Massachusetts

Mayor Marty Walsh Reportedly Wants to Increase Rideshare Prices

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is planning to lobby Massachusetts lawmakers to increase the prices for rideshares in the city, according to The Boston Globe.

The Globe reports Walsh wants to increase the prices for Lyft and Uber in an effort to beat Boston’s traffic. Rideshares currently pay a 20-cent fee for each ride, with 10 cents of that fee going back to the city or town in which the ride took place, five cents returning to the state and the other five towards assisting the taxi industry.

In the past year, Boston collected about $3.5 million from the fees, which were used to rebuild sidewalks, redesign intersections, to expand the Blue Bikes system and to retime transit signals.

Boston’s chief of streets, Chris Osgood, told the Globe the increased fee should be based on whether or not trips are causing more traffic. Although the city does not have a set fee in mind yet, Osgood suggested increasing the fee to 35 cents.

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