NEW YORK — Cab fares are being hiked by an average of 17 percent starting Tuesday.
The raise, greenlighted by the Taxi & Limoisine Commission in July, will swell the rate from .40 to .50 for every 1/5 of a mile.
Trips between JFK Airport and Manhattan also jumped from $45 to $52.
The surcharge for Manhattan to Newark Liberty Airport trips increased from $15 to $17.50.
All drivers of yellow "medallion" cabs are permitted to use the new fares immediately, as long as their meters have been re-calibrated.
Drivers do not have to use the new fares until their first scheduled inspection after Sept. 30, according to the TLC.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Commission backed the increase — the first since 2006 — because of rising fuel prices.
In the last six years, the cost of gasoline in New York has gone up 45 percent, from $2.70 to $2.90 per gallon.
