The taxi fare in the City of Buenos Aires will increase by 30% in September and 20% in November, which will be added to the 20% increase implemented last April, the Buenos Aires government confirmed today at a public hearing in which representatives of the sector reiterated their complaints about “illegal applications” existing for passenger transport, which they accused of “destroying the activity”.
The measure was made official by Mariano Rebord, operational manager of Taxis, Remises and Schoolchildren of the Buenos Aires government, during the hearing to analyze the adequacy of the value of the taxi token, which had among its speakers Jorge Celia, president of the Owners Society of Automobiles with a Taximeter and the National Federation of Taxi Owners, among others.
“Taking into account the evolution of the current rate so far this year, it registers an increase of 20%, with the value of the current token being $14.40, for which it is considered pertinent to discuss a new rise in the rate table of the provision of the service,” Rebord said at the meeting that took place under virtual modality and was convened by the Single Regulatory Entity of Public Services of the City.
In this context, the official specified that “The profitability of the sector, at values for the month of July, registers an increase in operating costs of 50%, for this reason it is considered appropriate to establish an increase to be implemented in two parts: 30% during September and 20% as of November” .
In this way, the value of the token, which is currently $14.40 during the day and $17.40 at night, will cost $18.70 and $22.50 respectively in September; and in November it will go to $22.50 and $27.
In the case of the lowering of the flag, the current values of $140 for daytime hours and $174 for nighttime hours will be moved to $187 and $225 in September and to $225 and $270 in November.
Rebord mentioned as “the main updates that affect profitability” the “increases in the salaries of drivers, fuel and increases in the value of the vehicle, which impacts the value of patents and insurance, as well as the expenses of qualification, parts and labor for repairs.
Also, he indicated “the successive increases in the value per liter and cubic meter per fuel since the beginning of the year and the increases in the value of the monotax and basic basket category that directly affect the profitability of the service.”
The rise in taxis will coincide with the increase in the subway rate, expected to rise by 40% by the end of September.
“The increase suffered by the 0Km cars used by the sector must be added, which affects the quality of the vehicles destined for taxis and their amortization, considering that the rule referring to the age of the units establishes a maximum of ten years,” he added.
Increase the taxi, increase the subway
The rise in taxis will coincide with the increase that the subway rate will also have, scheduled for 40% by the end of September, according to what is established by the Buenos Aires government in the proposal made on Friday during a public hearing.
According to law number 6 of the City of Buenos Aires, public hearings represent “an instance of participation in the administrative or legislative decision-making process in which the authority responsible for it enables an institutional space so that all those who may be affected or have a particular interest express their opinion regarding it”.
Nevertheless, “The opinions collected are advisory and non-binding”.
As the first speaker at the audience for taxis, Celia considered that “this rate update should have been in July” since “inflation and everything that affects the service makes it quite unfeasible.”
“We must have the tariff updates quickly, that is why we are pleased that these two steps take place in a single public hearing, which should be the dynamics because otherwise they do not give us the costs and, like any business, profitability is needed,” remarked.
On the other hand, he reiterated his criticism of the operation of “illegal applications that are destroying our activity because they are taking lots of taxis out of legal activity.”
“Before, there were about 36,000 taxis and today, at most, there are 20,000,” he explained.
Coincidentally, Sergio Pérez, from United Taxis, assured that “the issue of transporting illegal, evasive and trout applications is no longer sustained, against which (the head of government Horacio) Rodríguez Larreta does nothing to stop them.”
Regarding the update of the rate for taxis, Pérez said that “in the last five years, our work tool, which is the car, increased between 1,000% and 1,300%; while, in the same period, our maximum salary reached 250%”.
“Mathematically, I want you to explain to me how we do then to cover the service since it becomes impossible to maintain it. The taxi driver ends up losing money,” he warned.
