ($1.70 using a CharlieCard vs. $1.74 using the MetroCard, with a purchase of $7 or more). however, the T is still a much better deal if you are buying a regular pass. the weekly CharlieTicket costs $15, vs. $25 on the MTA, and the monthly CharlieCard Link Pass is $59, vs. $81 for the monthly MetroCard.)